Rifle shooters, regardless of their respective disciplines, are very

Gun books are most commonly associated with the military, specifically match-conditioned firearms and sniper rifles. These books are a means for the shooter and the armorer tasked with maintaining the firearm to communicate. The shooter uses the firearm for its intended purpose and notes the number of rounds fired. The armorer uses this information for the purposes of preventative maintenance and also records their maintenance and gauging results in the book. For military units and marksmanship teams this is a must to ensure firearm readiness.

For individual shooters, not affiliated with a military team or serving in a military unit, we act as the shooter and armorer for the most part. So, if we’re acting as both, why is it important to maintain records? The answer is the same reason we record all of the other data related to our shooting, we can’t remember everything. Recording your round count, maintenance history, and critical data on a rifle offers a lot of benefits for an extremely low cost and minimal time invested.

Benefits:

Barrel Life/Cost Savings: Arguably the most important data entered into a gun book is the number of rounds fired. This is because barrels have a finite life span. Whether it’s a cut rifled .223 service rifle barrel that can go 4,000 rounds or a button rifled 6.5-284 barrel that might be lucky to shoot on-call after 1,000 rounds, all barrels have a life span. Recording your rounds fired helps you be proactive in scheduling barrel replacement. While swapping out a barrel is not a cheap option these days, it beats the expense (and heartache) of traveling to a match, loading ammo, booking a hotel, and paying entry fees only to find out that your barrel has already seen its
last good day.

Preventive Maintenance: We’ve already touched on the benefits of keeping rounds counts for monitoring barrel life. But barrels aren’t the only item on the rifle with a limited service life. For service rifles, parts like gas rings, extractor springs, and ejector springs are commonly replaced items. For bolt guns, replacing firing pin springs on a
regular basis can help ensure quick lock times. Keeping track of these replacements helps the shooter ensure their equipment is ready to perform.

Firearm Status: In a world where most of us are balancing work, family, chores, and our shooting hobby, keeping track of whether or not a firearm is ready for the next practice session or match can been difficult. If you record your cleaning and maintenance in your gun book, a quick check will tell you whether you’re ready to head out the door on Saturday morning or if you need to spend some time scrubbing the bore on Friday night.

Consistency: Making records of things like action screw torque settings is critical to maintaining consistent accuracy over the course of time. While you may be able to remember for this for a single firearm, having multiple firearms can create confusion. Use a gun book to keep accurate records for each firearm.

Shooting good scores is hard enough without fighting gun troubles. Using a gun book and keeping accurate records will give you more confidence in your equipment, save you time and expense, and ultimately allow you to perform at a higher level. These benefits come at the cost of a few dollars and a small amount of your time to keep
accurate records.

-John Teachey

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To achieve the highest levels of accuracy most benchrest shooters utilize the same 5-10 pieces of brass for an entire event, reloading at the range between relays.  Fischbach employed a technique not often utilized in the short-range benchrest world by pre-weighing charges into small vials to then be loaded at the range.  These charges were measured using Creedmoor Sport’s TRX-925 Precision Reloading Scale.  The TRX-925 weighs down to the hundred (0.01) of a grain and Pascal credits this exceptional precision as a key element in his success.

“I have been shooting powder from 2019…it’s hotter and might also have a narrower sweet spot window, so weighing loads carefully is paramount,” said Pascal Fishbach. “I drop an initial charge with my electronic measure and then finely adjust with a trickler over the TRX 925 scale which is sensitive to a single kernel of powder,” added Fishbach.

Developed by the team at Creedmoor Sports, the TRX-925 was designed from the ground up to offer exceptional accuracy and value for shooters.  The scale uses grains as its native unit of measure to avoid the rounding errors many other scales experience when converting weights from grams to grains.  The TRX-925 also comes standard with three F-1 class calibration weights to help ensure consistency during each reloading session.

EBSF Championship Results    |    View Product Page    |    View Product Video

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Long Eye Relief: What is it and why is it important?

The long eye relief (LER) eyepieces offered for Kowa scopes do exactly as their name implies; they offer longer eye relief than other lenses.  This extra eye relief offers several key benefits.

