June 2011

Target Shooter 1
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 Target Shooter 3
 Welcome to the June Issue of ......

.....Target Shooter

11 IWA 2011
Part 3
Sections
by Vince
6 Shooting Sport News
Bottomley
10 Shooters Calendar

18 Shooting Black Powder
24 Valkyrie Pistol by Chris Risebrook
Tactical Rifle
by Chris Parkin 48 A Visit to Savage Arms by
Yvonne Wilcock

65 A profile on Darling
Shooters by Hayley Platts

70 This Smallbore Business

- The Psychology of a
32 Remington 700 Champion #4
by Don Brook
SPS Tactical
by Laurie Holland Association Pages

73 NRA

75 NSRA
41 Rimfire &
Air Rifle 78 UKBRA
Benchrest -
Mirage by Carl 80 UKBR22
Boswell
82 F- Class

88 UKPSA

94 Gallery Rifle

97 Quigley Association

54 6mm BR
Norma Part 2 by
Laurie Holland

4 Target Shooter
 Editor(s).
Carl Boswell and Vince Bottomley
Advertising and Office Manager
Yvonne Wilcock
email; admin@targetshooter.co.uk
Contributors
Vince Bottomley Tony Saunders Laurie Holland
Chris Risebrook Carl Boswell Don Brook
Alan Whittle Ken Hall Chris Parkin
Hayley Platts Les Holgate Liz & Brian Woodall
Webitorial - June 2011
This month we take a great leap into the world of apps. If you don’t have a smart phone, you might be
wondering exactly what an app is – I did!
App is short for ‘application software’ and an app is simply a small computer programme that can be
downloaded and used, without the need for a conventional computer, via an iPhone or iPad.
It is the advent of the Apple iPad and similar devices that have made our Target Shooter app a useful
extension of our downloadable on-line magazine. Yes, we realise that only a small percentage of you will
have these devices but it is undoubtedly the way that our means of communicating is changing.
Although 14, 000 of you, from over thirty countries worldwide, download and read Target Shooter every
month, we realise that sitting in front of a computer screen is not the ideal way to read a magazine – unless
of course you have a sneaky read at your work desk!
Downloading the magazine onto an iPad is quick and easy and suddenly, you have Target Shooter in an
even more convenient format than a paper magazine. Not only that, an iPad will store every back issue
if you like – plus all of your other favourite magazines, newspapers or books! Many other magazines are
already available as an app, including American Handgunner, AR Guns & Hunting etc.
Does this mean that you won’t be able to read Target Shooter for free? No – Target Shooter will remain
free, on-line but if you do choose to download the free Target Shooter app., a small charge will be made
for each issue of the magazine you download. Small fee? Just 59 pence for UK readers or 99 cents for
our American friends. (A third of this fee goes to Apple). Annual subscriptions can also be purchased from
within the app itself.
If you have a smart phone or iPad, you will be familiar with apps but if not and you want to see what all the
fuss is about, visit the iTunes website – it’s free – and have a look at what you might be missing – go to www.
apple.com/itunes/downloads/ and click on App Store. Don’t be put off by the ‘tunes’ thing – that’s just the
name of the website.

Vince, Carl & Yvonne

Carl Boswell - carl@targetshooter.co.uk and Vince Bottomley - vinceb@targetshooter.co.uk and

Yvonne - 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
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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
A new F/TR bi-pod has just arrived from
Dolphin Gun Company. The first question
everyone will want to ask is ‘How much does it
The bi-pod is very strong and beautifully made
– as nice as any I’ve seen and comes with its
own bag. To date, I’ve not had chance to try it
weigh?’ Answer – 21 ounces – which is pretty ‘in anger’ but I’ll put that right for our next issue.
light.

N ew design for “ELEY” website

Eley have produced a new front end
webpage to their main website which allows
easier viewing for current information and
news.

The main Eley website is available, through

the top tabs, for standard viewing and the
website we have come to know over the past
few years.

Like a number of other manufacturers, Eley

are also promoting shooting as a sport and
us, the shooters, as the athletes that take part.
This is a welcome development so let’s hope
that others take notice.
6 Target Shooter
D YER HBC 155gn
308 Bullets from
Down-Under Shoot
‘Target Rifle’ or F/
TR division F-Class
down-under and there’s
a good chance you’ll load
locally produced BJD
HBC 155s in your .308
Winchester cartridges.
BJD stands for Bob and
Jan Dyer, proprietors of
R&J Sports Goods of
Pinelands, near Darwin not to mention the national team which came
in Australia’s Northern Territory who manufacture second to Great Britain in last year’s ‘Imperial’

02 BJD + Scenar + 155.5Ber + SMK2156 035

at Bisley, they obviously shoot well too.

This is more than academic to our UK based
fullbore shooting readers as that well-known
Northern accuracy entrepreneur Brian Fox has
a large shipment en-route to his Diggle base,
01 BJD + Scenar + 155.5Ber + SMK2156 020 which he expects to be with him by the time you
read this.
them, while HBC is an abbreviation of High- It’s always nice to have more choice in such
BC. And high BC these bullets are with a long products but, there is a nice icing-layer on top
streamlined nose and optimal 7° angle boat-tail of this particular gilding metal covered cake –
rear end. With an experimentally obtained G7 BC
of 0.236 (G1: 0.462) Bryan Litz ranked the design
second equal with the 155gn Lapua Scenar and
just a smidgeon behind the class leading Berger
155.5gn Target BT (See TargetShooter October
and November 2009 issues available free from
the Archive section for Bryan’s detailed review
of this and other 155gn 0.308s.)
With most Australian state TR and Palma teams
using ammunition loaded with these bullets,

Target Shooter 7
 Lapua Scenar and Berger models. Samples
for review and testing have been promised to
price. Brian hasn’t been able to finalise prices at our handloading man, Laurie Holland, and we’ll
the time of writing but can say that they will be publish his findings later this year.
“very competitive” against the two 155gn Sierra Fox Firearms UK – http://www.foxfirearmsuk.
Palma MKs and “significantly cheaper” than com – telephone 0161 430 8278 for further
information and prices.

L apua 260 Remington Brass

We have a raft of new products either with us
or on the way. In the first category, Hannam’s
time around, one already on sale in the USA and the
others in the final pre-launch stage.

Reloading Limited has newly introduced Lapua .260
Remington brass in stock – there will be a short
report on its features and quality next month.
Berger Bullets
Moving from Finland to the USA, Berger Bullets
continues to produce new designs at a staggering
rate, five new 0.308” diameter ‘Target’ numbers this
It’s the 175gn ‘Tactical OTM’ that’s with us and this
could prove to be a very useful design for those
who want to try factory or tactical rifles at longer
ranges, models such as the 26 inch barrel
Remington 700 Police (PSS). This tangent ogive
number is designed to give match accuracy at
the standard .308 Win 2.800” COAL in magazine
operation accepting a large jump to the rifling if need

The 2nd edition of Bryan Litz’s book (right) is bigger,

thicker and even better than the original

8 Target Shooter
 tune in handloads).
Our top F Class shooters know the Hybrid
form well as many 7mm short magnum users
have adopted Berger’s 180gn 0.284 Hybrid in
preference to the VLD form. Experimentally
derived BCs are already available from
prototypes and are listed in the table. And ....
they ARE high – don’t just get fixated on the
individual numbers but also compare them
against other bullets of the same weight, also
older heavier models.
In general, each of the quartet matches
or even betters the BCs of the previously
best performers in the next weight up. So
the new 155gn Hybrid is not only 4% more
aerodynamically efficient than the current
class leader, Berger’s 155.5gn FULLBORE,
Many new makes and models of bullets are included but beats the previous best 168gn (Berger
in the data section which now includes stability (rifling VLD) model. The new 168gn Hybrid has a
twist) data. The new inch and a half long Berger 200gn marginally higher BC than the 175gn BT
0.308” Hybrid may be the F/TR bullet to beat in a year Long-Range and so on right up to the 200gn
or two Hybrid at 0.320 being only 0.001 adrift of the
210gn VLD. American shooters have been
be, while providing a class-leading BC. given samples of the 155, 168 and 185gn
It is rated at 0.259 / 0.510 (G7 / G1 BC values) and models and are currently reporting back to Berger
crucially, has been designed to remain completely Bullets on real-life on-range performance; the 200gn
stable and behave consistently in transonic flight model has yet to appear.
(1.3 down to 1 MACH) and also in passing though Even Bigger and Better – Applied Ballistics for Long
the sound barrier into subsonic speeds. To achieve Range Shooting by Brian Litz
this, the optimal rifling twist rate is 1 in 11.25, How do we have experimentally derived BCs (not
although the common 1-10 works well too. 1-13 computer generated theoretical values) for bullets
and 1-12 twist barrels will stabilise the projectile for that aren’t even on sale yet in the USA never mind
supersonic flight OK but will not produce the the UK? Simple – we have one of the first copies
transonic stability benefits. of the second edition of Applied Ballistics for Long-
Incidentally, Berger Bullet’s ballistician Bryan Litz Range Shooting also by Bryan Litz, an astoundingly
now produces ammunition loaded with this bullet active gentleman!
for the US market under the Applied Ballistics brand
name, a non day job operation. The cartridges This is a tome that has become our handloading
feature individually weighed charges, gives low man, Laurie Holland’s, favourite bedtime reading
(<10fps) MV spreads and Bryan has tested it at if not bible. It now has more pages than the
1000 yard from a LaRue OBR AR-10 type semi-auto original edition (578 v 536); much expanded
rifle and obtained c. 1-MOA groups. Bryan doesn’t chapters and some completely new topics such as
say what MV these cartridges are loaded to, but as Extended Long Range stability and ballistics (that is
they are described as being in ‘the M118LR milspec over 1,000yd up to the 2,000yd sort of distances);
sniper round class’, that would imply somewhere data on a much larger number of bullets (c. 230 v
around 2,600 fps, so this is an impressive 1000 175) including makes omitted in the first edition –
yard performance indeed from the new bullet. If Cauterucio, Cutting Edge, Dietlein, GS Custom,
you want to order it through our Berger importers, Matrix, Norma, Precision Ballistics, and Wildcat.
Hannam’s Reloading Limited or Norman Clark
Gunsmith Limited, the Berger product number is You still get a CD-ROM for a nice little ballistics
30105. program. We’ll provide a review soon. The other news
here is that F Class world champion Gary Costello
Berger Hybrids has ordered a considerable number of copies of the
The yet to go on sale models are all ‘Hybrid’ second edition for British shooters through his
designs that feature long secant form nose sections (to company March Scopes UK and they may be here
obtain high BCs) that transition into a rounded by the time you read this. The website and email are:
tangent shape at the bearing surface to ogive http://www.marchscopes.co.uk and info@march-
junction (to make them jump-tolerant and easy to scopes.co.uk

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.
4 June - Probationary Members Course 2011/2
(National Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley). The
new modular Probationary training course is now
being offered at Bisley. Contact Phyllis Farnan
4 June - NRA Shooting Club Day (National
Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley)
Multi-discipline NRA Shooting Club Day. Targets
have been booked on Melville and at 100, 200,
300 and 1000 yards. All disciplines welcome.
Contact Charles Perry via the NRA
5 June - RCO (HME) Course (National Shoot-
ing Centre (NSC), Bisley)
This course is only open to qualified NRA RCOs.
The course is to train RCOs in the zeroing
procedures which are now required when
ammunition generating a ME greater than
4500 joules is fired on military ranges. This is a
half-day course involving both classroom work
and an on-range zeroing demonstration. The
course is run regularly at Bisley and regionally,
on request to the NRA.
Contact Maureen Peach via the NRA
10 to 12 June - British International 50 Metre
Championships
Contact NSRA via the Lord Roberts Centre
11 June - NRA Percussion Revolver Champion-
ships (National Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley)
Contact David Gregory via the NRA
11 to 12 June - NRA Inter-Counties Meeting
(National Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley)
The first competition of the Inter-Counties week-
end is the R Jarvis Individual match. In past
years this has been open only to members of the
County squads. This year it has been decided to
open the event to any individual member of the
NRA.
The conditions are as for Queens I (2
convertible sighters and 7 to count at 300, 500
and 600 yards). The first detail will fire at 08.45
on Saturday and the match will be completed
during the morning. The entry fee is £37.50.
If you would like to enter this event, please apply
to the Event Co-ordinator.
Contact David Mumford via the NRA
10 Target Shooter
12 June - Probationary Members Course Novice
Skills Module (National Shooting Centre (NSC),
Bisley) Contact Phyllis Farnan via the NRA
16 to 23rd June - World Cup - Munich
Contact the NSRA for details
17 to 19 June - Scottish Open Championships
(Blair Atholl (Scotland). This years Scottish Open
Prize Meeting will be held at Blair Atholl on Friday
17 to Sunday 19 June 2011.
Further information and entry forms may be ob-
tained from Allan Mabon in due course.
http://www.scottishrifleassociation.org.uk
Contact Allan Mabon via the NRA
19 and 26 June - Probationary Members Course
Novice Skills Module (National Shooting Centre
(NSC), Bisley)
The new modular Probationary training course
is now being offered at Bisley. Probationers
complete an initial introductory module on safety
and a general introduction to the target shooting,
followed by one or more discipline specific
skills modules. They must also shoot under
supervision with the NRA Shooting Club for a
period before they can become full members
of the NRA. Probationary training is scheduled
at weekends, but individual mid week lessons
are also available on request. Contact Phyllis
Farnan via the NRA
30 June to 23 July - NRA Imperial Meeting
(National Shooting Centre (NSC), Bisley)
NRA Imperial Meeting. This series of matches
is divided up into disciplines with competitions
for Service Rifle, Civilian Service Rifle, Cadets,
Historic Arms, Schools, Gallery Rifle and Pistol,
Match Rifle and Target Rifle. It finishes on the
23 July with the Queens Final followed by Prize
Giving.
Contact NRA Imperial Meeting via the NRA
30 July to 7th August 2011 - The World
Rimfire & Air Rifle Benchrest Federation - 2nd
World Championships in Palmetto USA.
25 Sep - Somerset Small Bore Shooting
Association - Major Hutchinson Memorial Shoot
The Shoot will be held at the Long Ashton
Ranges.
Entry forms are available on the website. http://
ssbsa.com/
Part 3 Optics by Vince Bottomley
Sightron www.sightron.com have tried already their 10-50 and personally,
In this report, we’ll have a look at optics, though I prefer the 8-32 but look forward to trying the
we’d already had a glimpse of Sightron’s new new version.
8-32 scope at Newark. Incidentally, the Newark
scope was very much a pre-production model We got an invitation to attend the Sightron stand
but I can inform you that supplies are now to witness our very own John Dean of Aimfield
arriving in the UK. www.aimfieldsports.com Sports pick up the Sightron Dealer of the Year
award. John has done a great job and thanks
Of all the major scope manufacturers, Sightron to him, more shooters are using a better scope
stand out as a Company listening to its than they were a couple of years ago.
customers. We are looking forward to testing
their new 8-32 model, bristling with new Nightforce www.nightforceoptics.com
features - like up-graded turrets, new reticles Nightforce have an enviable range of optics and
etc. Of course, the same features are available a solid reputation for build-quality and to some
on some other models but I see the 8-32 as the extent, can afford to ‘rest on their laurels’. Their
magnification range which will appeal to most current range covers just about every base from
competitive shooters from F Class to tactical. I hunting to full mil. spec. scopes with something

Target Shooter 11
 for everyone.

They were displaying their new ‘quick-turn’

turrets, which brings a system similar to
the Schmidt & Bender, where just two turns
covers 40 MOA of adjustment, or from
100 to 1000 yards – or maybe beyond,
depending on your cartridge. Personally,
I don’t look upon this as a ‘speed’
thing but more an aid to not making
a total dollop by being one turn out on
the turret – and who hasn’t done that?
They have coupled this new turret with a
‘zero stop’ system, allowing a rapid and
accurate return to zero and, to appeal to
the military market – yes, you guessed,
first focal plane reticles. Previously, the
NF mildot reticle would only work as a
rangefinding reticle at one magnification –
which wasn’t the max. magnification. Not
important to range users but critical to the
military.

March www.marchscopes.co.uk and

www.deon.co.jp/march
March Scopes did not have a stand
at IWA but they were on display on the
Henke stand. UK importer Gary Costello
just can’t get ‘em fast enough and no
wonder – here is another firm listening
to its customers – who are clearly
asking for more and more magnification!

Who would have thought that we would

ever see and 8-80 power zoom - of the
highest quality? I got to look through
an 8-80 at our last 1000 yard benchrest
shoot and believe me, the optics are

The March 8-80 is equally at home on a tactical, F Class or 1000 yard benchrest rifle

12 Target Shooter
impressive, even on full power. They also have are unbelievably cheap but beware, unscrupulous
some great reticles and a neat turret-zero UK dealers will wack-on a massive profit-margin!
system. Yes, March are even more expensive I came across a super little ACOG (Advanced
than Schmidt & Bender but, buy a good scope Combat Optical Gunsite) copy which would
and you will keep it forever. have looked great on my mini-rifle. The genuine
article will set you back several hundred pounds
China but an Oriental copy – less than 50 Euros!
Of course, cheap and cheerful Chinese optics Unfortunately they were taken off the stand after
are everywhere at IWA and it can be difficult to a polite visit from ACOG makers Trijicon!
sort out the ‘chaff from the grain’. Many exhibit
the same body features and turrets meaning But why is it the Chinese can make a scope for
that they come from the same factory and are £100 that looks like a £1000 scope? Yes, we
merely badged by the various optical companies know the quality is not quite there but all the
with weird and wonderful names like The lenses are and the body and turrets - at one
Factory of Optical Elements or The Long in tenth the cost...............? To some extent, a
Time Enterprise Company Limited. mid-price optic is really needed – good
build-quality, good optics but realistically priced
The Chinese learnt long ago that when we – not everyone can afford to pay a grand for a
‘experts’ are assessing a scope, we pick it up scope!
and look through it. In other words get the
optics right and the rest will sell itself. Yes, Hakko
Chinese optics have improved greatly This is where Hakko come in. Yes, they are
over the last decade but what about Japanese not Chinese – I know this because
build-quality? To be honest, the ZOS Chinese Mr Hakko had just got news of the Japanese
scopes that Fox Firearms import and still as tsunami when we were on his stand and was
good as anything I’ve seen and for the money rightly concerned for his fellow countrymen.
they are a ‘steal’ for the novice or plinker. Again Fox Firearms are the UK importer and
if you are in line for a new scope but find that
One thing I do have with a ‘Made in China’ is a £1000 is just too much, try a Hakko for less
low-power red-dot for my mini-rifle. These scopes than half that. I couldn’t fault their 8-32 Tactical
Target Shooter 13
 we had a real target scope
New Leupold Mk4 turret with ‘idiot’ lock from one of the best scope
makers on the planet. Not
only that, they now offer their
scopes with European or
American ‘turn’ turrets and
graduated in milrad or MOA.

Like S&B will tell you, they

don’t make telescopes or
binoculars or cameras and the
like – they make rifle scopes
pure and simple using the
finest Schott glass. In fact,
they don’t even make rings.
Unfortunately, they had
nothing new for the target
shooter except for a 3-20 model
I hadn’t seen before and a new
reticle, the P4FL MOA – which
could a useful ret. for the target
shooter . But, how can they
better the 12-50? Only by
making it lighter! With most of
my rifles built to class weight
model. Their range is vast and they cover all limits, I just can’t afford the
the bases from tactical to target and everything weight of a Schmidt
in between.
Schmidt of course have always offered the first
Schmidt & Bender www.schmidtbender.com focal plane range-finding reticle – something
Schmidt & Bender caused a sensation when which put me off their scopes as I always shoot
they launched their 5-25 a few years ago and at known distances. Yes, the reticle was nice
then topped it soon after with their 12-50. Now and fine at 5 power but at 25 power it was a

Premier Reticles mil. spec. scope

14 Target Shooter
 IOR – one big scope!

telegraph pole! But, if you want a true mil-dot
range-finding scope, you have to have a first
focal plane ret. Now, Schmidt acknowledge the
preferences of the target shooter and offer first
or second focal plane rets. which makes their
scopes far more appealing.
it weighs almost a kilo and, with its 35mm
body-tube, you are looking at some hefty mounts
– probably from IOR, as I don’t know who else
makes them. If you are building an 8.25kg F/
TR rifle you are going to have to make some
sacrifices to mount one of these.