• The extra eye relief allows shooters wearing glasses to get a full field of view without touching the lens of their glasses to the eyepiece, or having to remove their glasses.
• The eye relief allows shooters to look at their target and/or mirage with minimal disturbance of their position. This is critical for disciplines like highpower, small bore, and F-Class.
• Many shooters find it easier to see mirage and appreciate the wider field of view offered with the LER eyepieces.

To get extended eye relief there is a trade-off related to magnification.  The LER lenses are fixed power and do not provide the ability to adjust the magnification or offer the high-end magnification that the zoom eyepieces do. This lower magnification works well for disciplines where spotting discs are used or the primary intent is seeing mirage but may be less than ideal for spotting impacts.

Zoom Eye Pieces:

For those wanting to see the ragged edges of the paper that their bullets make, or shooting in the field or in a competition where target distances and sizes vary, then the zoom eyepiece may be the right choice.  The zoom eyepieces give shooters a wide range of magnification and offer some benefits of their own.

• Magnification is adjustable over a wide range to suit light conditions, mirage, target size, range, and potentially help spot trace as the bullet travels downrange.
• Zoom eyepieces allow for greater magnification, which can prove beneficial for those wanting to see a higher level of detail on the target such as group size or target impact location.

The ability to adjust magnification and really zoom in on targets comes at a cost, which is precisely what the LER eyepieces offer.  The zoom eyepieces have a shorter eye relief, which can restrict the field of view when wearing glasses or increased movement when in position.  We’ve also seen that many shooters will inadvertently bump the scope with their glasses when looking at the target.  This causes the spotting scope to move slightly and makes it harder to see the target image well.

Both eyepieces offer benefits for specific shooting situations, and both come with their limitations.  Our recommendation to customers to take a serious look at your expectations of a spotting scope and what features are most valuable to your shooting.  For those competing in shooting sports like highpower, f-class, or similar; the LER eyepieces are your best option and where we see the highest level of customer satisfaction.  For shooters more concerned with being able to see the impact on steel targets or those spotting for events such as PRS or ELR then the zoom eyepieces are likely a better option.  Of course, one of the biggest advantages of the Kowa series of spotting scopes is the ability to change eyepieces.  So if you happen to need both the LER and zoom eyepieces, changing them out requires no tools and can be completed in a matter of seconds.  Regardless of the route you take, we are confident you will be happy with the quality of the Kowa product line and that the spotting scope will be in your kit on every trip to the range.

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Sam is a Manufacturing Technician within the soft goods production department at Creedmoor Sports.  In addition, Sam is working on his master’s degree in criminal justice while also serving as a graduate assistant for the Jacksonville State University Rifle Team.  Prior to this role, Sam was a four-year member of the JSU rifle team, competing in both air rifle and small bore.

“Sam is an exceptional young man and a tenacious competitor.  He put in the work this year to have a great performance at Camp Perry and we are all tremendously proud of him,” said John Teachey, VP of Operations and Marketing.

“Since first traveling to Camp Perry sometime around 2013, I knew it was a place I wanted to return to every year. And having the privilege of working on historic Commercial Row is like a dream come true,” said Payne. “Being up at Camp Perry with Creedmoor Sports and still having the opportunity to compete alongside my family during the National Matches is a wonderful experience, I can’t wait until next year to do it all again,” added Payne.

Full results from the match are posted on the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s website https://ct.thecmp.org/22nmrimfireresults.  For more information about the National Rifle Matches hosted by the CMP, visit www.thecmp.org.

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Part 3: The Process- with Wayne Dayberry

We’ve covered the “Quick Start” and “Filling in the Data Gaps” in previous emails. Now we finish this series with an overview of “The Process” and “Truing Your Ballistic Coefficient” for Rimfire Ammunition below.

The Process

1. We need an estimated ballistic coefficient as a starting point to enter in your ballistic solver.

a. For 40grain 22lr rimfire ammunition, I start with a .1 G1 ballistic coefficient as a baseline.

2. Enter the data into your ballistic solver (free ones work just fine for this)

3. If you have the capability, update the environmentals in your solver for the day

4. 100yards: Using your solver, dial the indicated elevation adjustment and confirm with live fire. Write down your elevation adjustment

5. 200yards: same drill.  Using your solver, dial the indicated elevation adjustment and confirm with live fire. Write down your elevation adjustment

6. Before going to 300yards: compare what your solver is telling you and what your actual elevation adjustment needed. If they are fairly close, proceed to 300y. If not, skip to the truing section, the come back to step 7 300yards.