Leupold www.leupold.com Kahles, Zeiss and Swarovski

A renewed interest in scopes by the military has
prompted many manufacturers to consider the
FFP ret. and manufacturers are now playing
catch-up to Schmidt & Bender. Leupold
appear to have switched their R&D to the
production of military scopes, with all sorts of new
‘desert’ body finishes and turrets plus – yes, you
guessed, first focal lane rets. – or as Leupold
call it ‘Front Focal’. I love my Leupold 8.5-25 Mk
4 – but please, give us an 8.5-32 Mr Leupold!
These great names in scope manufacture
continue to produce top-notch optics and
scopes with enviable build-quality but they seem
reluctant to enter the serious target market. I
would have thought that March have proved that
there is a market for high magnification, high end
optics with serious shooters prepared to pay
almost any asking price. Come on guys, there is
a great world of target shooting out there! But, if
their order books are full, why bother?

However, let’s never forget that Leupold To sum up, if I was on the look out for a new
offer the best guarantee in the business and for target scope where money was no object, then
that reason alone, I’ll always be a Leupold fan. I would look no further than March. But, money
is always a key factor to most of us and if you
Premier Reticles www.premierreticles.com want real value for money then the Sightron is
Niche-manufacturer Premier, have further hard to beat. With a great UK importer who is
refined their ‘professional’ model with new also a shooter, after sales service will never be a
quick-zero turrets and what they call Second problem. If a Sightron is still too expensive, then
Generation mildot reticles. However, for the look at Hakko.
amateur they are very expensive and although
they boast plenty of elevation adjustment, they Next month we’ll round-off our IWA visit with
don’t come with enough magnification (max is a look at all the other bits and bobs that go to
5-25) to really tempt the target shooter to lay make IWA an un-missable yearly event.
out some serious cash.

IOR www.border-barrels.com
IOR scopes are now handled by Border Barrels
in the UK and I’m amazed at the number I’m
seeing on rifles. Why am I amazed? Well, they
aren’t cheap and they are very heavy! Yes, the
optics are as good as any but, although their
9-36 will appeal to the serious F Class shooter,
Target Shooter 15
Kelbly 179mmX130mm 6/16/10 7:16 AM Page 1

Introducing Kelbly’s Tactical Rifles.

bringing benchrest precision to the tactical
market. With loads of options to choose from,
and pricing that shatters the competitors.

Introducing the first hunting and tactical scopes

with 10 times power ratio on a variable scope.
March 1x-10x-24mm and 2.5x-25x-42mm. 1/4” clicks
and 25 MOA per revolution. All lenses in scopes are
cemented in place, and do not rely on O rings to hold
point of aim. Argon gas purged.

16 Target Shooter
 Target Shooter 17
 Shooting the Black Powder Pistol

with Chris Risebrook

Old guns seem to be a bit like buses. You don’t wading though Starr revolvers. Quite unable to
see the one you want for ages, and then a whole resist temptation,the best of the bunch is shown
row of them come along together. So it was at in Photo 1.
the last Bisley Arms Fair when I seemed to be

Picture 1

18 Target Shooter
 Picture 2

Ebenezer Starr was the son and grandson of 41102 Army 6352 . The Starr revolvers were
famous sword and gunmakers. Born in 1816, the third highest in number purchased by the
he entered the U.S. Navy at age 17, and was Union after Colt and Remington, ( and ahead
on active service from 1834 to 1837 , but then of Savage at 11000), but so far as the double
retired from the service. Badly injured in a railway action is concerned, they must have been pretty
accident, he declined a senior post in the Navy desperate to buy them! The gun is a perfect
on the outbreak of the Civil War, since he had solution to a non-existent problem; an engineer’s
not fully recovered from his injuries. Instead, dream - and an armourer’s nightmare!
with his associates and a capital of $800,000,
he set up the Starr Arms Co. in Yonkers, New The principle is very clever, and effective.
York. Pulling the trigger rotates the cylinder, cocks
the hammer, and leaves it cocked. To fire single
His first revolver was a .36 calibre for the Navy, action, the finger has to be moved to the tiny
followed by a .44 version for the Army, two of trigger just visible at the rear of the trigger guard,
which are shown at the bottom in Photo 2, and and shown in Photo 3. An adjustable slide on the
finally, a single action .44 for the Army, shown at rear of the trigger blade permits a conventional
top in the same photo. double action pull if preferred, and it’s my guess
that this is the system used most of the time.
Total production from 1861 to 1864 was 47454 The whole design is innovative and beautifully
guns, 1402 .36 Navy, 4950 Old Model Army and executed, but over complicated for military use,

Target Shooter 19
 Picture 3

and probably a nightmare to maintain. Photo 4 shows the novel method of cleaning -
and supposedly of rapid reloading by changing
Now, this single action idea would be jolly useful cylinders. However, with all due respect to Clint
if only it had some decent sights - some hope! Eastwood, I wonder how practical this would
For all practical purposes this is a solid frame have been in the real world. As shown in Photo
revolver, and apart from being stronger than 4, the - very robust- top strap is held to the frame
an open frame, it has the advantage that a by a bolt - BUT, for some inexplicable reason
decent rear sight can be fitted to the top strap. it is not captive. I can easily imagine someone
For some reason, which totally escapes me, a trying to reload in the heat of battle, and then
minute “V” has been cut into the hammer nose dropping the screw in the mud - Oh Bother!
instead, just like a Colt. This makes the sights
virtually useless in any sort of combat situation, I imagine the armourers must have cut up rough
and seems completely at odds with the whole about this double action design, because Starr
concept. Interestingly, on this revolver, this notch was asked to produce the simpler single action
is offset to the right; the rifling is anitclockwise, revolver, which was easier to maintain - and
so presumably it will counteract the spin. Have use. Like all such weapons, apart from being a
I got that right? It could be used for target morale booster, and an insignia of rank, it was
shooting, but for all practical purposes, it is intended for close range, last ditch, self defence
over engineered. Interestingly, the other double - point and shoot, and the more basic single
action shown in Photo 2 has the “V” centred in action seems like a better proposition.
the hammer.
My late senior partner (who had no knowledge

20 Target Shooter
 Picture 4

of firearms whatsoever) had occasion to instruct but I have never seen one “in the metal”; it would
his fellow officers on the use of the pistol during be interesting to compare the two. However,
the Second World War. His lecture consisted of Starr was so dependant on military contracts
just one sentence: “Gentlemen, if you have to that with the cessation of hostilities, the business
use this, it is too damn late!” Bearing in mind the was not sustainable, and it failed in 1867. Eben
issue revolver was the Enfield or Webley MkIV Starr died in 1899.
both firing the anaemic 38/200 cartridge, he was The double action revolver has a 6inch round
probably right, (unlike the .455 Manstoppers of barrel, and an almost modern double action
the Great War). type grip. Like the Manhattan, described in
a previous article, the cylinder has 12 locking
Another oddity of this revolver is the calibre - slots. However, unlike the Manhattan where the
apparantly it fires .460, when Colts used .451 hammer can be lowered between chambers,
and Remingtons 454. Quartemasters must have on the Starr the hammer has to be brought to
just loved Mr. Starr! In practice, they probably half-cock and the cylinder then locks, with the
used whatever was to hand and would fit in the hammer between chambers. This half-cock is
chamber, and never mind the possibility of a really more of a safety notch, there being only
chainfire. two notches. To rotate the cylinder for loading in
the conventional manner, it is necessary to pull
Interestingly, Pedersoli now make a replica the trigger beyond the safety notch. This notch
of this revolver, which should provide a good also has to be used when opening the gun. The
source of parts, especially the usual culprits, pointed nose of the cylinder arbor fits neatly into
- the smaller springs. It is tempting to lay in a a recess in the frame.
stock of these consumables for future fettling as
required. Barrel cleaning is, of course, as easy as a Colt,
and vastly preferable to a Remington. The serial
As well as the three revolvers Starr also made number is on the cylinder and on the frame
a four barrelled .32 derringer as well as 22000 under the hammer, and on the barrel assembly.
falling block rifles very similar to the Sharps. From The barrel is surprisingly good, and there are
illustrations, they appear to be almost identical, traces of original blueing, which must have been
Target Shooter 21
 Picture 5

quite something when it was new. The degree self cocking/double action system, quite different
of polishing and the depth of the blueing puts from the conventional Adams or Cooper systems
many modern products to shame. with which we are so familiar today.

The grips have seen better days, but the dents Finally, just as a comparison,( and because I like
are original, so I can’t really touch them. There to gloat), Photo 5 shows it in company with an
is no inspector’s cartouche on the grips, nor 1858 Remington and my Metropolitan/Colt copy.
are there any inspection marks on the gun, Now all I need to complete the set is a Savage
which leads me to suppose this was a private North, - and then, of course there is always
purchase. Barrel to frame and cylinder lock the Pettingill, the Joslyn , the Butterfield etc. etc.
up are both good, and there is absolutely no Funny, how you can always find room for just
cylinder end play. one more.
In the meantime, just gotta have a go with this
The gun weighs a hefty 2lbs. 7ozs., but the one!
balance is excellent, the grips giving a good
purchase to the considerable weight. The 6inch
barrel seems to give a better sense of proportion
than the 8inch of the single action, but this is
purely subjective. The overall impression is of a
very well made and finished gun with a unique
22 Target Shooter
 PHOENIX POSTAL LEAGUES
POSTAL COMPETITIONS FOR
GALLERY RIFLE (CF & SB)
LONG BARRELED REVOLVER
LONG BARRELED PISTOL
MUZZLE LOADING PISTOL
MUZZLE LOADING REVOLVER
FOR
PRECISION AND TIMED
MULTIPLE TARGETS
PRECISION
STANDARD RIFLE & PISTOL
TWO COMPETITIONS PER YEAR
ENTRIES CLOSE 1st AUGUST AND 1st FEBRUARY

MORE INFO CONTACT Paul on tel. 01226 761151 OR email phoenixpl@tiscali.co.uk

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.

Target Shooter 23
A Tactical Rifle from Valkyrie Rifles by Chris Parkin
It is a proud moment when a gunsmith not only Although happily busy with customer work at
launches his own business but couples this with the moment, Dave has been itching to build
the release of his own rifle action. a rifle ever since the launch of his Valkyrie
turn-bolt action with serial number 0001 for
Dave Wylde, proprietor of Valkyrie Rifles has himself. The rifle is a showcase of Dave’s
gained a reputation over the last few years, personal component choice and skills library
not only as an excellent shooter in a variety and when I got the chance to test it, I was really
of disciplines but also as an accomplished looking forward to seeing ‘what the cobbler
gunsmith, serving his time with Roger Francis at chooses to wear on his own feet’, so to speak.
South Yorkshire Shooting Supplies.
The rifle is chambered in the increasingly
Valkyrie are now able to offer rifles built from the popular 260 Remington, a cartridge that for
ground up and beautifully finished for a variety the tactical or cross-discipline shooter, offers
of disciplines - from uncompromising accurate excellent ballistics out to 1000 yards, coupled
F-class rifles through bolt-action tactical guns with both moderate powder consumption and a
and AR15 derivatives for practical rifle shooters. reasonable barrel life. The recent introduction of
Dave has coupled his clean and technical high-quality Lapua brass serves to highlight and
precision builds with some of the finest and, increase its popularity.
dare I say artistic ‘in-house’ Duracoat work
yet seen on this side of the Atlantic. Colours The Valkyrie action is based on the standard
and patterns are seemingly limited only by the Remington footprint, sharing its dimensions, bolt
customer’s imagination and add that unique spacing, magazine and accessory fittings. The
personal touch to a rifle that, whilst sharing difference, as with many custom actions, is the
common components and build styles, can be machining standards - plus a few little design
made to look completely different. tweaks. The original Remington 700 dates back
almost half a century and, although it still ‘stands

24 Target Shooter

up to be counted’, we would not be human if we
hadn’t learned a few new tricks to improve it.
However, its longevity is testament to its design
ingenuity back in the fifties.
The overall shape of the Valkyrie is therefore
close to the Remington but features a more
asymmetric look and the sloping, faceted side
is proudly incised `Valkyrie Rifles England`.
The ejection-port on this standard right-bolt,
right-port, action is shaped to allow clean ejection
and is big enough to single load a cartridge if
desired. When using AI magazines - they often
need a slight guide into the chamber if not fed
from the magazine.
The Valkyrie utilises 416 grade stainless-steel
The Brugger & Thomet moderator
Folding-stock option
with a 4140 chrome-moly steel bolt to avoid
bi-metallic galling. Various options of
configuration, bolt-face and materials are
available. The tactical bolt-knob and handle are
a little longer than the Remington and offer a
comfortable hand-filling design that is quick to
operate and exceptionally smooth.
The bolt itself is attractively fluted and features
a plunger-ejector coupled with a Sako-style
extractor and of course, two locking lugs. The
90 degree bolt-lift offered no extraction or
ejection problems at all. The firing-pin hole is,
as you would expect on a custom action – snug
and the cartridge was well supported, showing
no ejector marking or cratering with normal
pressure levels. At the rear of the action’s left
Target Shooter 25
 Fluted bolt was fast and smooth
side, a neat bolt-release catch replaces the
sometimes awkward trigger-guard mounted
type used by Remington.
An Accuracy International 5-shot magazine was
used during testing and combined with the AI
integral mag-well offered precise lock-up and
easy release. Rounds loaded from the magazine
fed flawlessly at all bolt speeds and of course,
the AI system means that 5 or 10 shot magazines
Brake with thread for the B&T mod
26 Target Shooter
may be used. The AI magazine is a good choice
– certainly the best of those currently available
and AI now offer a 223 polymer version as well.
A peerless 12.5-50 x 56 PMII S&B scope sat in
a pair of understated Badger Ordnance rings,
attached to a 20 MOA Picatinny rail which uses
larger than standard metric threaded bolts
offering a very sturdy fit. The rail extends
beyond the front of the action giving more space
 Removable spacers offer choice of pull
when mounting larger scopes with their long
body-tubes and came in handy for the giant S&B.
I also liked the central groove in the underside
of this particular Picatinny unit as it allows the
rail to be fitted with no concern for any tolerance
mis-match or previous debris around the
threaded action holes - not that such a thing will
be found on this quality of kit. The fact the rail is
not an integral part of the action itself (as with
the with Surgeons etc.) is no real detriment and
gives the option of an alternative mount if the
action is adopted to a sporting rifle build, where
a hunter may want fast access to that breech
area - just in case.
It should be noted that the price of the Valkyrie
action includes this rail, for which some
manufacturers will charge over £100. Also
included is a substantial recoil-lug, which is
pinned to the action to assist with assembly
and barrel swaps if the shooter so desires.
An integral lug (Surgeon) can be beneficial
on a switch-barrel gun and usefully allows the
barrel-tenon to be lengthened whilst retaining
the standard R700 footprint.
The barrel fitted to this gun was a 25 inch
True-Flite with a 1 in 8 twist - a well proven
combination in this chambering. Dave couldn’t
resist a bit of bling though and specified a
distinctive spiral/longitudinal combination
fluting-pattern to set off what is otherwise a large
chunk of barrel in anyone’s view. It does look
different!
At the muzzle-end, we find an Accuracy
International brake along with a Brugger &
Thomet moderator combination - similar to one
which I recently tested on another gun and they
are a great pairing. The moderator, when fitted,
screws to the brake, not the barrel, so you don’t
swap, you add. This sound moderator has a
military spec. left hand thread and when fitted,
seals the brake, which now acts as nothing more
than an internal part of the mod.
When sealed from the external atmosphere, the
brake does nothing and the moderator takes
over, cutting both noise and recoil, which is how
I predominantly shot the gun. B&T moderators
are highly regarded as not only very effective
but far more appropriate to heavy, long-term use
than some light-weight sporting models. The
laterally ported, rotationally indexed AI brake
reduced recoil extremely well, though admittedly
the 260 Rem is not known for its heavy recoil.
I sometimes wonder whether ‘ergonomic’
stock-fit is ignored by some users. Personally, I
regard how the stock `beds` into your shoulder
with similar importance as to how the action
is `bedded` into the stock. Shooting larger
Target Shooter 27
 Dave Wylde with his Valkyrie 0001

calibres – un-braked or moderated - with a skim-bed but those with a desire for perfection
significantly more recoil, highlights how much will usually mill out the V block to add a thicker
effect inconsistent shooting technique from a
poorly-fitting stock can alter group size and
point of impact. You only have to watch the
free-recoil benchrest shooters preparing and
using their equipment for accurate `bag riding`
consistency to realise that at the pinnacle of
achievable accuracy - 100 yard benchrest
- with the tiny amount of recoil offered by a
6PPC - gun handling is win or lose and a well
set-up rifle is far easier to control.

The Accuracy International Chassis System

(AICS) stock that Dave has chosen for
Valkyrie 0001 is desirable to many simply due
to its ‘military’ look, especially on a `tactical`
gun. However, it does offer excellent
user-fit with an adjustable cheek-piece
and length of pull spacers. The full-length
aluminium chassis and choice of polymer
side-plates offer a robust, hassle-free bedding
for most barrelled actions - until you get bored
of the colour of course!

If you decide to use this kind of stock with
any Remington derived action, the chassis
incorporates a V-shaped bedding-block for a
simple drop-in fit although many gunsmiths
still prefer to epoxy bed them - some with just

28 Target Shooter
layer of Devcon epoxy. This is what Dave has are there in abundance. Either with brake or
done here and the true test of bedding stress - moderator used, the recoil was minimal, the gun
slackening off the action-screws and measuring experiencing little bounce even when shot from
any movement with a dial gauge - indicates the a concrete bench on nothing more than a Harris
zero stress that befits a build of this quality. bipod. The Jewell trigger fitted to the action was,
as usual, up to standard and accepted without
The action, bolt, Picatinny rail, barrel, brake comment by a fellow Jewell owner, breaking
and mod have all had the Duracoat treatment crisply at 1lb with complete confidence.
by Dave himself in a colour named `Parker’ –
presumably a reference to the military Parkerised The stock was set-up a little long for me but
finish. The barrel flutes are highlighted with nothing that the simple removal of a spacer
tactical flat-black and this gives a very tasteful wouldn’t cure and a good head-position was
(to my eyes anyway) look. This SL version of easy to repeat with the adjustable cheek-piece,
the Duracoat is what I have had on my own gun altered with two small Allen bolts on the stock
for nearly a year now. It slicks-up the operation side. This AICS was of the folding variety, which
of any action and has worn very well in the 800 is a matter of personal choice but certainly makes
rounds my bolt has cycled. I can’t say I’m mad the gun easy to transport or carry. Multiple swivel
on the stock’s `Multicam` patterned side-plates points are located on the stock, along with an
but hey, I can’t say I dislike any other fact about underside accessory rail on the forend to which
this gun so I had to have something negative a Harris-type bi-pod can be fitted. There is also
to say! The Duracoat colour is totally down to a spigot mount in the front end for a standard AI
the owner’s desires and tastes which when bipod.
combined with Dave’s own stencils can create
some imaginative patterns. I have owned and shot a 260 Rem that Dave
built for me last year and the load-development
As for shooting the gun, well it was almost for this rifle followed similar lines to my own
an anti-climax as accuracy and consistency findings. Lapua 243 Win brass necked up to
Target Shooter 29
 Sako-style extractor can just be seen

form the 260 Rem case along with a 142gr Quality brass availability is of course a primary
Sierra Matchking bullet and H4350 powder was concern for most ‘accuracy nuts`.
the current recipe. Lapua’s own 139 Scenar
bullet, with which I have been successful, had Valkyrie Rifles is both owned and run by someone
been less consistent in Dave’s barrel. who I have known for several years and referred
to before as a perfectionist. Dave’s knowledge
The day we tested coincided with the long and involvement in current trends within the
awaited arrival of Lapua’s 260 Rem Lapua shooting world are gained from the first-hand
brass at Hannam’s Reloading and its use with experience of who shoots, what do they shoot
identical loads was immediately pulling a slightly and how he can beat them, rather than “How
strung-out ¾ MOA group back into a circular sub can I sell them a gun”. Dave’s shooting abilities
½ MOA blob. I had experimented with 243/260 are well known at Diggle, Mattersey and Bisley
brass versus true 260 brass, head to head and and are his best advertisement.
although the 243/260 worked well, I had never
been happy with the ‘donut’ which forms in the His current stock of equipment and chamber
243 brass at the base of the neck and, when reamers and now his own Valkyrie action (made
loaded to 2.810 inches COAL, was encircling the in Yorkshire) and his barrelling and duracoating
base of the longer 139 grain bullet and perhaps facilities stand him in very good stead. After
causing inconsistent starting pressures. going into business on his own in January of this
year (still based on South Yorkshire Shooting
This seems to fit in with the fact that single-shot Supplies site), he is already comfortably busy
260 Rem users were long-throating their barrels and looks set to stay that way. I feel guilty of
for extra powder capacity and therefore avoiding having nothing negative to say about the gun
the donut touching the bullet’s base. Certainly, other than I am very jealous that I don’t own it
when seating each Scenar, I could feel the myself! Dave should be very proud of No. 0001
slight squeeze as it touched. As Valkyrie 0001 but I’m sure he is looking forward now to No.
and my own rifle had shared the same chamber 1000 and beyond.
reamer, perhaps they shared some of the same
tastes? Anyway, that is all beside the point now Check out www.valkyrierifles.net The basic
as the proper Lapua 260 Rem brass is here and price of the action is £975 but the price may vary
appears to be well up to the Lapua standard. in accordance with specification.