7. 300yard: using your solver, dial the elevation solution, make a wind call, and send rounds down range.

a. If not shooting on paper:

i. A good follow through and staying on scope will help you spot misses and make adjustments

ii. A friend on a spotting scope or another rifle optic works very well for this process.

iii. **shooting at easily identifiable spots on the berm (clumps of dirt, clay pigeons etc) helps to call your shots

8. Write down your actual elevation adjustment.

Truing your Ballistic Coefficient

Now the magic happens with a little trial and error.

Before starting this last step, ensure you have the velocity data we gathered earlier. If needed, obtain a good average velocity by shooting 10 shots over a chronograph. Then, for this last step we’ll hold that data constant along with bullet weight and adjust our ballistic coefficient as follows. Go back to your solver and adjust the ballistic coefficient for this ammunition until you develop a profile that is very close to your actual elevation adjustments.

I keep my zero range zero elevation and adjust the ballistic coefficient until my 300 yard is spot on. Then I refine the ballistic coefficient plus or minus very small increments until the intermediate ranges true up as well. Sometimes it is hard to get every range perfect, and that’s acceptable. This is a field expedient method to do what sophisticated radar systems and extensive testing are designed for. In my experience, the ballistic profile is within .1 or .2 mils at all distances from my zero range out to 300 yards. And that’s basically a maximum error at distance of 2”…I’ll take that with a rimfire any day.  

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The Reverse Delta Ring Grip
Nearly any glove will work well with this technique. The wrist is only slightly bent so a stiff or flexible back side of the glove is acceptable. The fingerless or open finger style makes it easier to pick something up or adjust your sling if needed.

The Normal Delta Ring Grip

An open finger glove is acceptable for this position too. We also suggest a glove with a tighter cuff and even a stiffer back to help support a straight wrist. Be sure not to have too much weight over your thumb.

The Brass Catcher Grip

Left handed people won’t mind shooting to the right of you because all of your brass will end up being caught by your full finger glove. Definitely don’t try this with a fingerless glove.

The Bull Horns or Rocker Grip
Your glove should have sufficient grip on the back of the knuckles and a full finger glove will help the rifle stay centered and upright. A supportive wrist band is beneficial too.

Off a Fist
This is similar to the Bull Horn but you make a complete fist. Many shooters use this is they have short arms or can’t get the muzzle high enough. A mitt with additional padding can raise the rifle even higher, and keep pressure off your knuckles.

Over The Glove Mitt
If you don’t like shooting off the top of your fist, but you can’t get the muzzle high enough, adding a mitt over your glove can provide that additional padding you’ll need to get you on target.

Tight Against the Swivel Grip
If your hand is wedged against the swivel in prone, it can be uncomfortable. A mitt with additional padding on the back will prevent the swivel from digging into your hand and your slowfire will be much more enjoyable. 

Over the Glove Mitt in Prone
The technique will prevent your glove from tearing up, raise the muzzle, eliminate more pulse, and also prevent your hand from getting sore if you have a very tight sling.

The Flat Palm Grip
A favorite for air rifle shooters, an open finger glove to feel for consistent hand placement is best. Having some padding on the palm side also helps to alleviate pulse.

Off a Fist 2
Here’s another example of this technique with a smallbore or air rifle palm shelf. This glove has a stiff back to keep your wrist straight, as well as padding to protect your knuckles. 

Normal Grip
With fingers to the right of the rifle and your wrist bent, you’ll want a glove with a flexible back. This mesh glove with the rubber cutout is great for air rifle shooters using this technique.

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The mounts are made of Delrin, are very solid, and the rifle is secured with stretchy rubber tubing, the likes of which are quickly-deployed and seem like they will do the job.  Installation of the mounts was intuitive, even without instructions (which were not included in the box – an oversight). I would suggest that you ensure the bottom bracket is fully tied in and solidly in the machined notch of the baseplate.  Mine was not because I was able to wiggle it  (probably another oversight).  Once I tapped the pieces together with a mallet (fit is very tight) and carefully torqued the fasteners, all was well.  When you have the top and bottom brackets positioned, I would also suggest a little locktite on the fastener hardware and using acorn nuts instead of hex nuts.  The locktite because stuff always gets loose when you least need it to and you lack the tools to fix the problem; the latter because the ends of the machine screws are sharp and snag on the edge of the bag down below.  