30 Target Shooter
 Target Shooter 31
 PROJECT RIFLE: THE REMINGTON 700 SPS
TACTICAL (Part 1)

by Laurie Holland
Be wary about buying ‘cheap’ Remingtons. This is how my previous 700 (a 1998 vintage VS)
has ended up – only the receiver and bolt survive, and they have been worked on!
Remington Arms introduced SPS (Special Purpose at two short-action heavy-barrel equipped ranges.
Synthetic) versions of its venerable Model 700 a
few years back and has been expanding the range SPS Varmint models use the 700 VS 26” barrelled
ever since. Whilst the name was, maybe still is, action but now in a nasty, hard hollow ‘boomy’
‘trendy’ especially with the USA and UK fighting plastic stock with a ventilated beavertail forend. It
wars with heavy special forces input, there is in all is available in .17 Rem Fireball, .204 Ruger, .223
honesty nothing special about these rifles except Rem (1-12 twist), .22-250 Rem, .243 Win, and
their price. .308 Win calibres. The SPS Tactical employs the
short (20 inch) barrel version of the 700 Police
They are existing models supplied with cheap Rifle (PSS) metalwork and, like the donor model,
synthetic stocks and available as several sporting is available in .223 Rem (1-9 twist) and .308 Win
rifle variants – basic blued rifle, Stainless, calibres only.
Buckmasters, Youth, Camo, Compact – skinny
barrel versions available for the usual line-up of Whilst Remington has gone upmarket with its VS,
sporting cartridges. This being a target shooting VSSF, and Sendero models, with increased use
orientated publication, we’ll ignore them and look of stainless steel, Aramid/Kevlar stocks and fancy
The three main SPS models. Top to bottom: Varmint, SPS sporter in stainless form, and
Tactical. Note the muzzle thread caps on the Varmint and Tactical rifles, the work done after
import and before proof adding £50 to the price.

32 Target Shooter
The SPS Tactical in front of a .243 Win 700 SPS Stainless that produced one-inch 5-shot
groups with handloads. Hmmm ... that is a BIG scope for this rifle!
Desert Storm camo-type finishes, our two mini-
ranges have a utilitarian matte-black metalwork
coating that reminds me of the unlovely ‘Parkerized’
finish on many US military rifles of the last century.
They also all have four-round internal magazines
with hinged floor-plates as per their donor models.
The Tactical has one real and one claimed
improvement over other SPS models, the former
being that Remington installs the metal in a Hogue
‘Overmolded’ stock that puts a thick grippy rubber
skin over a nylon pillar-bedded skeleton. While
much better than the noisy hollow shell types on
the SPS and SPS Varmint, it is still inferior to the
H-S Precision or Bell & Carlsson bedding-block
stocks you’ll find on the VS, VSSF, Sendero
and PSS, or for that matter the more expensive
aftermarket bedding block version of the Hogue,
which is much more rigid.
In fact, the OEM component on the SPS Tactical
is so un-rigid up front that you can make the
nominally free-floating barrel and beavertail-
section forend tip touch by pinching them between
the forefinger and thumb! It is reported that some
examples see the weight of the barrelled action
and scope produce this effect when shooting off
a bi-pod.
Despite this, likewise the perennial Internet rumour
mongering that Remington manufacturing quality
has ‘fallen off a cliff’, these rifles have a reputation
for shooting well and offering tremendous value for
money. And that’s the point about them, not only
do they provide affordable entry-level rifles but
you don’t want to pay for an expensive OEM stock
if you intend to replace it with an AICS, Manners
Tactical, MacMillan, or whatever. (I’ll come to the
other ‘improvement’ in a minute.)

A horrible, rough matte black metalwork coating

Target Shooter 33
 SPS Tactical models ‘benefit’ from the X-Mark
Pro™ trigger ..... Hmmm!
Lost Bargains
I’ve mentioned price more than once and the
Tactical and Varmint models represented a real
bargain two or three years ago at not much more
than £500 if you shopped around - especially if
you didn’t need the muzzle machined to accept a
moderator before proofing. UK importers, Edgar
Brothers, arranging this for an extra £50.

I even found some plain muzzle examples for

sale in the high £400s and reckoned these prices
couldn’t - wouldn’t last. Sadly, my crystal ball was
in fine fettle, the RRP having since risen to the
high £700s, although you can still shave £100 or
more off if you shop around for the cheapest deal.

At these prices, the rifles should have flown off

gunshop racks in 2008/9 but sporting shooters
had contracted a severe dose of ‘Tikka T3-itis’
and 700s were seen as ‘boring’. With hindsight,
I can see that I made a good decision in buying
one at this time, reckoning this was far too good
an opportunity to miss, especially given the 700’s
suitability for customisation.

However, this wasn’t my first consideration at

the time, as what I really needed was a plain-
Jane heavy-barrel .223 to do a round of load-
development with the cartridge covering bullets in
the 35-70gn weight range. I had attempted this
many years ago in an early Remington 700 VS,
but had been limited by its 1-12 rifling twist.

On top of that, many new bullets and powders

have been introduced over the last 10 years for

Dave Wylde starts the tune-

up with a complete strip-
down (of the rifle!), knocking
the trigger assembly
retaining pins out here.

34 Target Shooter
 The barrel has been put in an
appropriate clamp and an action
wrench used to break its seal
in the receiver tenon threads.
The tools seen below are a
mechanical trigger-pull gauge
and Brownells 700 receiver
raceway polishing file
this versatile cartridge. This objective dictated my
choice of model with the .223 SPS Varmint still
using the original slow VS rifling twist rate. I really
cannot understand why Remington hasn’t updated
it to the far more useful 1-9. (See the twist rate
table.) Conversely, if I’d been in the market for a
.308 Win rifle, I’d have plumped for the Varmint
with its 26 inch barrel, even though I really dislike
its stock.
This begs a question - why not simply pay the
extra money for a VS or PSS with an H-S Precision
or Bell & Carlsson stock as OEM? They have
become very expensive lately with RRPs well
over £1200 and looking around, I don’t think you’ll
get a new one for under £1000. Funds availability
aside, I’d say it depends on what you plan to use
the rifle for and how ambitious you’re feeling in the
increasingly important ‘pimp-your-gun’ stakes.
The VS and PSS models have a solid reputation
for out of the box accuracy, subject to maybe
receiving a little fettling on the lines of that carried
out by Valkyrie Rifles that I’ll describe this month
and next – witness Toni Young’s single-figure
1000 yard benchrest competition groups with her
.308 Win PSS! Another issue is magazines - do
you want/need high capacity detachable ones?
Whilst the VS/PSS can be fitted with detachable
box-magazine (DBM) ‘bottom metal’ conversions,
it’s easier and often more cost effective to restock
the rifle with an AI Chassis Stock System or other
design designed for DBM operation from scratch.
Mouse Gun
So, in the end it was a £500 plain-muzzle SPS
Tactical in .223 Rem calibre that joined the Holland
rifle collection in early 2009. A Warne Picatinny
scope-rail with 20-MOA slope from Fox Firearms
was screwed on and one of the same gentleman’s
£115 Chinese-made 8-32X50 target scopes
attached to it via meaty steel Leupold QRW rings.
With a Harris BR-S bi-pod attached to the front
sling swivel stud we were ready to rock!
Ammunition components, dies etc were already
on hand, although I did buy some Remington 62gn
OTM (Open Tip Match) ammo that was on offer at
my local gunshop to get a factory ammo baseline.
I now had an attractive, handy and really compact
little rifle, although no lightweight in this form.
Much of this was down to the scope, which while
superb optically, is big and heavy compared to an
equivalent Leupold or Sightron. I hadn’t realised
this in the scope’s previous application, but putting
it on this little rifle made it look and feel out of place
– further thought needed here.
Out of the Box
The next step was to take the rifle to the 100 yard
benchrest range at Diggle to sight the scope in and
see how the combination handled and performed in
‘out of the box’ form. Bolt operation was relatively
rough and ‘sticky’ which I put down partly to its
being new but more to the nasty surface finish that
Remington now uses on these rifles. Much inferior
to the thin and smooth but very hard wearing,
attractive black finish that used to be applied to the
VS and PSS and survives intact on my VS based
6mm BR bench gun, despite the passage of 13
years and getting on for 10,000 rounds through it.
We come now to the second component that
distinguishes the Tactical from other SPS variants
– the trigger assembly, this being one of the select
few models to have Remington’s ‘improved’ X-Mark
Pro™ system bestowed upon it. Despite this, the
pull was still heavy for a target rifle at five pounds
Target Shooter 35
 The receiver now stripped of all other
components is ready for Dave’s attention

plus, although it did break crisply. The Hogue stock rubber car mat under its feet to stop it hopping
proved comfortable and ergonomically efficient in around on the concrete bench-top.
use with a nice ‘feel’ from the soft rubber outer
skin. Despite the heft of Mr Fox’s scope and those Pre-tuning results with 53gn Hornady A-Max
steel Leupold QRWs, the barrel was apparently and Viht N130 – disappointing groups
still floating happily in its stock channel even when throughout a 1.4gn charge range. (1” grid
bearing down on the bi-pod attachment point. pattern)

Although I benchrested the rig, all test-firing has

been done off the Harris with a £1 Tesco ‘Value’
Pre-tuning results with 52gn Sierra MK and
Viht N130 – a sweet spot at 24 and 24.4gn
with much larger groups at lower and higher
charges

36 Target Shooter
 Table 1 ‐ 223 Remington Twist Rates’ Applications 

Twist Rate  Optimal Bullet Weight / Type  Limitations / Comments 

1‐12”  35‐53gn all types  Standard SAAMI twist rate for the cartridge. 
All 55gn flat‐base and shorter  Marginal for longer 55gn boat‐tail models. 
boat‐tail models  Some short (flat‐base) 60‐64gn bullets are 
designed for stability in 1‐12” rate. 
May not stabilise standard weight non‐lead 
(copper) sporting bullets due to their extra 
length.  
1‐9”  55‐70gn all types except VLDs  Unsuitable for very thin‐jacketed light bullets 
Shorter 73‐75gn HPBT Match  designed for the .22 Hornet and .222 Rem. 
designs  Marginal for 70gn VLDs and longer 75s such as 
the Hornady A‐Max. 
Needed to stabilise some lighter (55gn) non‐
lead sporting bullets due to their extra length. 
1‐8”  65‐80gn BTSP and HPBT Match  Marginal stability with some 80gn VLDs. 
Still suitable for heavily constructed 50‐55gn 
FMJs, match and sporting bullets but risks 
overstressing more fragile designs.  
1‐7”  77‐90gn HPBT Match and VLDs  Suitable for most 68‐75gn match bullets, but 
risks overstressing lightly constructed models 
and any lighter bullet. 
 
Let’s move onto the first few post sighting-in development from scratch, revisiting my loading
shots exiting Shortie’s muzzle. The 62gn Remy records from a decade ago for the Remy 700 VS
factory ammo quickly demonstrated the benefits and lighter bullets. That rifle never performed well
to be obtained through handloading, albeit proving with the usually reliable 52gn Sierra Matchking
marvellously consistent with 1.25”, 1.35”, 1.35” but excelled with its 53gn Hornady A-Max rival,
and 1.35” five-round groups at a modest 2786 fps especially over Viht N133. With the same make
and not so modest 64 fps extreme spread. and profile barrel, albeit six inches shorter and
with a 25% faster rifling twist, it seemed possible
So, it was time to try some handloads and see what the same preferences would apply – not a bit of it!
the little beastie could do. Twenty odd leftover
rounds from my Southern Gun Co. SSR-15’s .223 The SMK produced very creditable smallest
Rem days (it’s now 6.8 Rem SPC) that employed groups of 0.35 in. and 0.4 in. while the best the
the old 73gn Berger BT Match over a mild load of A-Max could manage was 0.7 in., in a five group
H4895 produced half to one-inch five-shot groups average of 1.05 inches over a charge weight range
for an average of 0.8 inches - better but not stellar. of 1.4 grains of Vihtavuori N133 (see Table 2).

It was then a case of starting handload Trying various sporting bullets over recommended
Table 2 ‐ 52gn Sierra MK and 53gn Hornady A‐Max Results with Viht N133 Pre‐Tuning 

    Sierra MK        Hornady A‐Max 
23.6gn    0.9”  3,062 fps / 56 ES    0.7”  3,067 fps / 19 ES 
24.0gn    0.4”  3,128 fps / 22 ES    1.2”  3,139 fps / 19 ES 
24.4gn    0.35”  3,186 fps / 46 ES    1.4”  3,192 fps / 31 ES 
24.7gn    1.3”  3,214 fps / 70 ES    0.85”  3,230 fps / 24 ES 
25.0gn    0.85”  3,249 fps / 32 ES    1.1”  3,268 fps / 40 ES 

  Target Shooter 37
 Table 3 ‐ Group Size Ranges with Sporting Bullets in 700 SPS Tactical Pre‐Tuning 
Bullet          Powder       Group Range    5‐Group Av 
36gn Barnes V Grenade     22.5‐24.5gn Viht N130    0.4 – 1.1”    0.75” 
36gn Barnes V Grenade    22.0‐24.0gn Allt. Re7    0.6 – 1.4”    1.0” 
40gn Hornady V‐Max    22.5‐24.5gn Viht N130    0.5 – 1.1”    0.89” 
40gn Hornady V‐Max    23.0‐25.0gn Allt. Re10x    0.6 – 1.5”    0.89” 
50gn Nosler Ball. Tip    24.5‐26.5gn H. Benchmark  0.65 – 0.8”    0.75” 
55gn Nosler Ball. Tip    23.0‐25.0gn H. Benchmark  0.75 – 2.0”    1.11” 
propellants produced mixed results ranging from 1 - Re-face and re-crown the muzzle with a proper
 
best groups with the no-lead Barnes 36gn ‘Varmint recessed target crown
Grenade’ at 0.4 inches over Viht N130, to a full
two inches for the 55gn Nosler Ballistic Tip over 2 - Lap the bolt lugs against the receiver locking
Hodgdon Benchmark. This sort of performance surfaces to improve their fit and hopefully provide
variation is by no means unusual in factory rifles, the same amount of contact area for each lug
actions and barrels showing distinct preferences (many factory rifles see one lug with greater
for some makes and models of bullets over others. contact than the other)

With the exception of the sister 50gn Nosler Ballistic
Tip, also over Benchmark, that produced a small
range of group sizes around three-quarters of an
inch – more than adequate for most ‘foxers’ – all
combinations proved finicky, much preferring one
or two charge weights in 1.4-2gn overall ranges
(see Table 3). Again, this is not at all unusual for
many factory rifles and, if I seem to be labouring
the point, it’s because I want to return to it next
month when I look at what Valkyrie Rifles’ fettling
achieved.
Valkyrie
Due to other shooting and load development
priorities, nothing more happened to, or with,
the little Remington for some 15 months but
discussions with Roger Francis of South Yorkshire
Shooting Supplies and now independent gunsmith
Dave Wylde on the same site who trades as
Valkyrie Rifles got me thinking about a three-stage
development programme for the SPS:
Stage 1 - a simple ‘tune-up’ by Dave
Stage 2 - restock with a Manners Tactical DBM
from SYSS and also replace the Remington ‘fly’s
eye’ bolt knob with a good sized tactical example
3 - Adjust the trigger for a lighter pull and clean/
polish the bolt body interior and firing pin tip to
ensure consistent primer strike.
On top of that, the receiver bolt raceways are
lapped to give smoother, easier operation, the bolt
timing and extractor mechanism checked/faults
rectified; the ejector-pin polished to improve case
ejection.
This work takes around two hours and costs £90.
Hand the rifle over to Dave and he proceeds to strip
it down – barrelled action removed from the stock;
scope bases/rail and trigger-group removed from
the receiver; barrel and recoil-lug removed from
the receiver; receiver de-greased and cleaned
ready for work to commence.
These tasks would take me all day but were
accomplished in a few minutes, the sole hold-up
being the Loctite I’ve used on the scope rail set-
screws requiring a lot of effort to undo them - Dave
assuring me this treatment is unnecessary. All the
bits are carefully placed in a plastic box for later
attention. I’ll go through the work step by step and
report on the results next month.

Stage 3 - have Dave fit a fast-twist match-quality

barrel for a sensible 20-calibre wildcat to produce
a versatile short to mid-range sporting and target
rifle.

So what does a Valkyrie factory rifle ‘tune-up’

involve? Accuracy-wise, there are four elements:

38 Target Shooter
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Target Shooter 39
 To introduce ourselves we are the United Kingdom
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that we mean "True Benchrest Shooting". The Association
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40 Target Shooter
 Rimfire and Air Rifle Benchrest - Mirage

By Carl Boswell
Above - a scene from one of the videos mentioned in this article. Mirage distorts sight
picture through a natural process of light refraction - your bullet will not go where you think
it will!!
I wonder how many shooters reading this have on-range training inevitably involves mirage –
had some form of coaching during their shooting not so much in the UK but certainly in warmer
career? This may have been at club level or climates overseas. Mirage is a popular subject
even at a more advanced level. on the internet forums but one thing I have
learned about this particular issue, through
One of the great things about producing this a number of conversations over the years,
magazine is that I get to read all of the articles is it is very personal to the individual shooter,
first - in advance. A great one from last month’s depending on the optics they are using, their
(May) issue was by Chris White about wind- own equipment and their eyesight.
plotting – a form of self-coaching - in written
form if you like. For me, we can often learn Why is having a basic understanding of the
something from each other, irrespective of the affect of mirage important? Well, mirage can
shooting discipline. affect the impact point of any bullet, be it a 22
rimfire bullet at a shooting distance of 50 metres
I’m part of the world-wide community currently or a centrefire bullet at 1000 yards. Even at
preparing for the Rimfire and Air Rifle Benchrest 50 yards, the ‘shift’ due to mirage can be as
World Championship in America. I find it very much as one inch away from where you hoped
interesting reading emails from colleagues the shot was going. At 1000 yards? I dread to
about their preparation...... and dare I say it - think! This devastating effect, in competition at
training. The amount of preparation that takes any level, can have a huge impact. Been there,
place with some teams is quite astounding. got the t-shirt!
This could be time on the range spent training
and testing, or preparing rifles, equipment, In many countries, including the UK, mirage
ammunition etc. Accumulatively, between the shooting is difficult to practise as, thank
120 odd competitors taking part in the World goodness, it is a rarity with our cooler weather.
Championships, this stacks up into thousands However, we are now in the spring months, the
and thousands of man hours. sun has come out briefly and someone has
turned up the thermostat. We may have the
So, the question is - How do we prepare for chance to put our mirage-shooting theories to
a major shoot? There are so many ways and the test!

Target Shooter 41
What you might expect to see through your What you might expect to see through your
scope with mirage and no wind. scope with mirage and 5-10mph wind
You will often hear experienced mirage shooters at the same time, balancing all these sighters
claim that you ‘shoot the mirage and not the with the time restrictions of the match, as you
flags’. Stay with this idea if you can! could end up with a target full of sighters!!
The restriction on air rifle is also something to
Psychologically and practically this is a difficult consider as most rifles will provide fifty to sixty
thing to do for some reasons listed below. good shots from the air cylinder.

1.We train using flags to indicate the speed and
direction of the wind and rely on our wind-flags
to tell us what is happening between rifle and
target. The operative word here is ‘rely’. Most
of us were brought up to use wind-flags so it’s
difficult not to.
2.Seeing mirage is not always easy. Mirage is
often described as a ‘wind you can see’. We are
looking for waves of air changing and shifting
the sight picture through the lens of our optics.
If this is observed through a high-power scope it
will also allow the shooter to estimate the speed
and direction.
3.The indications the wind flags provide will
continue to have some relevance. Balancing
this with mirage is difficult. Which will have the
greatest effect on our bullet?
What does mirage look like through your scope?
In the worst possible case it can look like
shooting through fast-moving water and even
the rings on your target may not be visible – let
alone your shot-holes!
Often, in the UK, light mirage is almost invisible
and can only be seen by re-focussing your scope
to partway down range – so that the target is out
of focus.
As we shoot at shorter ranges, have a look at
a video on You Tube shot by our friend Andy
Dubreuil who is a 22 rimfire benchrest shooter
and current UK champion. Go to http://youtu.
be/SGBz0H4zX-U In this video you can see
can see the affect of mirage through the scope.
This film is well worth watching as it shows some
very interesting things.

So if it is not easy, just how do we shoot the
mirage? One great US shooter who is no longer
on the scene, made an excellent observation for
shooting in any conditions – sighters! Where
possible, use your sighters to assess the mirage
not just the wind-flags. Sighters, sighters and
more sighters. This enables you to be sure of
what the conditions are out there. Obviously,
The first thing it shows is that nothing is moving
– it just looks as if it is. This is the real issue
with mirage. The sight picture is providing
information about the centre of the target being
where it actually isn’t - an optical illusion down
to refracted or ‘bent’ light creating the displaced
image of the target. The reason why the bullet
will hit the target in the wrong place.

42 Target Shooter
Above and below - click the images to fast track to the two videos mentioned in this article.
They are a good tools to indicate what it is like to view and compendate for mirage.
Try another excellent video by Andy where he we could go into a detailed and mathematical
is shooting a 50 metre target, again with some explanation about cold and hot air pressure,
quite interesting mirage – http://youtu.be/ that light rays bend as they move from lighter
h2Dm-lV5BCc (warm) to denser (cold) air and visa versa, etc,
This video is an excellent learning tool!! etc. What is important is knowing that:

What causes mirage isn’t important to us. Yes, If the ground and air is warmer than that higher

Target Shooter 43
 Does mirage have a greater or lesser affect
than the wind? Or, another way of putting
it - should we shoot using the indications
from the wind flags or should we shoot with
what the mirage is indicating?

Good question. Here’s where you must be

careful and use your sighters and record
shots to try and determine which is having
most effect. Me? Generally, I would shoot
using what the mirage is indicating, as 95%
of the time it will be correct. It’s just comes
down to judgement!

Are there any ways to alleviate the effects of

mirage? There is no substitute for practice
in mirage conditions but, as we have said,
difficult in the UK.

Is there any gizmo we can buy which will

help? Well, a variable scope with side
focus will allow you to turn-down the
magnification which will have the effect of
lessening the effect of the mirage on the
sight-picture and you can also quickly alter
the focus to magnify the mirage – i.e. make
it more visible to help with aim-off .

There are a number of filtering lenses

Sighter, sighters and more sighters. I think I shot available on the market. The best of these
the most I every have in a match at the European is the previously reviewed Bulzeyepro
Championship last year - conditions were that optical booster. It depends on how you
interesting! view these products. Some people will be
Above a target from 2008 - mirage was again very very positive, some will not. The latter, for
difficult in Milan. me, works very well!
up, light ‘bends’ upwards.
Most scopes are supplied with a sunshade but
If the ground and air is cooler than higher up, beware of using too long a sunshade on your
scope. If the air inside the sun-shade heats up,
light ‘bends’ downwards.
it can create a mini-mirage with your scope!
Would anyone be clever enough - or quick However, barrel-mounted mirage bands can be
enough - to mathematically calculate the useful in lessening the effects of heat rising from
a hot barrel in still conditions.
compensation needed for mirage? Doubtful but
it is important to understand what is happening
to our sight-picture and that we will need to Lastly in competition, in practice or basically
compensate in some way, just as we would with whenever you shoot observe the prevailing
conventional wind-flags. Experience is the only conditions, mentally note these and take lots
and lots and lots of sighters.
help here and, coming from a UK climate, we
get little opportunity to build up that experience.
Some overseas shooters will encounter mirage Dealing with the affects of mirage is one of the
every time they shoot – beware of these most difficult and exhausting things I and most
sportspeople have to deal with during a match
competitors!
or even in testing/ training. Each individual
match is different, each range is different - this
Remember, like wind and the flags indicating the
ever shifting movement, mirage will also change can be generally or from minute to minute - just
but it may not be so obvious as a flag. The real like reading the wind. So no simple answer I
am afraid, as it is about gaining experience and
skill is spotting this!
formulating this and the equipment you use into
44 Target Shooter
The Bulzeyepro optical booster may be a viable product to alleviate and also aid viewing of
mirages
a logical way of dealing with the issue of mirage. is_n12_v34/ai_8331117/
I say equipment as this is very important.
The way your rifle and scope interact in the http://www.shootinguk.co.uk/qa/470429/
environmental conditions will be different from Compensate_for_heat_mirage_when_rifle_
other peoples!! Possibly setting up for potential shooting.html
mirage issues at a match is something to think
about to achieve success. http://www.6mmbr.com/readingmirage.html

Some interesting online articles to help continue
your understanding of mirage can be found at:
http://cheaperthandirtcom.blogspot.
com/2010/04/reading-wind-and-mirage.html
Target Shooter has a world-wide readership and
we would welcome an article from someone
who encounters mirage frequently in match
conditions, be it for short range benchrest or
long-range rifle competition like F Class.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3197/ Until next time.

Devices like the sunshade below are available for most scopes that are associated with
rimfire and air rifle benchrest

Target Shooter 45
☆ 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

46 Jamie Beyerle
Target Shooter
 Custom Rißes - built on Savages, GBR, Stolle, Bat etc

Factory F Class, Benchrest & Palma Rißes from Savage Arms

Bipods from Fito Force & Sinclair

Tel : 0161 408 3555

Mob: 07861 399066

e-mail: stuart@ospreyrißes.com

URL : www.ospreyrißes.com

Browning Buckmark Long Pistol

Buckmark Long Pistol with Lightweight Barrel £714.00 and Fox Red Dot sight £40.00.
Available from Westlake Engineering
Tel. 01722 782432 ags.westlake@virgin.net
Target Shooter 47
 A visit to Savage Arms
Our visit to Savage Arms had been in the planning
stage for several months but a combination of a
change in UK distributor (Edgar Brothers are now
the official importer) and the launch of possibly one
of the most significant products in several years
(more of which later) meant that we had to wait until
48 Target Shooter
by Yvonne Wilcock
October of 2010 before we were able to arrange a
mutually convenient date.
The main Savage Arms factory is located in
Westfield Massachusetts, which is about 100 miles
due west of Boston. This seemed the ideal port of
entry into the US for us travelling from Manchester.
My other half and I are regular visitors to the US and
have sampled a few of the usual routes and airlines
but, for the first time, we crossed the Atlantic with
Aer Lingus via Dublin which is a unique experience
due to the fact you clear US immigration before
even stepping on the plane.
Using stopover time in Dublin to get this necessary
process complete was a real bonus, queuing time
was significantly less than we were used to and
stepping off at Boston and strolling straight past
the lengthy immigration queues caused by British
Airways and Air France 747’s arriving at the same
time was strangely satisfying. We were through
the airport and in our hotel room downtown within
an hour of pulling up at the gate having used the
impressive subway to get within 100 yards of our
hotel.
We had arranged to meet our host Bill Dermody
mid-morning on Monday 18th October so in order
to make the most of the trip we flew out on Friday
morning with a view to spending the weekend
in Boston sightseeing, prior to driving across to
Savage. The weather was extremely kind to
us and we managed to spend all day Saturday
walking around the city exploring a fraction of what
Boston has to offer including the obligatory pint in
the Cheers bar of TV sitcom fame!
Sunday meant a brief subway ride back to the
airport to collect our hire car for the drive across to
Westfield. A few miles outside Boston on I90 and
a real and previously un-thought of consolation for
our trip being later in the year materialised, we had
managed to arrive in the ‘fall’ and the colours of the
woodlands that lined the motorway the entire trip
were staggering.
Less than two hours after leaving Boston we
approached our exit and saw the Indian’s Head
logo on the back of the factory which is situated
just off the motorway. In fact the factory’s location
by the interstate is not by chance. Westfield lies
right on one of the best transport corridors in the
north being located on I90 which runs from east
coast to west coast and the railway lines that bring
both raw materials into the area and take finished
products away.
Having spent Sunday night at the local Holiday Inn
Express hotel we duly presented ourselves at the
factory gates at 10.00 am where we were issued with
visitor passes and given directions to the reception
area. Passing through the metal detectors at the
front door revealed a spectacular array of products
that Savage have made throughout their history,
the majority being the rifles they’re famous for but
some unexpected items were also there in the
shape of lawnmowers and ice cream cabinets!
Waiting in the showcase area for our host to meet
us gave us an opportunity to marvel at the firearms
Target Shooter 49
 annually! Whilst much has been written about
the revival of Savage’s fortunes it was great
to hear it from the very people that made it all
happen.

Passing through onto the factory floor,

Al explained that the ethos of continual
improvements to the processes meant that the
factory, whilst still fully operational, was in the
middle of some major alterations. The size of
the plant meant that the distance covered by a
component part such as the action was quite
lengthy and so they were re-arranging it and
that were on display, many of which were unused
had recently completed a large shuffle around and
examples in mint condition. After a short while Al
were planning the next stage.
Kaspar came out and introduced himself as our
host Bill Dermody was detained in a meeting so he
Now all this sounds easy but when you consider it
would step in and show us round.
means several tonnes of industrial machinery and
its associated services you start to feel that it is
Al Kaspar is the President of Savage and its Chief
no mean feat, especially when we found out that
Operating Officer and has been with Savage since
it all happens over a weekend and no downtime is
the time of it’s resurrection through to the present
predicted in production! Will it be worth the effort?
day. Whilst Ron Coburn is probably the name
Well, when you consider that the first shuffle
most people know at Savage, being the CEO
shortened the distance that action travelled by
and instrumental in transforming the company’s
hundreds of yards and the associated benefits of
fortunes, it is clear that he is surrounded by a team
that, then you have got to figure that they have got
of competent and committed people. Al started with
it right again.
a quick history of the organisation and its journey

to its current position as a company that produces
At the start of it all were large racks with lengths
approximately 350,000 bolt action firearms

50 Target Shooter
of steel bar, linked by computer to their chosen
supplier. The raw materials arrive without the need
to be ordered as the supplier knows the stocking
levels required and needed for the production-
runs planned in the system, one less thing to worry
about!
The actions and barrel blanks are cut from the
same bar and are sent through in batches to begin
the process of being transformed into a rifle. Now
for those of you that aren’t familiar with Savage
rifles, you may not know some of the features that
make them distinctive from other brands.
The first and possibly most obvious is the use of a
barrel-nut just in front of the action. Using the barrel
nut to set the headspace means that the barrels
can be completed without even coming into contact
with the action. The barrel nut makes headspacing
a breeze, with a go-gauge in the chamber an action
is screwed on until it is on the gauge at which point
the barrel nut is tightened, a quick change over to
the no go gauge to confirm that all is well and it is
on with the next one!
This also means that all Savage Rifles are set
to minimum headspace. Another key feature of
Savage rifles that both aids manufacture and
increases accuracy is the floating bolt-head.
Savage bolts are made up of several common
components to aid manufacture, this means that all
you have to do is assemble the components you
need to create the desired bolt.
When you consider the number of variations you
can have this seems to make sense, for example
you can have 223, 308, Win Mag and WSM bolt
faces all running off a similar action. The design
allows you to simply change the bolt-face for the
one you need.
Moving further into the factory, we came to the
section that produces all the barrels from the
raw lengths of steel, from the drilling, rifling,
threading and chambering, culminating in the final
straightening. At this point we were introduced
to Ray Silva, the most photographed man at
Savage. If you own a Savage built in the last nine
years chances are Ray has looked through your
barrel and straightened it by hand. With one other
colleague who Ray trained up, they are responsible
for checking, by eye, every barrel that is made. Ray
demonstrated how he did this with the familiarity
gained by doing 300 plus, barrels a day!
Leaving Ray and the barrel production area behind,
Al was keen to show us the high-end CNC machines
Savage purchased to produce the actions in what
was a major capital investment that paid for itself in
an extremely short time. Indeed as we were being
shown around another new CNC machine was
being delivered, wasting no time Al told us it would
be working and earning its keep later that day!
Savage’s ongoing investment in technology will
help to keep their products affordable in these
challenging times. Their ethos has always been
“Accuracy and Affordability”. Accuracy has for a
long time now been a ‘given’, with its rifles winning
matches at the highest level regularly.
Moving ever onwards we came to the assembly
stations, where some of the smaller components
were being put together. Boxes upon boxes of bolt
bodies, handles, firing pins and springs etc were
being deftly assembled into bolts ready for their
next stage. Boxes also of trigger-units that looked
slightly different to the standard Accutrigger that
Savage is known for. Closer inspection showed
that they were in fact the trigger units for the new
Axis rifle (formerly known as the Edge).
At this point it is worth mentioning this new series
of rifles because they are a going to be a huge
success - how can I be so sure? Well, they are
built in exactly the same way as every other
Savage rifle and the inherent accuracy that brings
but the killer feature is the price, they are already
retailing on the high street in the US for less than
$300! By the time they reach our shores though
the price becomes £399 but what else can you buy
for that money? Savage have really gone all out
on this project and are looking for a large chunk of
the hunting-rifle market with the release of the Axis
and, if initial reports are anything to go by, they are
going to get it. (TS have just got their hands on an
Axis and will be doing a full test very soon - Ed)
Next up was headspacing, where the barrels and
the actions were introduced to each other for the
first time. As mentioned before the process for a
Savage is simplicity itself and this, arguably the
most critical part of the assembly is completed in
short order. This part of the shop floor is adjacent
to the test range where the function of the rifle is
tested and the rifle is fired.
Dozens of rifles were lined up in racks waiting to be
tested for both function and accuracy. All the rifles
that we saw were the new Axis models destined
for Germany, with a few of them being put together
as ‘packages’ with scopes mounted, bore-sighted
Target Shooter 51
 and ready to go. The picture shows the setup on
the bench for mounting the scope and adjusting the
sights with a video boresighting kit. The girl in the
picture is no slouch, her record for mounting and
boresighting a scope is 40 seconds!
Despite being the biggest manufacturer of
bolt-actions rifles annually worldwide, the factory
at Savage copes without fuss and does what it
does very efficiently. None of the rifles built are for
stock as everything built is to order and can be a
batch of Axis rifles one day or a small run of F Class
rifles the next. The fact that Savage even bother
to build a dedicated range of target rifles, let alone
sell the actions individually is a real bonus for us,
the end users. Their F Class rifles have already
proven themselves as utterly capable in all levels of
competition out of the box and I am surprised that
none of the other manufacturers have followed suit.
In reality, sales of the F Class rifles are irrelevant to
Savage being such a small part of the overall picture
in terms of numbers. Bill estimated that it amounted
to less than 5% of the rifles built, however I have
always likened it to Formula One in that it becomes
an engineering showcase for your products. With
Team Savage winning medals at competitions all
round the world it certainly can’t hurt the sales of
their hunting rifles. Testimony to the accuracy of
Savage rifles is the fact that they hold two National
F Class (F T/R) records that bizarrely enough were
set within hours of each other on either side of the
Atlantic last August at 1000 yards – in a sport that
would otherwise be dominated by custom rifles.
Our visit, whilst brief, was busy and a great insight
into how to make 1000 rifles a day! With a good
mix of the old and the new it was well worth the
effort going over there and meeting the people that
are Savage Arms. As a private company, they are
perhaps somewhat more in control of the direction
they are heading than others but if the last few
years are anything to go by, then I would hazard
a bet that they will continue to build affordable and
accurate rifles for the masses for some time to
come.

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Target Shooter 53
HANDLOADING BENCH - 6mm BR
NORMA (Part 2)
by Laurie Holland
Let’s look at where the 6mm BR fits into the great
scheme of things ballistically. Back in 1994 when
Norma revitalised the design, the BR didn’t have
competition from many small precision cartridges
suitable for 300yd and longer distances. Most people
and disciplines used ‘service cartridges’ which in
practice translated to .308 Winchester, and also
from around that time .223 Rem loaded with heavy
(77 and 80gn) bullets, at least so far as American
Service Rifle shooters were concerned.
The BR improves on the good old 308 in every
performance category apart from bullet energy levels
54 Target Shooter
– precision, recoil, retained long-range velocities
and wind drift. (Table 1.) If you look at Table 2, which
compares 6 and 6.5mm cartridges’ case capacities in
terms of the weight of water they’ll hold, the standard
BR is at the bottom end of the range and I’ve given
it a baseline value of 100 to compare others against.
The internal ballistics ‘rule of thumb’ is that all other
things (bullet model and weight, chamber pressures,
and barrel length) being equal, you divide the
percentage change in case capacity by four to get
the percentage change in MV. So, with our 6BR at
100, a design whose capacity is shown as 120, or
20% greater, should see a ~5% MV increase.
I’ve assumed a 6BR rifle with 28 inch barrel running at
sensible pressures will give a 105-108gn long-range
match bullet ~2,800 fps MV, so our hypothetical 20%
larger cased cartridge will produce an extra 140
fps but at the cost of more rapid barrel heating and
fouling, heavier recoil and more rifle disturbance on
the rest and bags, much shorter barrel accuracy life.
With the small BR case, expansion ratios are low
even in 6mm, so extra long barrels aren’t needed to
produce top MVs, 28 inches reckoned to be optimum
for target rifles and less than 10 extra fps available
for each inch of barrel above that length. While the
MV lost with each inch lopped off below 28 inch
will be greater, it’s still modest compared to most
high-performance cartridges, so a 25 or 26 inch
barrel multi-purpose rifle that will do the business on
long-range targets, vermin and small deer species is
perfectly feasible.
While the 6BR only had the .243 and .308 Win
cartridges, plus maybe 6.5X55mm to contend with 15
years ago, we have a much larger choice now starting
with the 6PPC and going up to the larger 6.5mm
cartridges such as 6.5-284 Norma in relatively small
capacity steps. I reckon there are some 20 models
readily available across the two calibres if you count
Ackley or other ‘Improved’ versions separately.
Table 2 lists the main members of this combined
6mm and 6.5mm group, and one must particularly
bear in mind the competition provided by new smaller
capacity 6.5s, the 6.5X47mm Lapua and 6.5mm
Hornady Creedmoor, not to forget the revitalised
260 Remington, which finally has top quality (Lapua)
brass available. They give 139/140gn bullets
comparable MVs to the 6BR ‘family’ but use higher
BC bullets (Berger 6mm 105gn VLD: 0.272 G7 BC;
Berger 6.5mm 140gn VLD: 0.313).
Table 3 compares the external ballistics performance
of the 6BR and 6mmDasher against these smaller
6.5mm cartridges. The cartridge was popular in the
early days of F Class but has been rudely elbowed
off the ranges - at National GB League level
anyway - by much more muscular numbers, first
in 6.5mm calibre and since 7mm. The 6BR is still
often viable in club and regional level events and it
is notable that many continental European visitors
bring ‘sixes’ to the annual GB F Class Association
European Championship weekend at Bisley - the
multinational ‘Sixes’ winning the 30-round Rutland
team match (15 each at 900 and 1,000yd) with a
score of 557.50v ex 600. Team member Christer
Jakobson from Sweden shot the only ‘possible’
in the competition with a 6XC chambered rifle.
There is some home-grown competition too
of course as the BR is very susceptible to
‘improvement’. Of the various forms, the best
known are the BRX and Dasher that see neck
length sacrificed to allow a considerable degree
of fireforming that moves the shoulder forwards
and also reduces the case-body taper. This
increases the case capacity by some 3 to 3.5gn
if measured using the weight of water the case
holds and offers 100-150 fps extra MV with a
105gn bullet.
The main difference between the two forms is
shoulder angle, the BRX retaining the parent
case’s 30-degree and allowing standard dies to
be used, the Dasher providing a sharper angle.
There is also the BR-DX form that doesn’t see the
shoulder move forward but provides a 40-degree
angle and a bit less body taper for maybe a 1.5gn
capacity increase. This trio have a reputation
for providing superb accuracy as well as MV
improvements, maybe even better than that of
their parent, and are widely used in American
600 and 1000 yard benchrest competition.
Shooting Sticks
It’s no coincidence that the cartridge’s popularity
has grown alongside the huge increase in the
number of custom-built precision rifles that
have been commissioned in recent years.
Even Remington, who’d adopted the cartridge,
Target Shooter 55
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Shooter
has only ever only chambered it in its 40-X series
competition rifles, available as special order items
through the its Custom Shop facility. What if you’re
interested in shooting the 6BR, but want something
that’s cheaper, not to mention available before
you reach pension age given the length of many
gunsmiths’ waiting lists?
So far as ‘off the shelf’ rifles are concerned, Savage
is the only large mainstream manufacturer to meet
this need with two versions of the Model 12 Long
Range Precision Varmint (LRPV), one right bolt/left
port with a 1-8 twist 26 inch barrel; the other right
bolt/dual port with a slower 1-12 twist rate barrel,
also 26 inches.
There are two long-range competition models
differentiated by their stocks, the Model 12 F
Class and Bench Rest rifles, both with 1-8 twist
30 inch barrels. (Note, twist rate options seem to
have changed recently, so some new, more likely
secondhand rifles may have 1-12 twist-rate barrels
where I’ve shown a 1 in 8 twist only.) All are
single-shot – talk to Savage specialist Osprey Rifles
if you’re interested in these models or customised
versions based on them (http://www.ospreyrifles.
com).
There are a few expensive European tactical/sniper
switch-barrel rifles from Alpine, SIG-Sauer and
Blaser, which have a 6mm Norma BR barrel option
listed but for single-shot use only in what are normally
magazine rifles. In between price-wise, RPA lists its
Interceptor sporter with a 6BR option – I’m sure it
was available in target form too at one time but the
company’s website doesn’t show it now. (Note: RPA
are currently undergoing something of a re-vamp).
However, with the cartridge using the standard
0.473” dia. case-head, most people get their 6BR
by simply rebarrelling a good quality, accurate rifle
that was originally .243 or .308 Win, .22-250 Rem
etc calibre.
One major reason for the paucity of 6BR factory
Target Shooter 57
rifles is perhaps the cartridge’s reputation for feeding However, as Dave reminded me, there is more to
difficulties in magazine rifles, thanks to the short, fat getting the 100% reliability that tactical and McQueen
case. Whilst a few single-shot factory varmint rifles shooters need than just supporting and guiding the
are available from manufacturers other than Savage, cartridge on its short journey from magazine to
this is a fairly recent and still very limited development. chamber– that’s only half the job, equally reliable
The attitudes of some worthies in our gun trade ejection of fired cases is also needed. Dave strongly
haven’t caught up yet with US developments as recommends having the Remy 700 bolt machined
Stuart Anselm found when he set up Osprey Rifles to accept a Sako extractor mounted high on the
and had great difficulty in persuading the then UK bolt-face side, otherwise the short cases tend to hit
Savage importer to accept orders for any single- the left receiver wall / scope rail, bounce around and
shot model, target or varmint, the importer adamant become trapped inside the receiver.
that there was no demand for them. However, there
now appears to be a substantial market for precision In the USA, Gary Eliseo (Competition Shooting Stuff)
long-range fox rifles as well as modern optically has adopted an interesting clean sheet of paper
sighted target rifles. approach with the Tactical/Service Rifle version of
his tubegun stock for Remington 700/Borden actions
It was long believed that you couldn’t make any - the R5 model, which comes with two examples of
factory rifle with an internal magazine feed the an unusual aluminium alloy five-round magazine
cartridge, but that no longer applies to the Remington design that provides low friction, absolutely flawless
700 and its clones from Stiller etc. A gunsmith who feed by supporting the entire case body while the
knows his stuff will build you a reliable 6BR repeater bullets poke out of a slot in its front face. (http://
on these actions, David Wylde of Valkyrie Rifles www.accurateshooter.com/guns-of-week/
having gained a reputation here for achieving this. gunweek074)
The Accuracy International detachable 10-round box
magazine feeds the cartridge very well for those who Small Matters
want this feature on tactical type rifles but note that Before getting onto loading tools and techniques,
others, including the H-S Precision design won’t. let’s look at some pertinent issues arising out of

58 Target Shooter

the cartridge’s design, in particular its case being
dimensioned for the small primer and given an
undersized flash-hole diameter. The 6BR case
is one of only a very small number of designs that
use small primers in what I’ll unscientifically call
full-diameter cases.
The others are the .220 Russian/PPC family, 6.5X47
Lapua and that company’s .308 Winchester ‘Palma’
brass. Outside of the precision shooting field, you’ll
find small primers used in old UMC headstamped
7.62X39mm brass (Remington manufactured);
current Hornady plus Silver State Armory versions of
the 6.8mm Remington SPC, but these cartridges all
use the standard (larger) diameter flash-hole.
There are two issues here – primer and flash-hole
size. Taking them in that order, why use a small
primer? The reduced amounts of heat energy and
weight of hot particles injected into the powder
charge column are better matched to the 28-40gn
charge weight range seen in the PPC to 6.5X47L
cartridges giving more consistent ignition and making
it easier to achieve small MV spreads and groups.
As an aside, the small primer/flash-hole combination
is only marginally effective when you get up to the
308 Win sized case and 45-50gn charge-weights as
many users of the original Remington UBBR cases
found when they used them in as manufactured
308W form, especially in cold weather. Several North
American ‘old hands’ have expressed their doubts
about the wisdom of resurrecting this combination in
Lapua’s 308W ‘Palma’ cases, a subject I’m currently
investigating through side by side tests of various
powder/bullet combinations in standard and ‘Palma’
brass.
Anyway, use of the Small Rifle dimensioned primer
is uncontroversial in the BR but is not entirely
without downsides, this being in the form of a much
greater propensity for the firing pin tip to crater and
in extremis pierce this size of cap. It is helpful to
use ‘magnum’ or BR primers with their thicker brass
cups in the cartridge and CCI’s 450 (SR Magnum)
or BR4 versions are the favoured varieties proving
to produce excellent results while being amongst
the toughest of the bunch.
The Russian manufactured PMC/Wolf SRM is
another good choice in my experience. Remington
7½BR and Federal 205M models perform well in
the cartridge but have ‘softer’ cups so cannot be
used with quite as hot loads as the CCI products.
Never, ever use ‘standard’ SR primers such as the
CCI-400, Federal 205, PMC/Wolf SR and
Remington 6½ which have thinner cups (0.020”
v 0.025” in magnum/BR versions) and were
designed for lower pressure cartridges such as the
.22 Hornet, .218 Bee and .222 Rem.
The other and equally important side of this
particular equation is the firing-pin fit in the bolt
face. Any custom target action should be trouble
free but factory rifle bolts are often a different
matter. Recent
small-diameter firing-pin Savage actions are the best
of the bunch but even they will produce problems with
heavier, higher pressure loads that a BAT, Barnard,
or RPA will take in its stride.
Remington bolts/pins are variable in this respect – my
700 based 6BR Light Gun copes with ‘reasonable’
loads and velocities. Conversely, the Winchester
70 action in an originally .308W calibre FN SPRA4
(Special Police Rifle) that I had rebarrelled to 6.5X47
Lapua has proven almost unusable with severe
primer extrusion and ‘blanking’ with loads barely
above Vihtavuori’s starting levels. (By the time you
read this, it should have been rechambered to the LR
primer using 260 Rem which will solve this particular
problem.)
Greg Tannel (Gre’-Tan Rifles of Colorado, USA)
offers a cure in the form of a very reasonably priced
firing-pin turning and bolt body bushing service with
a one-week turnaround to American FN/Winchester,
Remington and Savage shooters in this pickle but
we don’t have anybody offering such a service in the
UK to my knowledge.
1.5mm Diameter
Moving onto the flash-hole, our four SR primer / small
flash-hole designs are specified for a nominal 1.5mm
(0.059 inches) dia. aperture (compared to 2mm /
0.080 inches for everything else) and an immediate
problem here is that the standard decapping pin
diameter used in sizer or dedicated decap dies is
0.0625 inches, so use of same in the BR case will
likely see the pin stuck in the flash-hole, broken, or
if rigid enough surviving at the expense of crudely
swaging the flash-hole out. Shooters have drilled the
flash-holes to the ‘normal’ size or somewhere close
to overcome this ‘problem’ but tests invariably show
this increases group sizes and MV spreads.
You should get a suitably dimensioned pin with your
Target Shooter 59
6BR die set of course, but make sure you have
spares especially as these pins are only 0.057”, a
mere 0.002” smaller than the nominal hole diameter
on Lapua brass and are therefore easily broken.
If you deprime cases as a separate step using a
dedicated die you must obtain a correctly sized
rod/pin, the fixed-pin Redding model needing the
optional .17/.20 calibre rod, Sinclair’s decap die
also using a different stem plus detachable Hornady
small diameter pins.
Sinclair International makes a special BR/PPC
flash-hole uniforming reamer (#07-3000) that is
inserted from the rear of the case and indexes off
the primer pocket which works in all four designs.
Nevertheless, it increases the flash-hole diameter a
little to 0.063 inches, the reason for the discrepancy
being that Lapua’s production tolerances are 1.5-
1.6mm (0.059-0.063 inches). Purists are dubious
about this tool, but it is usually reckoned that accuracy
deterioration starts at rather larger diameters, getting
on for 0.070 inches. If you do use the Sinclair reamer,
standard diameter decap pins should now fit but only
just!
If this all sounds very nerdy, remember you’re paying
£1 or so each for your Lapua cases and want to get
full performance out of them. Alternatively, you’ll wish
you’d known about this issue if you break the decap
pin in your 6BR sizer die as you load ammunition just
before a major match and discover every other pin
60 Target Shooter
you own is oversize!
Most flash-hole reaming tools designed for
standard diameter flash-holes are inserted via the
case-mouth and are designed to remove any burrs
or metal flashing from the internal or ‘exit’ (in terms
of primer gas movement) end of the aperture, these
often being substantial in many cartridge cases with
punched flash-holes. Burrs should be removed
as they may affect ignition consistency and the
subsequent charge burn. You can’t use such a tool
on a BR case because of the oversize reamer, so is
de-burring an issue here bearing in mind Lapua and
Norma drill flash-holes instead of using the cruder
punch method?
Shooters have spotted internal burrs on some
batches but I must admit I haven’t to date. Also,
some precision shooters like to cut the tiniest bevel
on the exit end of the flash-hole to act as a venturi.
If you feel an urge to do this, there is no handloading
tool I’ve seen to date but the answer is to buy a
cheap pin-vice and a micro drill bit that is only just
larger than the flash-hole’s 1.5-1.6mm diameter, but
be careful not to force it into the flash-hole proper
and start reaming it out.
Many are of the view that Lapua brass is so well
made and consistent that you can simply ignore
these matters, likewise don’t spend time and effort
on ‘uniforming’ primer pockets - just ensure you have
a good supply of 0.057 inch diameter decapping
pins. Incidentally, if you feel must uniform the
primer pocket, Lapua cuts those on its small primer/
small flash-hole cases a little deeper than on other
standard SR users such as .222 and .223 Rem,
so a standard tool won’t do much anyway. Sinclair
International sells a small primer uniforming cutter
dimensioned specifically for PPC/BR cases. (More
expense!)
Turn or No Turn?
I also said in last month’s introduction, that neck-
turning is not essential with the possible exception
of out and out benchrest competition. With Lapua
brass usually having very consistent neck thickness
– between manufacturing lots, cases within a lot and
around the neck of individual cases – out of the box,
it has become common to specify a relatively small
neck clearance ‘no-turn’ chamber reamer that gives
around 0.002-0.003 inches total clearance (half
that at any particular point around the neck) over
rounds loaded in standard Lapua brass. If turning
is then done, it’s usually only a partial ‘clean-up’ job
that removes small amounts of metal off the thicker
spots, or a light turn down to 0.0115 inches for use
in a 0.269 inch diameter chamber, while the similar
6PPC is usually turned down to around 0.0085
inches from a 0.012 inch starting point for a 0.262
chamber.
No-turn brass use sees the chamber cut with
neck-section diameters ranging from 0.271 to 0.274
inches depending on taste. The cartridge drawing
shows a maximum neck O/D of 0.270 inches on
a loaded round, so the small end of the above
range leaves virtually no leeway, a total 0.001
inch clearance, less than most 6PPC bench rest
shooters use. 6BR shooters relied on production
batches having necks a half thou’ or so thinner than
maximum CIP, turning the brass slightly if they got a
thick batch.
I measured 25 pre Lapua ‘blue-box’ new cases
from lot number P00426203, and found the modal
thickness was 0.0130 inches with only tiny variations
around that (maxima of 0.0002 inches below and
0.0004 inches above, measuring three points on
each case neck). Bear in mind too there are diameter
variations between makes of 6mm match bullets, a
look at samples of ten 105-115gn bullets from Berger,
Hornady, Lapua and Sierra by AccurateShooter
(formerly 6mmBR.com) website’s Jason Baney
producing measurements of 0.24275 to 0.2433
inches, depending on make and model, Lapua the
thinnest and new-model Berger VLDs the fattest, a
large enough difference to affect clearances if you go
for an absolutely minimal clearance chamber. (Note
too, that light bench rest quality flat-base bullets
from specialist producers are often fatter still at the
so-called ‘pressure point’ at their rear ends.)
Target Shooter 61
 Taking the largest of the factory HPBT bullets, the
revised Berger 105gn VLD at 0.24330 inches and
the thickest neck found on the aforementioned
brass, I would have got a maximum loaded round
neck diameter of 0.2695 inches giving an over-close
fit, (in my view, anyway) in a 0.271 inch chamber and
a tight but liveable with 0.0025 inch total clearance,
just over a thou’ at any individual point, with the
popular 0.272 inch chamber-neck but many would
want another thou’ total clearance for peace of
mind. Using the 105gn Lapua Scenar, the thinnest
of the factory bullet models that Jason measured,
would give an additional half-thou clearance in any
particular chamber form.
The choice of no-turn chamber dimensions relied on
Lapua brass not only being very consistent between
lots but also being just a little thinner than maximum
spec. There has been an upset here with recently
produced lots, the so-called ‘blue box’ brass (from
Lapua’s new blue plastic case boxes), that have
turned out to have noticeably thinner neck-walls
than older lots. Lapua explains that earlier
production lots risked exceeding the CIP maximum
loaded round O/D if cases came out at the high end
of its manufacturing tolerances, so reduced the norm
taking it down to around 0.012 inches.
The fact that this apparently coincided with the move
from cardboard cartons to the blue plastic box is
coincidental, so the packaging form cannot be taken
as a 100% reliable indicator. What this means is
that many users of no-turn chambered 6BR rifles
get an unwanted additional 0.002 inches total neck
to chamber clearance when they buy new cases,
also that anybody rebarrelling or contemplating
having such a rifle built is wise to buy their cases
in advance and measure them, instead of using
old and possibly inaccurate assumptions about
dimensions. Remember too, that if you want ultimate
performance, very light neck turning allied to a 0.269
inch dia. chamber is still recommended and that
may need to be revised slightly downwards now with
brass that starts at 0.012 inches as that thickness
leaves no margin for a reduction from turning.
Lapua v The Rest
Table 1 ‐ 6BR v .223R and .308W External Ballistics 
So far, you might presume that only Lapua makes
6BR brass, given my exclusive focus on the Finnish
make and, to be honest it might as well as this is
the only one that most precision shooters use. Its
dimensions – ‘blue box’ issues aside – are well
known, its consistency is usually very good, it is
very strong and lasts a long time with reasonable
pressure loads. Although expensive, it still offers
very good value for money bearing in mind its
production quality and likely lifespan.
You still see Remington 6mm BR cases listed and
always in already primed form which is unusual
nowadays and causes storage, retailing and transport
problems but, I’ve not heard of any being available
in the UK. Norma brass is imported by RUAG
Ammotech UK Limited but many case types are
virtually special order only. Brian Fox (Fox Firearms
UK) takes orders for small lots of Norma cases and
that’s how many F Class shooters get their SAUM
or WSM brass, so I’m sure that BR cases could be
sourced this way if desired.
Both Lapua and Norma produce loaded ammunition,
but with price and availability issues as they are,
nearly all recreational users handload, so this source
of brass is much less important with the cartridge.
(Remember though, that health & safety rules require
government and corporate users to use CE/CIP etc
tested and certified ammunition only, so there is a
residual demand for factory cartridges even in some
special-use applications).
Fat Bottom Brass
I said last month that the Remington and Norma
versions of the 6BR share a common case and the
differences are in the chamber throating, or freebore
length and barrel rifling twist rate. Whilst it is true
there is virtually no difference between them, Lapua
brass is generally made with a marginally larger lower
body diameter - just above the case-web - than its
Remy predecessor or Norma competitor and if your
gunsmith cuts the chamber with a ‘Minimum SAAMI
BR Remington’ chamber reamer, a percentage of
cases will suffer from a slight interference fit in the
rear end of the chamber.
They’re only a tiny amount too fat - one or two tenths

Cartridge/Bullet    MV  Recoil*    V600  D600 (1)  D600(2)  V1,000  D1,000(1)  D1,000(2) 

.223 Rem / 80gn Sierra MK  2,800  2.8ft/lb    1,658  34”  15”  1,078  118”  51” 

.308 Win / 155.5gn Berger  3,000  12.4ft/lb    1,898  27”  12”  1,304  91”  39”   

6BR / 105gn Berger VLD  2,800  4.7ft/lb    1,865  26”  11”  1,347  84”  36” 

* Free recoil energy in a 13lb rifle 

D600(1)  /  D1,000(1) = Wind drift to the nearest inch for 10 mph true (90‐degree) crosswind. 
D600(2)  /  D1,000(2) = Wind drift to the nearest inch for a simulated 5mph change in a quartering (4 o’clock) wind. 

62
  Target Shooter
 Table 2 ‐ 6mm and 6.5mm Cartridge Water Capacity (gn water to the case‐mouth) 

6mm              6.5mm 
Cartridge    H2O (gn)    Index    Cartridge    H2O (gn)    Index 

6BR    38.6gn    100    6.5X47mm Lapua  49.1gn    100 

6PPC    ~33.0gn    85    6.5mm HDY Crdmoor  52.2gn    106 

6BRX/Dasher  41.5gn    110    .260 Rem    54.5gn    111 

6mm Swiss Match  45.9gn    119    6.5X55mm   58.6gn    119 

6‐6.5X47 Lapua  ~49.0gn    126    6.5X55mm AI  ~62.0gn    126 

Tubb 6XC    49.7gn    128    6.5‐284 Norma  ~67.0gn    136 

243WSSM/243 Win     54.1gn    140     

6‐284 Norma  ~67.0gn    173 

of thousandths of an inch, but it’s enough to see
you   have slightly hard chambering of the loaded
round and very hard extraction of its fired case – the
soft-faced mallet on the bolt-handle root plus
cleaning-rod needed down the bore! So, ensure
your gunsmith uses a reamer that is ‘minimum Lapua
brass’ specification. There are cures if you suffer
this starting with a return to the gunsmith to have
him hone the rear of the chamber out marginally.
Alternatively, buy Norma cases, or rather cheaper
Redding’s 6BR small-base body die part number
74317 that reduces the lower case body diameter
marginally. You only need to use it every five firings
or so.
strength and case-life. There is therefore a tendency
to load this cartridge up very heavily indeed - to
well above its 58,740 psi CIP PMax. One has to
be wary of some loads bandied about by shooters
and available on the internet that see MVs well over
2,900 fps quoted for 105 grain bullets.
Next month, I’ll look at tools and bullets and ask
the QuickLOAD PC internal ballistics program for
powder recommendations to see what propellants
might suit the cartridge, also noting some ‘standard
recipes’ for those who want good results the easy
and quick way.

Irrespective of maker, the 0.473 inch dia. case-head

and thick web see lots of metal around the small rifle
primer dimensioned primer pocket, which adds to

Table 3 ‐ 6BR v .Smaller 6.5mm Cartridge External Ballistics 

Cartridge/Bullet    MV  Recoil*    V600  D600 (1)  D600(2)  V1,000  D1,000(1)  D1,000(2) 

6BR / 105gn Berger VLD  2,800  4.7ft/lb    1,865  26”  11”  1,347  84”  36” 

6Dasher / 105gn Berger VLD  2,950  5.6ft/lb    1,984  24”  10”  1,449  77”  33” 

6.5X47L / 140gn Berger VLD  2,800  8.7ft/lb    1,976  22”  9”  1,509  69”  30” 

.260 Rem / 140gn Berger VLD  2,900  9.8ft/lb    2,057  21”  9”  1,580  65”  28”   

* Free recoil energy in a 13lb rifle 

D600(1)  /  D1,000(1) = Wind drift to the nearest inch for 10 mph true (90‐degree) crosswind. 
D600(2)  /  D1,000(2) = Wind drift to the nearest inch for a simulated 5mph change in a quartering (4 o’clock) wind. 

 
Target Shooter 63
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64 Target Shooter info@intershoot.co.uk
 PROFILE ON THE DARLING SHOOTERS…
This month I’m delighted to feature some
fellow shooters from a few years ago and bring
their achievements to the fore. It’s always good to
appreciate the successes of your predecessors
and this story has the added bonus of still
being current, courtesy of the latest member
of the family to find the ‘shooting’ gene. Also,
it’s always worth remembering that technology
and techniques change over time so what our
shooters currently have at their disposal and
take for granted, were maybe not even in
existence just a few years ago.
The family I am featuring are George and
By Hayley Platts
Debbie Darling (nee Lawrence) and their son
Kenneth. Debbie and I were shooting air rifle
at the same time, but George at that stage was
highly and successfully involved in his coaching
career so it’s been really interesting for me to
read up on his own shooting achievements.
Pistol shooting seriously began for George in
1972 when he joined the National Squad having
qualified by having shot impressively enough to
gain a place in the England team at the Home
International at Cardiff. I have said it before, but
for those who never knew those years when the
British Airgun Championships were held at the
Target Shooter 65
66 Target Shooter
Sophia Gardens venue, it was on a much bigger pistol event with a score of 576. He also won
scale than we currently enjoy at the Welsh Open silver in the pairs competition with Geoff
in the same arena but it extended to many more Robinson.
of the sports halls and included extensive trade
stands. From 1987 onwards George engaged his
shooting knowledge in a coaching career
It certainly was impressive and any participation qualifying initially as a Club Coach and
at that time in Cardiff felt like a major shooting progressing to County Coach and then Regional
event and got the heart pumping and inspired Pistol Coach. By 1990 George had become
many to go much further in the sport. This was the National Coach for Air and Free Pistol, an
obviously a good starting platform for George amazing transformation of his abilities in three
and just three years later in 1975 made his short years.
first appearance for Great Britain in the Nordic
Championships. In the meantime George also From my own standpoint, I certainly remember
won Pistol ‘78 and a Scottish Open title. when we had joint National Squad weekends, I
was always envious of my air pistol colleagues
George enjoyed a long international shooting who had such a structured, varied and
career representing Great Britain at numerous productive two days of training with George as
European Championships and World their Coach. Much planning and preparation
Championships. by George before those weekends was
inevitable to make them valuable and enjoyable,
George also represented England at the and were a credit to him. Perhaps the greatest
Commonwealth mini games and also the full endorsement of George’s work is the illustrious
blown Commonwealth Games in 1982 where he list of shooters whom he has coached which
won gold in the 10 metre individual air include Paul Leatherdale, Mick Gault, Nick

Target Shooter 67
Baxter and Iqbal Ubi to name just a few. shooting - he is calm, pretty laid back and
he listens well to what he is taught and just
Debbie’s shooting story began when she gets on and does it. He sounds like the ideal
was twenty five years old and unlike George, student and I am willing to bet his name is one
Debbie was an air rifle shooter. The fact she to look out for over the next few years on the top
did not come in to the sport as early as some of scoreboards of competitions.
was of no detriment and during the time she was
involved in shooting she was extremely Ken however is not the only talented Darling
successful. The other true benefit of coming youngster. Debbie and George also have a
through the ranks and shooting for Great Britain daughter, Samantha who is 12 and the three of
meant she met George whom she later married. them are all keen golfers. Whilst Ken took lessons
he wasn’t convinced it was the sport for him and
Debbie shot for both England and Great Britain leaves his sister Samantha to excel. She is showing
and was English Champion twice. At the promise with a handicap of 28 and is currently
Europeans in Finland Debbie was part of the training with the county girls. More importantly
team which set a new team record. Keen for she is enjoying it and breaking into a new sport
another challenge which also was a benefit to which to make a change for the Darling family
her air rifle shooting Debbie took up 10 metre has nothing to do with shooting!
crossbow shooting, and at that time it was
felt this would be a major new sport and was Since returning to his old shooting club, George
extremely popular. has been asked to do some coaching at the
Norwich City club and much to the delight of
Nationally she became ladies record holder members including Eddie and father Andy
with a score of 385 and on the international Graver only a week after George began
stage Debbie competed in European and World coaching him who won the British Open
Championships for crossbow and is proud of a confined title at Bisley. His coaching is now
top 15 finish at the Worlds. Debbie hasn’t shot back in demand since he raised his head above
since the birth of their son Kenneth in January the parapet again and has been approached
1996. to coach some of the Isle of Man shooters who
are trying to gain selection for the Glasgow
And so another chapter begins. Ken showed Commonwealth Games which take place in
an interest in shooting after the family went to a 2014.
dinner marking Mick Gault’s retirement from
England shooting. During the course of his Duke In Debbie’s own words “who would have guessed
of Edinburgh award Ken needed to find a new sport that some fifteen years after I gave up shooting
to master and asked if he could try air pistol. In the and about twenty five years after George gave up
enviable position of having a great coach on hand, shooting and ten since he finished coaching,
Ken turned to his father who also decided to get that our son would bring us back to the shooting
involved once again! world and be so good?”

Father and son competed this February in the

British Championships where Ken shot 492 and
478 breaking his training best by 50 points in the
process. George has continued to coach him
and Ken came 5th at the North Wales Open in the
junior air pistol category with another personal
best. A couple of weeks ago Ken shot 525 at the
Cambridge Open and so he continues his early
shooting career and follows in his talented parents
shooting footsteps. Ken and George use a 7
metre range in the garage at home for training when
not at the club, and off the range Debbie feels her
son has just the right temperament for the sport of

68 Target Shooter
World Class Athletes
World Class Ammunition
World Class Results

Champions shoot Tenex

www.eleyammunition.com Target Shooter 69

 This Smallbore Business

By Don Brook
The Psychology of a Champion #4 contingency plans in place, and have done the
mind stuff to be able to implement them.
The “What if” factor. Will this bother you?
This segment is actually a further section of
The mental excellence of a champion shooter, mental rehearsal which we discussed in the
also includes the process of what to do if third of the articles dealing with “mind stuff,” and
something unexpected crops up. There may be it is a simple matter to let your mind roam over
things, like a target break down, a safety issue the possibilities that could confront you.
that comes along when the range officer bellows
“cease fire” “Unload” and the whole process of I used to visualise the variants, and also wrote
the competition comes to a dead stop…. them down in my diary, together with ways to
overcome the problems should they eventuate.
Perhaps you have a round that will not eject, The techniques have actually saved my bacon
or a stuck case which I have so often seen in a few times!
full bore shooting…..How about a whole rack of
targets disappearing over the front of the butts To give you an idea of what can happen, I was
due to a really rough wind squall, (also full bore) shooting in a match on the Nitishi range outside
of Moscow, when an American range officer in
There are many examples of something that charge of my section, interrupted me with the
can, and do bring the series of shots to a stop, inquiry about if I was still shooting sighter shots,
and so bring the shooter to stop and therefore or record shots….
interrupt a smooth passage through the match.
Even, once more in the case of full bore teams I pointed to the disc on the firing point that
shooting, when the Team Coach calls for the indicated I was well into the record shots, (36
next shooter to fire a sighter shot just to confirm of them to be exact) and was told the register
the wind and weather prediction for sight keeper behind had no record of those shots.
adjustment. I have seen and done this many He had missed me turning the disc over from
times in full bore shooting when competing in a sighter shots to record shots according to the
team event. colours of the disc.

All well prepared shooters have a set of I was pretty peeved at this because I had lost

70 Target Shooter
only one point of the 30 shots fired… are contained within.?

The R.O. was very apologetic, and the discussion WELL THE FIRST ONE IS TO REMAIN CALM
eventually went the way of starting those record AND THINK CAREFULLY.
shots again!
As I said at the footnote on the last issue with
I must admit that my contingency planning did this topic of the Psychology of a Champion,
not encompass that possibility, so back to work I “How well you shoot is directly related to how
went, and duly finished a 96 shot English Match well you think.”
with 592 points, with four minutes to go! So,
I shot a 60 shot match with another 36 shots Staying relaxed is the whole issue of high
added, and it was really due to the high standard standard competition, and it makes it a lot
of training for endurance that I was able to easier to switch on your thought processes.
complete that shoot, but it does give you an idea The reasoning to evolve above the problem is
of what can go wrong. necessary. Your whole attention is to develop
a set of circumstances that you can practise at
Even my Team skipper could not foresee that home, with an imaginary problem developing,
problem, and there was quite a discourse under and a way to get through the problem with little
way, which I had also to shut out of my mind to or no affect on your results.
complete the match in the allocated time.
You also need to understand that a range officer
Also as a foot note to this, I had always been is there to help you (if needed) as well as to
able to shoot quite fast, with a good rhythm, and administer the match.
I did not feel any real issues with the endurance
factor involved. I just shot the rest of the match With the example of how I overcame the
from the beginning, and let the powers that be problems outlined above, with a spotter on the
sort out the issues! (To no avail, as it turned target machine screen, much can be said for
out. The score should have been a 597, but thinking ahead.
there was nought we could do!) THAT made an
interesting diary entry! My good Mate from the Brit shooting team, Barry
Dagger, always had areas he had to work out
As a result of that issue, a new page developed because of his small stature. Even to making
in my contingency planning notes, where I made arrangements to allow him to miss the barrier
sure that I always had an observer behind with in front of the firing points on the range in Suhl,
a spotting scope focussed on the electronics (East Germany as it was then). A couple of times
monitor, and a plot sheet, of every ten shot I saw him competing from a pallet placed on the
string with the score noted, That was not going firing point just so he would not blow holes in
to happen to me again. that chunk of wood in front of him. We often
had a chortle about that! Still, Barry, with his
The above is a good example of cause and superb mind, managed very well to deal with
effect, though I never had to use it subsequently, that problem, and this is also a good example
as I made sure the record keeper was up to of the strange contingencies that confront a
speed! shooter, and have to be considered.

The mental rehearsal topics for contingency
planning are up to the fertile mind of the
shooter, and also to give you an idea we had a
full bore team fill a very large white board of the
possibilities, during a team “Thrash” session,
together with the methods to overcome the
problems.
So, what are the mental rehearsal exercises that
By far the most difficult item I had to deal with
was the noise factor on the range in Caracas,
Venezuela. The noise was incredible, as the
range backed onto a major highway, as well as
the interior noise from spectators. Even during
the training days we had the 300m shooters
belting it out directly above us on the next level
of the firing points. The shots were loud, and
regular of course, and I swear some were using

Target Shooter 71
7mm Remmington Magnums, because that shot problem with careful thought, even as late as the
reverberated and whistled down the range at a week before the match. I was also surprised that
streak of velocity I had not heard before! the traffic noise, suppressed by my choice of ear
protection, actually became quite soothing with
The 300m guys were not there on the rimfire just the rhythmical hum being there 90% of the
match days, so they were not the chief cause of time.
concentration depth factors.
Finally it should be noted that the methods you
I tell you all, the way I got over that problem was use to arrive at whatever contingency you dream
simply the maximum effect to block out noise. up, are simple enough to deal with. They have
Form fitting,(manufactured for me), earplugs, different levels to be sure, such as one Australian
a set of tissues inside my ear muffs (Peltor, that arrived in Germany, and discovered his bolt
shotgun muffs) which I made sure were quite was still on the table in Sydney….. God Bless
tight over my ears. Dieter Anschutz that time! (It took a quick trip to
ULM, but we got over that one too…..)
It was strange hearing my own Tenex .22’s,
which I actually felt, rather than heard the round My “Gem” for this issue? “It will only affect you,
go off! if you let it affect you.”

This exercise was sorted out during the training Brooksie.

days, and it became obvious that I had no
planning in place for that contingency in my
home preparation prior the world championships
in Caracas.

Like I said, stay calm, and work it work out the

72 Target Shooter
 Ready for the off

April 30th saw over 1000 people descend on

Bisley for our Open Day. Fortunately we had
a glorious day albeit a bit windy. All the usual
disciplines were on offer with the addition of the
NRA Shooting Club. All credit to the guys of
the club who came up with the idea of showing
people the types of ‘fun’ guns on the market
other than the pure discipline ones. It worked
beautifully with guests trying a variety of AK47’s,
L98’s, Tikka T3, M14, FN FAL and many more.
The queue formed about 10 minutes after we
opened and lasted all the way through to 10
minutes before closing. Everyone seemed to
have a great time, including the coaches, and
we had a lot of enquiries about membership and
the club. Well done to everyone who worked so
hard to make it a great day for all.

The next big event for us is the Phoenix meeting

held over the weekend of 27th – 29th May.
Great Guys! This multi-discipline meeting is a must for your
shooting diary and has its roots in pistol calibre

Target Shooter 73
 Well deserved cuppa last Saturday and chose the Lee Enfield as the
subject. We had 21 attendees for a lecture in
the morning and range practice in the afternoon.
Everyone seemed to enjoy the day as well as
getting something out of it. From how to get
on target accurately at long range to realising
that the reason your scores aren’t very good is
down to a loose blade foresight! We have had
several suggestions for further days so that will
keep me busy for some time to come.

I’m not sure exactly what we’re doing right

with the NRA SC but we have the enviable
problem of too many people turning up for our
shoots. An email to those registered for the club
returned a lot of good ideas for the future as
well as confirming my gut feeling that we
needed to put on more days to ‘spread the
load’. The stats show that, so far, we’ve booked
153 ranges for the club! So, if you are an NRA
firearms but there are also plenty of competitions member and want to join one of the fastest
for Black Powder, Air and Fullbore from 15 growing, cheapest shooting ‘clubs’ on the com-
yards right up to 1000 yards. This Meeting mon just drop an email to nrasc@nra.org.uk
has over 75 competitions to enter, giving you and we will send you all the info.
enough chances to earn yourself one of the
much sought after Grandmaster Medals. In And finally......
addition to the shooting there is the Arms Fair One of the more uncommon sights at Bisley. No
held in the Bisley Pavilion. I can already hear Road Tax, No Congestion Charge, Eco-Friendly
the sound of ammo presses all over the country Power Unit, Square 4-Horsepower Energy
gearing up Cell, 16-Stroke Transmissionless Drive-Train,
Sustainable Fuel Supply, Carbon Neutral
The Inter-Counties weekend is on over the Footprint, Carbon Offset Mitigation Compliant
weekend 11th to 12th June and has a slight Exhaust Emissions, Contemporary Voice
change this year. The first competition of the Activated Start / Stop Technology, Acoustically
Inter-Counties is the R Jarvis Individual match. Biased ABS / FBB, Intelligent Power-Steering,
In past years this has been open only to Reduced Friction Independent Running Gear,
members of the County squads. This year Ambient Temperature Levelling Climate Control.
it has been decided to open the event to any However, running costs?
individual member of the NRA. If you are
interested and
would like more
And finally
information or
wish to enter on-
line, please go to
our website http://
www.nra.org.uk/
and click on the link
from the front page.

We had the first

Special Interest day
for members of the
NRA Shooting Club

74 Target Shooter
 National Small-bore
Rifle Association
Inclusivity Rules!
Disabled and less able shooters CAN shoot in
competitions!
It’s amazing how many people who have contacted
the Disabled Shooting Project team have been under
the impression that shooters using non-standard
positions or techniques are not allowed to take part
in competitions. Fortunately, they are wrong!
One of the greatest things about target shooting is
its phenomenal accessibility for almost all types and
levels of disability, and the fact that having welcomed
less able people into the sport it then embraces
them fully on the competitive front. Admittedly not
all disciplines are open to all types of disability, but
as a sport we are still way out in front of all other
mainstream sports – and still striving to improve
further.
So what are the options for the principal categories,
smallbore, field target, fullbore and clay target?
Smallbore (.22 and air)
Yes, there are segregated competitions for those
who shoot the Paralympic disciplines under the
rules of the International Shooting Committee for
the Disabled (ISCD). Sadly, we have not yet found
international competitions that are open to those
who, whilst they are certainly disabled, do not meet
the ISCD’s criteria for smallbore disciplines. It is an
area that we will be exploring as soon as resources
permit.
On the domestic competition scene, however, the
situation is fantastic. In smallbore disciplines, there
is total inclusivity in all competitions run under NSRA
rules; i.e. the majority of domestic championships,
leagues and open shoots, right up to home countries
internationals. The system allows anyone to shoot
with modifications to the conventional equipment
E Denmark
Target Shooter 75
 Peter Wallace
and techniques if they first obtain permission
(generally known as “a dispensation”) from the
Association. The relevant rules (downloadable from
the Reference section of the Association’s website:
www.nsra.co.uk), are in Section 4 – Shooters with
Physical Handicaps.
The rules explain how to apply, and the procedure is
very straightforward. It must be in writing (there are
no forms – a letter is fine), giving a very brief note
of the disability that is involved, plus an explanation
of what the shooter wishes to do. Photographs are
also needed, showing clearly the modified position,
and/or how special equipment is used. Everything
should be sent, in duplicate, to the Secretary to the
Referees’ Committee at the NSRA offices. There is
76 Target Shooter
no fee.
The committee generally makes a
decision very swiftly, so there should
be no long wait for a result, although
they might request clarification
or further information. The key
consideration for the committee is
whether what is proposed will be fair
to all concerned. What constitutes
“fair” might be problematic for
some people, but the committee
takes a pretty robust view. Usually,
something that might be perceived
by others to confer an advantage
is actually only going to remove a
disadvantage. Most people with any
type or degree of disability suffer in
ways that are not apparent to the
observer; pain, muscle spasms,
weakness and fatigue are all
invisible to the onlooker, but these
are all factors that will be taken into
account in trying to level the playing
field for applicants.
The commonest permitted
modification is shooting from a
wheelchair – sometimes combined
with the use of special equipment.
Many dispensations allow shooters
who can no longer cope with
standing or prone positions to shoot
from a chair or stool, including
“prone from a table”. Permitting the
use of stand or support (usually a
Belgian spring stand) for those who
cannot manage the weight of a gun
unaided is also common. Some
pistol shooters are allowed to use
a two-handed grip. For those with
missing limbs the dispensation
can allow a prosthesis to be used.
There are several solutions for elbow problems
experienced by prone shooters, including additional
padding or foam rings to provide support. Weak
joints and damaged ligaments may be helped by
using a surgical brace or support. Those with vision
problems may be permitted to use a combination of
lenses that is otherwise prohibited because it has a
magnifying effect.
If a shooter needs someone to help him with
loading, etc. then he does not need a dispensation
specifically for that unless it is the only non-standard
aspect of his shooting. Organisers of shoulder-to-
shoulder matches ought to leave the adjacent firing
point vacant so that there is room for the assistant to
operate without risk of touching the next shooter on Conclusion
the line. It’s a great shame that quite a few shooters who
use unorthodox positions and techniques, for good
Field Target reasons, have not been taking part in competitions,
Things are tougher on this front because there is when many would undoubtedly like to do so. If you
the inevitable problem of accessibility of venues. know of any shooters who might benefit from the
However, for those who can overcome that hurdle, options outlined above, or clubs that have disabled/
the British Field Target Association (BFTA) recently less able members, please draw their attention to
published a document (link at the end of this article) this article. Thank you.
outlining the adaptations that are permitted for
those who cannot adopt conventional standing and
kneeling positions in their competitions. They allow BFTA Disabled Shooter Rules 2011: http://www.
two sitting positions instead. bfta.net/jsite3/index.php?option=com_remositor
y&Itemid=61&func=fileinfo&id=26
Fullbore
For fullbore shooters, rule 134 in the “Bisley Bible” 1st Grand Prix International for Disabled Shooters:
states: h t t p : / / w w w. c p s a . c o . u k / u s e r f i l e s / f i l e / I n t .
“The Shooting Committee may on application permit ltrapeventfordisabledshooters.pdf
such modification to the firearm, clothing, equipment
or technique of a physically disabled competitor as Postscript to the May edition.
may assist him to compete on equal terms with other
competitors.” Mike Bagot wrote “Your article on pages 74-76 has
Rule 156 includes more specific provisions for a section in it about the 2012 selection policy
shooters who cannot shoot prone or supine; they and procedure and mentions only 3 athletes
can apply for permission to shoot seated at a table. with MCS’s. THERE ARE 5!!!!! Have you noted
that the World Championships in Munich also
Interestingly, the NRA’s F Class, originally set up counted towards the MCS count and therefore
in the 1990s for the benefit of those who need to Michelle Smith in Women’s 3x20 and Neil Stirton
use bipods, telescopic sights, etc. has evolved into in Men’s Prone also have MCS’s.”
a discipline in its own right, enjoyed by a mixture of
able and disabled shooters. Mike is right that the 2010 World Championships also
count for MSC purposes. However there were seven
Clay Target achieved there, plus a further two assuming that
The CPSA makes no distinction between able British Shooting accept scores from the events for
and disabled shooters, so those who are able to junior competitors when these are held separately,
gain access to a shooting ground will be able to .i.e at the World and European Championships.
compete with everyone else. We are pleased to Since the article we have had the World Cup at Fort
have discovered that the world’s 1st Grand Prix Benning, so the current tally of rifle and pistol MCSs
International for Disabled Shooters will take place in looks to be 14.
Italy this September. The organisers state that they Jon Hammond – Prone Rifle (three times), 3
hope it will “be the sign of birth of a new international Positions Rifle
sport event enabling the shooting family to strengthen Matt Thomson – Prone Rifle (twice)
its presence within the Paralympic Games”. If you James Huckle – 3 Positions Rifle, Air Rifle
are interested in this event, there is a link at the end Neil Stirton – Prone Rifle
of this article. Ollie Barron – Prone Rifle
As for field target, accessibility of shooting grounds Ken Parr Jnr – Air Rifle
has been the key problem for aspiring clay target Michelle Smith - 3 Positions Rifle
shooters. However, progress is being made; for Jen McIntosh – Air Rifle
example, there is currently a planning application Mick Gault – 50 metre Pistol.
in East Sussex for the development of “an Olympic
Skeet and Trap facility and general improvements to
the grounds that will create a ‘centre of excellence’
for Clay shooting for both able bodied and disabled
sports men and women”. The CPSA website has a link
for anyone who would like to make representations
(hopefully supportive) about the application.

Target Shooter 77
 From The Bench
VINCE’S REGULAR COLUMN
WHEREBY ACCURACY NUTS
CAN KEEP UP TO DATE WITH
THE ACTIVITIES OF THE UKBRA

Competitions 0.1918 inches (av. of five, 5-shot groups)

For our second weekend of the UKBRA 100/1000 yard
Championships, at least the weather had warmed up
a little. Even the wind behaved itself for Saturday’s
100 yard shoot and I was feeling rather smug with
my 0.223 incher in Warm-up – only to find that there
were no less than three shooters with smaller groups!
However, in the end I was rewarded with my first sub.
‘two’ agg. for about five years and small-group award
in the process.
2nd Graham Francis 6PPC Walker BAT 0.304
3rd Neil Hutton 6PPC TGP Borden 0.3298
Small group: Vince Bottomley 0.116 inches
Factory Sporter:
1st Darrel Evans 6PPC Sako 0.364 inches
2nd Jack Mills 223 Browning 0.7164
3rd Andy Woolley 6PPC Sako 0.8402

Darrel Evans was shooting again following a brief Small group: Darrel Evans 0.224 inches
absence due to back problems – much to the chagrin
of his competitors and indeed, it was ‘business as For Sunday’s 1000 yard shoot it was a different story
usual’ with Darrel taking a comfortable win in Factory – yes, the forecasted fine weather hadn’t let us down
Sporter and shooting an impressively small .224 inch but the wind was horrendously gusty. Sub. ten-inch
group in the process. groups were few and many shooters turned-in twenty-
inch plus groups!
Results: Heavy Varmint: Nonetheless, it was possible – with a bit of luck and
1st Vince Bottomley 6PPC TGP BAT a sound technique – to shoot small groups. Phil

The 1000 yard firing line

78 Target Shooter
Sammons was the first to dip under six inches with a
5.484 incher but Steve Dunn eventually eclipsed this
with a 4.616 incher in his third Match. This not only
secured small-group award but helped Steve to the
Light Gun victory, just edging Phil Sammons into
second place.
In Factory Sporter, Phil Gibbon and his 6.5-284
Savage cruised to an easy victory with an agg. that
was good enough for fourth place in Light Gun Class.
Phil’s excellent 8.5 inch group in Match 2 was the
smallest FS group by far and in fact such were the
conditions that only three Light Gun shooters bettered
it.
Results: Light Gun:
1st Steve Dunn 7mmBooBoo BAT 10.106 inches
2nd Phil Sammons 6.5-284 PRS 10.701
3rd Adrian Evans 308 Barnard 12.638
Small group: Steve Dunn 4.616 inches
Factory Sporter:
1st Phil Gibbon 6.5-284 Savage 13.954 inches
2nd Alan Seagrave 6.5x55 Tikka 18.924
3rd Toni Young 308 Remmington 20.051
My beautiful new Edgewood ‘Gator bag
Small group Phil Gibbon 8.521 inches
Back bags are a bit like a snooker player’s cue to
a benchrest shooter and when mine (which has
accompanied me to Italy, New Zealand, America,
Sweden, Spain & Austria) split, I was devastated –
especially with the World Championships only a few
weeks away. My bag was a Bald Eagle but they are
no longer obtainable so I plumped for an Edgewood.
Edgewood bags are made in America by Jack Snyder
www.edgebags.com and a visit to their website gave
an eight-week lead time for a new bag plus shipping.
However, an e-mail to Barbara informed me that they
had some bags in stock and to cut a long story short,
I had the bag in a couple of weeks. It’s a beautiful
piece of leatherwork and it is now filled with heavy
sand awaiting the new competition. Let’s hope it
works.............
Forthcoming Events
Our next 100/1000 yard benchrest shoots are on the
weekend of 18/19th June but we have a ‘benchrest
for score’ shoot on Saturday 4th June. As always, you
can turn up on the day but
e-mail vinceb@6ppc.fsnet.co.uk for more info.
Target Shooter 79
The Benchmark - Rimfire & Air Rifle Benchrest News
When the wind blows.......! The weekend match Paul Lane is situated just outside Huddersfield,
held at Paul Lane Rifle and Pistol club was an in West Yorkshire. The crew and the club
interesting affair, made more interesting with members were very welcoming, with food and
higher than expected wind speeds. Preparation beverage laid on to keep the competitors happy.
for a few days of shooting obviously involves It’s great to see such a club thriving and this
getting your equipment together and the final one not only has its own plush club house, they
check is what the weather conditions are going even have their own well equipped gun shop.
to be like. Amazing - love to live there!!

In most cases, because of buildings, the direction Competitors came from around the UK - as far
of the range, natural or manmade baffles, the as the North East and down to Sussex on the
wind never seems to get up to what is ‘advertised’ South Coast. The competition even had a visit
on the world wide web weather channels. I think
this weekend showed everyone that for once
the weather pundits were right. They predicted
rain and we got rain!! They predicted wind and
we got wind!!! At times this was 30 mph plus and
it just battered parts of the range. The rain came
down about mid day Sunday, flying into the face
of the competitors! Interesting times indeed!
However, with all this in mind it was fun and that Gary Kingaby getting a Silver for the LV
says it all at the end of the day! We had a great 50m
time.

John Farrel Getting his two Gold Medals

80 Target Shooter
 I personally will stick
to that story having
shot some of the worst
cards I have completed
for a few years.

Getting over licking

our own wounds,
the impressive thing
with this match is
that I think we all
learned something
about shooting in
these conditions. It
is therefore what we
need to have more of in
the UK. These regional
matches are ‘key’ to
Colin Rose getting his winning medal for the indoor rimfire the development of the
match sport. Yes the postal
matches are great,
but getting together,
of one of Italy’s top shooters, Carlo Caricato. As shooting at different
a VIP guest he also presented the medals at the ranges, talking through the issues, looking
award ceremony. at rifles, chewing the cud, etc, is how we as
shooters progress. It’s great that John Farrell
Generally the scores were a bit down on what and the members of the Paul Lane Shooting
we normally expect at one of these matches, the Club have put on another great match, as well
average being around 245 for the gold medal as number of other events over the last year.
winners shooting outdoors. Most of us would Keep it going guys!!
comment on the wind affecting this and I think

Card 1 Card 1 Card 2 Card 2 Total Total

Paul Lane Open Match Score Xs Score Xs Score Xs
Colin Rose 250 19 250 22 500 41
25m Rimfire HV John Stephenson 250 13 250 15 500 28
Graham Readhead 250 13 249 11 499 24

J.Farrell 250 16 250 22 500 38

25m Rimfire LV Brian Kelly 250 17 250 18 500 35
Carlo Caricato 248 17 250 15 498 32

John Stephenson 246 14 246 9 492 23

50m Rimfire HV Graham Readhead 244 9 244 13 488 22
Colin Rose 240 8 241 11 481 19

John Farrell 247 8 243 9 490 17

50m Rimfire LV Garry Kingaby 243 9 240 7 483 16
Carl Boswell 237 6 245 12 482 18

Scott Grayson 242 8 223 3 465 11

Air Rifle Unlimited Richard Healey 234 3 229 1 463 4
Carl Boswell 234 4 227 7 461 11

Target Shooter 81
 The Long View
News from the GB
F-Class Association
by Les Holgate
We’d no sooner got the season’s opening clash at
Diggle out of the way when GB F Class League
Round Two was upon us, only three weeks between
them.
There seemed barely enough time to handload more
ammunition, repack the suitcase and arrange for a
second mortgage needed refill the tank with fuel at
today’s prices before taking the High Road north for
Blair Atholl in Perthshire. A 1000 mile round trip for
those in the south and even 500 to 600 for those of
us in the north of England.
While en-route, the results of the Scottish Assembly
elections were announced with a landslide victory for
the pro-independence and rabidly anti-gun Scottish
National Party, so maybe we’ll have to pack a
passport too for some future Blair round, assuming
target shooting survives north of the border if this
ancient but ‘wee’ nation throws off the Sassenach
yoke - with or without Mel Gibson’s help!
Anyway, 48 hardy souls, split roughly 50-50 F Class
The Glen Tilt range first thing on Sunday. The threatened rain soon appeared!
82 Target Shooter
(hereinafter referred to as ‘Open’) and F/TR ventured
to the most northern of our three National League
venues. No foreign entries this time, unless you
count our good friends from the Republic of Ireland,
who are very fond of this scenic range and probably
feel at home in its damp and constantly changing
climate.
Mentioning weather, the forecast was poor, the long
dry spell of March and April replaced by a strong,
warm and very wet southern airstream that was
expected to bring heavy rain. Mind you, Friday was
forecast to suffer horrible weather too but most of
us arrived in Blair Atholl village without having seen
more than an occasional black cloud and to find the
early arrivals sitting in the Atholl Arms beer garden
enjoying warm early evening sunshine.
South Easterly
One thing that was accurately forecast was the wind
direction - south-easterly - or from around 5 o’clock
on West Atholl Rifle Club’s Glen Tilt range. Naturally,
this being Blair, a meaningless phrase like ‘5 o’clock

wind’ might cover a number of possibilities from ‘a
bit of left windage needed’ to ‘getting on for eight
or nine-MOA right’ through to a flat-calm in between
over the time it takes to run a couple of matches,
never mind a whole weekend – and it did!
‘Open’ shooters get ready
Nevertheless, on the whole this was a GOOD THING.
Let me explain. There must be somebody who likes
to shoot in a north-easterly that brings a freezing and
highly variable quartering headwind up Glen Tilt – but
so far I’ve never met him or her – and unfortunately
that’s all too often what we get here at this time of
Target Shooter 83
 Mostly F/TR competitors here

the year. But, when we assembled for sighting-in/ was the wind, with the two tall flags on the right side
blow-off on the Saturday morning with threatening of the range billowing out.
clouds shrouding the mountain tops, there was only
the odd bit of drizzle in the air, visibility was good and
Although it was F/TR to start, I’ll cover our 25 ‘Open’
the wind was from 5 o’ clock - light and apparently hopefuls first, one of which was yours truly. Only two
constant in strength and direction. broke 70, Gary Costello tying with Peter Hobson
on 71 but getting the medal for 7 against 5 Vs. Ian
Could this be really so? Was it too good to last? Boxal, fresh from his Diggle triumph (but now back
Whilst on the subject of weather and blow-offs, we’re to shooting 7mm rather than the 6mm Crusader)
spoilt on this range. The host Club’s low tent like took third on 68.3v. Most of the field fell within a
structures, or ‘gazebos’ as everybody calls them, 65-68 point bracket, so no runaway leaders at this
would keep us dry and there was an extended stage.
sighting-in session starting at the civilized time of
9.30am. None of this was to help the competitors Match 2 either saw people get their eye in - or more
you understand - the weatherproofing is to protect likely had marginally easier conditions - as Hugh
the sensitive Kongsberg electronic scoring monitors; Inglis pushed the winning score up to 73.3v followed
the sighting-in (on the backstop sand with targets by two more in the 70s, John Campbell on 71.3v
down) likewise, as it is essential to avoid wild shots and Gary Costello again on 70.3v. The main pack
hitting the outside edges of the target frames and pushed their scores up too, nine shooters submitting
damaging the wiring. cards in the 65 to 69 range, no fewer than four on 69
including Ian Boxall and Peter Hobson.
The late start was in response to complaints from
the neighbours about previous F Class rounds. By the time Match 3 came round, the wind was
Neighbours? Well, there is only one actually, the decidedly stronger and was producing some marked
large house on the other side of the glen opposite variations between shots. Classic Blair diagonal-line
the 1000 yard firing-point and it’s reputedly the 20 plots appeared like a measles rash on the monitors
or so dogs that live therein that object most to the as a gust not only moved shots left but high, a lull
sound of high-powered rifles echoing around the dropping them right and low – there is a ‘formula’,
steep hillsides. something on the lines of adjusting elevation a half-
MOA for every 2 MOA wind change but that needs
Saturday you to compute wind changes first, something that I
As in all Blair GB FCA rounds, all matches or ‘stages’ and several others were struggling with! Scores fell
are shot over 1000 yards and this day’s programme back again with a new trio taking the top slots, 2010
was three 15 round contests romantically titled the F Class champion Grant Taylor got the medal with
Glen Tilt, the Blair Castle, and the Old Atholl. By the 68.2v on countback from a good result by League
time sighting-in/blow-off was done the weather was regular Les Prior, and these two were a V ahead of
brightening, the cloud thinning and lifting but so too Gordon Waugh.

84 Target Shooter
 Steve Rigby (left) and Ian Dixon look relaxed as they wish each other luck

The top F/TR shooters were squadded onto the The consensus was that Blair would see Laurie
first detail of Match 1 and should have had the best sink into mid-field at best, more likely bomb out
conditions of the day but, with the exception of Russell completely and although he’d stayed in the top ten
Simmonds taking second on 67.1v it didn’t work out in the previous matches hadn’t shone so far. Now
that way at all. Second detail shooters performed he shot 66.2v, seven points ahead of Adam on 59.4v
better with Altcar 101 RC’s Mick Longbottom getting and eight ahead of 3rd place Steve Lynch who’d
the medal by a single V and Ross Opperman in third been performing steadily throughout! Russell was
place on 65.1v. The other half of the Simmonds v down on 57.0v. Sensation! Saturday ended up thus:
Bagnall ongoing struggle for F/TR supremacy was
down in 10th on 61.1v, so a major upset seemed Open          F/TR 
to be unfolding. 1  Gary Costello    206.12v   Laurie Holland    183.5v 
2  Peter Hobson    206.10v   Russell Simmonds  183.1v 
3  John Campbell    203.9v    Adam Bagnall    181.6v 
Unlike Open, Match 2 didn’t get any easier for 4  Anthony Dunne   202.13v   Steve Donaldson  180.3v 
most F/TR entrants and scores dipped further, the 5  Ian Boxall    200.8v    Steve Lynch    174.5v 
medal going to Scottish F/TR team captain Paul 6  Mik Maksimovich  199.10v   Paul Harkins    174.4v 
Crosbie on a relatively lowly 64.2v on countback  
from Altcar’s Steve Donaldson both shooting 210s
- albeit the Scouser’s projectiles were travelling a lot Sunday
faster downrange. Adam Bagnall improved to third Today’s programme was two 20 round matches, the
on 61.1v just ahead of Diggle’s Russ Howard who Cairngorm, and the River Garry. The clouds were
was having a better day than most so far. Russell lower and more threatening after heavy overnight
Simmonds was just behind on 59, so still four points rain and the wind was getting up from the rear-right
ahead of Adam on aggregate. quarter again as competitors arrived on range. I’ll
stick with F/TR as overnight leaders Laurie and
F/TR had the final Saturday details and the general Russell were squadded together on Match 4 detail
feeling was that Match 3 conditions were the most 2 – no pressure on Laurie, then!
difficult of the day by a whole order. Disconsolate
individuals were observed coming off the line in late A weird ‘could only happen at Blair’ thing occurred
afternoon with anything above 55 regarded as a as they waited their turn – a short but heavy storm
good score. At this point, what I’ll call The Two Two passed over, seeing the non-shooters rush for
Three Terror raised its head. What do you call a man tarpaulins to cover their gear up. The unfortunate
who takes a 223 to Blair in early May in the face of (Open) shooters in detail 1 were protected of course
a poor weather forecast? If you’re feeling generous, but heavy rain and sudden wind switches ruined
an optimist; if not you’d say a fool. I’m referring their day. Previously tight groups on the monitors
to Laurie Holland of course with the weird looking opening right up in some cases.
Savage and the dart like 90gn VLD ammunition.

Target Shooter 85
 Hmmm. The dreaded Blair diagonal line is just visible on the monitor ....
but it was to get much worse as wind speed and variability increased

By the time the detail finished the rain stopped – and wind reappearing for the second detail. This match
the wind died leaving near calm – to let a set of F/TR saw Yorkshire/Diggle shooter Simon Rogers power
shooters move in like greased weasels, setting up through on 98.6v ahead of Robin Gow and Mark
as fast as they could to take advantage of conditions Daish on 95s. Of the previous day’s leaders only Ian
that weren’t likely to hold for long. There was wind in Boxall broke 90 and that only just.
fact, not showing on the flags but running at around
2 MOA from the left for a .308 with invisible but still With such variability at the top of the class, the overall
potentially significant variations and a full 2-MOA lead really was open now, everything depending on
additional elevation was also needed, bringing home last match performance. The wind was back again
how much wind does affect elevation on this range. but lighter and occasionally fishtailing around from
behind as Match 5 got underway. It was Grant Taylor
With Laurie and Russell shooting together, a small who took his second Match of the weekend on 95.4v
group formed behind to watch the monitor to see ahead of Match Director Des Parr by a single V and
both contestants find the bull/V-bull on shot 1 - the ever reliable Anthony Dunne on 94.4v.
Russell hammering five consecutive Vs in. Laurie
wasn’t dropping points but was down two Vs by shot Gary Costello recovered from a poor Match 4 to
six, nevertheless, the word got round that the 223 shoot a 91 but the other Day One leaders were
was holding up against the 308 and more spectators stuck in the 80s. Day Two ‘Open’ sensation Simon
moved in. As the match progressed, both dropped Rogers was in between Anthony and Gary on 92.2v
the odd point, every one in the 4.9 ‘just out’ category
but the .223 was now getting a higher V-count! In
fact after shot 19, both men had dropped four points
and hit the V eight times, so it was a last-shot playoff
for this pair at least.

Russell, shooting first sensed the wind might have

strengthened fractionally, but decided on balance to
hold his aim - a four at 3 o’clock, another damned
4.9! Laurie aimed off a fraction and the monitor
flashed up a V – 96.9v for the ‘Mouse Gun’, 95.8v
for the World Champion and the 308! A few yards
further down, Adam Bagnall also shot a 96 but with
eight Vs for second place. With Steve Donaldson on
95.7v the leading quartet pulled further ahead of the
F/TR pack.

In the Open Class, the detail shooters were allocated Grant Taylor picks up his Stage
to for Match 4 had a potentially significant effect, win medal
with pulses of rain coming through and the right

86 Target Shooter
 then the conditions changed markedly for the worse
seeing 9 points dropped over the last four shots in
a wind that fishtailed between 1 MOA right and 1.5
MOA left. “I just couldn’t read those changes on
the flags! Maybe ..... if we’d shot a little quicker, or
started five minutes earlier ......”

Ah that ‘maybe’ – the most abused word in F

Class and never more so than at Blair! So it was
Russell who just came out on top ahead of Steve
Donaldson, Adam and Laurie in that order. Apart
from John Cross, the other Sunday F/TR star was
Stuart Anselm who’d suffered ammunition problems
in Matches 1 through 3 but now put in Sunday’s third
highest aggregate score. Incidentally, Laurie’s 96.9v
in Match 4 equals John Cross’s GB 20 shot F/TR
1000 yard record coincidentally also shot at Blair
Simon Rogers had a great Sunday Atholl. Laurie also had the highest F/TR V-count,
pulling up to second overall so who says the 223 isn’t competitive at this range?
As always, Des Parr and West Atholl RC helpers
for the highest aggregate Sunday score and enough ran a superb match, the electronic targets worked
to push him up the leader board to a well deserved flawlessly through a 4500 round-count and there
second overall place. Either side, we had Anthony was a great Shoot Dinner in the Atholl Arms Hotel
Dunne win and Gary Costello third, a single point on Saturday night. Last but not least, the ladies
covering the trio with Peter and Ian still well up to performed an invaluable service cheerfully providing
complete the top five. much needed hot drinks, buns and sympathy in the
Osprey Rifles tent. A good time was had by all, even
Back with F/TR, the tricky wind was playing havoc me, whether we shot well or not so well – No ouch,
with the ballistically inferior 308 cartridge in the final don’t twist my arm like that!
match but this didn’t stop Altcar’s John Cross
putting in a staggering 91.3v, a score that most Final results were: 
‘Open’ competitors would have happily taken,   Open          F/TR 
seven points ahead of second place Steve 1  Anthony Dunne   387.22v   Russell Simmonds  360.9v 
2  Simon Rogers    387.15v   Steve Donaldson  359.12v  
Donaldson and Stuart Anselm in third.
3  Gary Costello    386.21v   Adam Bagnall    357.12v 
4  Peter Hobson    383.19v   Laurie Holland    355.15v  
Russell and Adam were a bit further behind in the 5  Ian Boxall    378.16v   John Cross    347.6v 
low 80s and Laurie slipped into the 70s. First 6  Mark Daish    378.15v   Paul Harkins    339.9v 
place pressure? He says not and was well on 7  Mik Maksimovich  374.15v   Russell Howard   337.10v 
course to stay within an average shot value of  
‘four’ that was reckoned good in the conditions,

Overheard At Blair.............
By an unknown Irishman as he
and partner packed up at the end
of a match: “Of course we’ve got
to have a good sense of humour.
If we didn’t, why would we come to
Blair Atholl?”
Well known Diggle F/TR regular
on being asked if he’d had a good
match: “Of course I didn’t! I’m
nothing but a has-been!”
Blair has this effect on people ....
but they always come back for
more.

Match Director Des Parr (left) presents Russell Simmonds

with the Blair Atholl F/TR winner’s silver shield
Target Shooter 87
Harlow Level 3 Ken Brown Memorial IPSC
Shotgun Match By Tony Saunders
The wooded ranges of the Essex based HTRPC
played host yet again to the Ken Brown Memorial
L3 IPSC shotgun match on the 20/21st May, and as
always the build team excelled with some fantastic
match stages, and imaginative use of pallets, poles
and netting.
This was made all the more amazing as the club
Stage 1: Sam Taylor with his 12g Benelli M2 - shooting from the sleepers
88 Target Shooter
recently experienced a growing problem in these
harsher economic times; that of metal theft. The
club had between forty and fifty steel targets stolen
literally weeks before the match. The pittance these
thieving lowlifes would make from the steel pales into
insignificance compared to the cost of rebuilding and
re-welding targets, particularly so close to the match
date, and the club was facing a severe problem.
Thankfully, the UKPSA have recently invested in a
 Stage 2: Start position – Martin “Gravis” Greaves with his Benelli M1. Note the red
bobber at the back. The Shooter is confined to the red box.

whole set of steel targets as part of their campaign
to help clubs who are putting on matches, so it was
with great relief that a trailer load of steels could be
shipped up from Bisley. That, and the herculean
efforts of David Joy, who spent countless hours of his
own time welding, digging new berms and moving
portacabins in saw the situation turned around in
time for the match.
The nine stage competition attracted over fifty
shooters, with many familiar faces, plus some new
ones relatively fresh from their recent safety courses
– always a welcome sight. Weather was bright and
warm too – we were blessed!
Stage 1 was a 12 plate shoot with steels placed at
ground level around tyres. It all had to be shot from
a number of railway sleepers, and for added spice
had a popper activated frangible (clay) target on a
bobber (a frame that oscillates either back and forth
or side to side). The stage was split by a wall with
the activation popper on one side, and the bobber

Stage 4: Looking right down the tunnels. Tony Wade in the far distance.
Inset: Proof that the bulldog spirit is alive and well on the British shooting scene. Tony
Wade looking chipper at 73 as he waits to shoot at a recent club match at Swadlincote
RPC.

Target Shooter 89
 Stage 4: Note the cooper tunnel “slats” in the lower foreground. They are painted red on
each end with corresponding red marks on the pallets to ensure that they are put back in
the same place for each competitor (...it being essential and fair that each course of fire
is identically repeatable for everyone!)

at the other. you got there – something that was difficult at best. If
you missed it, you would need to take another shot
Stage 2 was a “shooting through tyre tunnels” stage. (or several) as it was worth double points.
These fiendishly designed tunnels conceal a steel This is a speed shoot stage, made complicated by
target at the end of each one, but this time with an the bobber, but also the range of shooting positions
oscillating bobber activated by one of the targets. from very low to shoulder high. Knee pads come
The bobber had a frangible target on the end and into their own on this stage as anyone who has had
swung left-to-right so that it was briefly visible down a spent 12g hull under their knee will attest.
several of the tyre tunnels. The trick was to time it
perfectly so that it appeared at one of the tunnels as
Stage 5: Keith Wilson with his Winchester SX3 “Flanigun”. Note Keith chose to stand to
shoot, whereas most shot from the sitting position.

90 Target Shooter
 Stage 6: Tom , straight from his Safety Course under starting instructions from R.O.
David Joy. Note Tom is using a Section 2, 3-shot Mossberg pump until he gets his own
Section 1 shotgun.
Stage 3 was a four position, 12 plate shoot through
and around a pallet frame. There were two positions
low down that had curtains of material that needed
to be moved aside to see (and shoot) the targets.
This isn’t difficult, but the trap is that the curtains
can cause the shotgun to fail to eject spent rounds
cleanly as it catches in the fabric on its’ way out of
the gun. This catches a few competitors out every
time. The trick is to stick the gun through the curtains
well to the side with the ejection port. Then move the
gun to the left sweeping the curtains aside to leave
a gap you can both see and shoot through. It also
means the material is well out of the way of the gun.
Stage 4 was a big field stage, shot primarily from
a large central tunnelled area with several “Cooper
Tunnel” sections in it. The “Cooper Tunnel” was
named for the initial IPSC president Jeff Cooper.
It consists of a walled tunnel with wooden slats or
bars placed across to form a roof. These slats are not
fastened on, but balanced such that is a competitor
catches them with his head or anything else, they
will likely fall off and thus incur a penalty for each
slat. The basic idea is to keep your head down low
while scampering through.
To make this harder, each cooper tunnel had shooting
apertures in, so the competitor had to shoot targets
through small holes in the wall.
These stages are definitely easier for the smaller
competitor, or someone in their first flush of youth.
The oldest competitor on the day was 73 year old
Tony Wade, who has been shooting since 1977. He
shoots a 12g pump shotgun usually at his home club
of Swadlincote Rifle and Pistol Club in Derbyshire.
He has recently moved to a Benelli M2 semi-auto
and he’s a mean shot with it He does, however moan
every time he sees a low aperture, tunnel or other
impediment that means he has to crawl about on
hands and knees.
Stage 5 was a quick and simple speed shoot. Each
competitor sat at a table with their hands inside a
pair of welding gloves screwed to the tabletop. Their
gun was loaded in front of them with nine rounds.
Down range were four frangible targets at various
heights and four steel targets. On the start signal,
the competitor simply had to shoot the eight targets
as quickly as possible.
Stage 6 was a medium field stage with 16 metal
targets, and several no-shoot targets. It was
constructed in such a way with walls and pallets that
the competitor needed to move all around the stage
confines to see and shoot the targets, with half of
them only visible from two apertures.
With a fully loaded gun in Standard Division, this
meant too that the competitor need to load at least
seven extra rounds while moving.
This was a good heart thumping stage, fast and
fluid would win the day on this stage. With a variety
of shooting points for many of the targets, strategy
was key. However, some targets were visible from
multiple locations that presented harder or easier
options. In our squad of about eight people, there
were several variants on a theme with this stage
Target Shooter 91
 Stage 6: IPSC Shotgun Director Neil Beverley under full steam. Note his trigger finger
well away from the trigger while moving.

 
which is how a good
Standard Auto Division 
Position  Competitor  Score 
practical stage should be.
1st  Mike Darby  100% 
2nd  Jim Starley  92.81%  Stage 7 was a Speed Shoot
3rd  Barry Sullivan  91.92%  through two apertures,
  shot from a confines of
Standard Manual Division (pump)  an area not much bigger
Position  Competitor  Score  than the footprint of a
1st  Iain Guy  100%  telephone box. There were
2nd  Adrian Sell  84.99% 
two lines of steel targets
3rd  Jon Holloway  84.73% 
  necessitating a reload of
Open Division  several rounds in order to
Position  Competitor  Score  shoot them all. I quite like
1st  Mike Scarlett  100%  these quick stages, they
2nd  Nicholas Hockley  91.79%  are all adrenalin fuelled,
3rd      with the only downside
  being that if you have a
Modified Division 
gun malfunction, ammo
Position  Competitor  Score 
1st  James Harris  100% 
jam or something similar, it
2nd  Colin Alden  93.99%  will blow the stage.
3rd  Keith Wilson  91.45% 
  Stage 8 was an eight plate
Also, the Ladies shot very well, with Sharon Sell just pipping Vanessa Duffy by 0.055% ‐ all shot in  / popper shoot across a
Standard Auto.  larger area of the wood,
  but confined to an “L”
Ladies  shaped area. This was
Position  Competitor   
a quick stage to shoot,
1st  Sharon Sell   
2nd  Vanessa Duffy    but the poppers were
3rd  Helen Kenneth    extremely heavy and
 

 
92 Target Shooter
 Stage 9: Yours truly having donned my ammo belt and loading the gun as I carefully
backed up. (Picture by Neil Beverley.)
caught more than one person out if they didn’t hit the
target squarely.
Stage 9 was a big field stage as befitting a good
L3 match. Utilising some stage hardware from a
previous shoot, the stage consisted of a corridor
with multiple shooting positions through apertures at
different heights. A pair of swinging bobbers at the
end added some additional uncertainty to the stage.
The start position made it more of a challenge – the
competitor’s ammunition belt was placed on a board
near the start of the stage, with the unloaded gun
placed on the floor facing downrange about half way
down the corridor. On the start signal the competitor
needed to grab and click on the ammo belt while
dashing to pick up the gun, then load it as they
backed out to the start of the stage so they could
begin shooting the targets.
Good loading skills were crucial, but a good load/
shoot cadence was necessary to ensure a smooth
completion as the competitor moved forward
between firing positions.
it was a great stage and took no small amount of
effort to complete. I didn’t see many people coming
off this one who weren’t looking exhilarated by the
experience.
With a round count of approximately 120 rounds,
everyone was finished shooting by mid-afternoon in
time to allow the scorers and match team to collate
the final results while everyone was there.
Thanks as always to the Range Crew and Harlow
Town RPC for putting on another excellent match.
David Joy was awarded Top Sportsman Award for
his Herculean efforts and selfless devotion of time,
money and personal effort.
Target Shooter 93
 Gallery Rifle & Pistol News
Training New Shooters with Long Barrelled
Pistols
The fine spring weather has got the 2011 season
off to a great start with 883 scorecard submitted
at the Bisley Spring Action Weekend (SAW -
26th/27th March) including three new records
being set; with Gwyn Roberts achieving a 1918
(168X) in GRCF Bianchi and Mel Beard making
1910 (138X) in the Bianchi LBR. The third record;
592 (26X) in the Timed and Precision Two Long
Barrelled Pistol Match from Phil Stead got me
thinking of the sudden growth of the LBP from
a virtual novelty a couple of years ago to nearly
10% of cards submitted at the Spring Meeting
Keith Cox, in the forground, showing the kind of concentration that makes you a Western
Winner
94 Target Shooter
being matches shot with them (85 in all).
The LBR class runs parallel with virtually every
GR event and, not unsurprisingly, it is the
more dynamic events where it features most.
No precision card at all were submitted at the
SAW but the Timed and Precision, Multi Target,
Phoenix A, 1500, Bianchi, Advancing Target and
Speed Steels Matches had entries.
This got me to thinking about the probationer
members new to shooting in my own club and
the licensing rules that seem to be applied
to long barrelled pistols and revolvers. I
hope the upsurge of interest in the interest in
GB Captain Ashley Dagger, at the far end, and members of the GB Team get some practice
at the Western Winner prior to the start of the International Season
shooting that my home club has seen is being The story has a happy ending and the shooter I
experienced elsewhere; in our case this has led saw practicing did have the sense to take council
to the Committee appointing additional Training from the training officers about the appropriate
Officers to develop the new members. I am use of his brand new LBR, but the point is he
entirely satisfied at the standard of training was not compelled to so do. What then if such
the new shooters are getting on what might a shooter applied from a range safety certificate
be termed the traditional GR firearms but I from the Club Chairman – what would you
then saw a shooter, recently elevated to full do? Yes not permitting the use of LBR by new
membership, enthusiastically practicing with shooters seems to me to be counter intuitive
his recently acquired LBR and it dawned on me and perhaps the licensing authorities need a
that the licensing rules had prohibited him from re-think.
receiving any live fire experience with such a
firearm during his six month probationary period. Then I thought of the LBP and wondered if
the same rules applied to them. The LBP has
The current interpretation of the licensing rules additional complications of safety devices and
does not permit a shooter to use an LBR unless holster use that is probably best learned under
they have it on their personal certificate. An LBR direction in practice conditions rather than in
cannot be held on the club FAC, thus the only competition. So I thought I would ask my local
experience that new shooters get is theoretical, licensing department what they thought and
so much for the ever safety conscious licensing contrary to expectation they were very receptive
authorities who then issue authorisation to to the idea of permitting the acquisition of a
acquire an LBR to a recently qualified new Browning Buckmark LBP on the Club FAC for
shooter. use in training probationer members. The logic
being that the parent firearm for the Buckmark is
Target Shooter 95
a section 1 rifle; it just happens to have a custom
stock and reduced barrel length, though still
conforming to the overall length requirement.
The same enthusiasm for the Ruger and new
Colt LBPs was not demonstrated, the rationale
being their parentage was handgun and not rifle
based, so we have the anomaly that we are
likely to get a Buckmark on the Club FAC but
not any other LBP with exactly the same firearm
classification – I didn’t even think about asking
about an LBR!
The recently deceased Irish ex-Prime Minister
Dr Garret Fitzgerald was quoted today on the
radio as saying, “that’s a very practical
suggestion, but will it work in theory”, well
when I get back from the Phoenix Meeting we
will submit an application for a Buckmark on
the Club FAC and see if an eminently practical
discussions I have had so far with the Avon and
Somerset Licensing Department are accepted in
the theoretical world of licensing administration -
I will keep you posted on the outcome.
Other Events
After the SAW the Shield Shooting Centre in
Dorset hosted a charity fund raiser for the Help
for Heroes Appeal on Saturday 16th April. The
event was well supported with 86 shooters Plenty to keep us busy then – I look forward to
partaking of ten stages of practical shooting seeing you on a range somewhere.
and in the process raised £6,000. Well done
to all who participated, a big thank you to the
sponsors who reportedly provided an excellent
prize table.
So what’s next?
By the time you read this article the Phoenix
Match, and the first International Matches of the
season will be over and I will report on these
events in the next issue. I am looking forward to
the debut of the South African Gallery Rifle Team
at the Phoenix International 1500 Matches,
which also features an official GRSB Match for
the first time in addition to the traditional GRCF.
Let’s hope the fine weather continues over the
Bank Holiday Weekend.
After the Phoenix there is the ever popular
Derby Open GR weekend on 25th/26th June,
this is always a well run and friendly event and
is probably the biggest open GR event outside
of Bisley so try and get along there if you can,
you will have a great time. Details of the Derby
Open and all other GR events available on www.
galleryrifle.com.
Finally the Imperial Meeting host two GR
events, the Historic Breech Loading Shooting
Association have some GR matches for period
firearms on the weekend of 9th/10th July and
then the Imperial unlimited and squadded GR
events run from Wednesday 13th to Sunday
17th July. The Bisley Bible has full detail.

The 10th Mattersey Ten was held on Saturday

4th May with 237 match cards being submitted
in all the favourite events, including timed and
precision and multi-target shotgun matches.

On the 14th May the Frome Club hosted the

Western Winner 1500 Match at the Bristol and
District Rifle and Pistol Club Failand Ranges.
With 75 matches being shot, plus some timed
and precision and skittles side shoots and Keith
Cox being crowned the 2011 Western Winner
for best aggregate in the GRCF and GRSB
matches.

Full results for all these matches on the GR Web

Site (details below).

96 Target Shooter
 A regular column whereby Ken Hall keeps us up to date
with black powder cartridge rifle shooting in the UK.

THE ANNUAL QUIGLEY SHOOTING followed that of Benchrest, but with some minor
ASSOCIATION TIGHTGROUP SHOOT. allowances due to the unique nature of these
19th Century long guns. Each firer was to fire
Saturday 14th May and the annual QSA four separate groups of five rounds at 100yds
Tightgroup competition got under way with a on a standard 25yd pistol target, a time limit
reduced field of 14 firers, mainly due to holidays of 10 minutes per group was allowed, which
and a few members competing in the long range gave time to wipe the bore between shots. The
events run simultaneously in Bisley and the resulting group sizes were recorded and then
rotten weather. Run on the lines of UK added together and divided by 4, to give an
Benchrest style competition the format generally average group size.

Doug Herod making smoke

Target Shooter 97
 Jake Healey ‘assists’ Gary Allsopp

As per Benchrest rules, firers were allowed to
rest the rifles front and back, although not used
to this position, some soon got the hang of it and
some very reasonable groups began to appear.
However, as it turned out, almost everyone shot
at least one group larger than we would have
liked, due to the odd flier.
and show that firers are getting to grips with the
“Dark Stuff”. Thanks to everyone who entered,
we should continue to strive towards achieving
smaller groups at this distance; otherwise
decent scores at longer ranges will continue to
elude us.
Dennis (Right) and Jake

It soon became apparent that a

Battle Royal for smallest group was
brewing, with several groups below
2 inches. Dennis Richardson was on
fine form and managed to keep cool
under pressure to fire two sub 2inch
groups and two only slightly larger to
give an average of two inches even,
this with bullets measuring almost a
half inch in diameter.
RESULTS.
Dennis also achieved the smallest
group of the day at 1.44in, closely Competitor Best Group Average
followed by Dave Malpas with 1.49in
and Jake Healey and Gary Allsopp 1st place D. Richardson 1.44 2.00
2nd place J. Healey 1.55 2.14
with 1.55in. 3rd place G. Allsopp 1.55 2.31

Overall, the results were encouraging Khall6548@aol.com

98 Target Shooter

Richard Healey lets off his 45-90
this stage was Dave Simmons with 52 points
followed by nearest rival Richard Healey with
45 points. Newcomer Andy Poole, who has
just purchased John Gilpin’s .45/90 Sharp’s
and fired it for the first time today achieved
a creditable 5th place with 73 points, one to
watch out for…

The final scores were as follows;

Pos. Shooter. Score.

1. Dave Simmons 99
2. Gary Allsopp 91
3. James Barnard 86

THE QUIGLEY SHOOTING ASSOCIATION.

APRIL QUIGLEY COMPETITION.

Saturday 21st May, the weather managed to

stay dry until the early evening and by then
the comp was over. Once again, the wind was
on hand to make some lives a misery……..

The firers assembled at 400yds for stage 1,

which as usual consisted of two sighters and
fifteen shots to score at the Quigley bucket.
Most managed scores in the 30’s / 40’s, but
higher scores were proving difficult to achieve.
Going in to lunch, James Barnard was leading
with 54 points against nearest rivals Gary
Allsopp with 50 points and Dave Simmons
with 47 points. After lunch, stage 2 was the
buffalo silhouette at 600 yds and top scorer on

On the 600yd point

Dave Simmons and Gary Allsopp

Target Shooter 99
 Next time in.....

The July 2011 issue will be out at the beginning of the month. Lots of follow up articles, new
reviews, news and as ever packed with the articles you want to read. Watch out for new formats of the
magazine, as we are ever developing to bring you the best of all Target Shooting Sports.

July 2011

100 Target Shooter