So, on the range for a weekend of matches, I found the new brackets to be perfect.  I just love this setup.  From sitting, prone, or standing, it’s easy to hook the rifle on the bottom bracket, and it takes just a few seconds to secure the valuable cargo with the rubber tubing.   Just superb!  While our range in Oak Ridge does not offer a true test of ability to resist shocks and vibration like Camp Perry does, I am certain this rifle mount can take the abuse.  

All – in – all, this is a great addition to your Creedmoor cart – buy once, cry once, but you won’t look back once you try it and best of all, you can be certain that your rifle won’t take a spill.

Mike Glasman

Oak Ridge, Tennessee

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I have personally done both neck sizing and full-length sizing over the past 35 years of shooting and found that some rifles seem to prefer neck sizing only while others seem (non-statistical valid data) to perform better with full length sizing. Key word is seem (again, not statistically valid), I’ve done both types of sizing in tight neck custom chambers and factory chambers. I was taught thinking that neck sizing was the best for accurate shooting and a majority of us used to do this in short range benchrest. Eventually most of us migrated to bumping the shoulder or using a traditional full-length die. I think the question really comes down to the type of situational shooting?

First the differences; with neck sizing dies (whether bushing or conventional) you are only resizing the case neck, and with most setups, not the complete length of the neck. When full length sizing with a properly setup die, you are pushing the shoulder back .002” to .003” ideally (some reloaders shoot for only .001”). Also, you are sizing the case neck and the body of the case.

Let’s chat about the advantages of each.

Neck Sizing Advantages

Neck sizing has two main arguments that some reloaders will make in favor of it.

– The first argument is that the case, having been fireformed, now has a close semi-tight to tight fit in the chamber providing better alignment of the case neck/bullet to the chamber. I believe this argument because the fireformed case should align better in a close-fitting chamber. But, does it materially improve the accuracy, especially when the bullet usually has only .000” to .020” of bullet jump depending on the load tuning?

– The second argument is about case hardening and case life. Neck sizing works the brass less than full length sizing. By neck sizing, you keep from working the body of the case and in some situations may get an extra firing before needing to trim. But eventually you will have to full length size so you can extract the brass without beating on the bolt handle.

Full Length Sizing Advantages

Full Length sizing has one major advantage – easy extraction of the fired brass.

– If you are competing in a sport such as F-Class, service rifle and even benchrest, being able to cycle the brass quickly without disturbing your position or the gun allows you to shoot in the same wind condition. I used to neck size my 6 PPC brass for short range group benchrest shooting and significantly disturbed my rifle position on the rest after a hard bolt lift to extract the brass and then lost several seconds in re-acquiring my aiming point. In a position rifle such as service rifle you could actually disturb your NPA (natural point of aim) due to extraction difficulties.

Any of the precision rifle action-based sports, such as PRS and NRL, would also be negatively impacted by a stiff bolt cycle.

– Rapid fire competitions and hunting are also venues where full-length sizing is critical.

My Humble Opinion

My personal position is that I will full length size my fired brass every time I shoot. I setup my die to push the case shoulder back approximately .002”. I use a bushing style threaded die most of the time. On rifles where I have fully turned necks, I’ll use a specific bushing to obtain the desired bullet grip. On non-neck turned brass or brass where I have turned just enough to clean up thick spots, I’ll use a bushing that sizes all of my brass just enough so that the inside neck dimension is slightly smaller than the diameter of my expander ball. By doing it in this manner, when I pull the brass out of the die and over the expander ball, all of my brass will have approximately the same inside dimension (i.e. bullet grip/tension).

I full length size mainly for the reward of not having to wrestle with my bolt on the line whether in position, shooting F-Class off a bipod or rest or shooting short range benchrest. Any perceived gain in accuracy is just not worth the aggravation or the impact to not running your shots in a condition. If you full length size, you can concentrate more on reading the wind, focusing on position fundamentals and maintaining your natural point of aim.

If you chat with most highly competitive long-range shooters, most of them will feel the same way and these are folks that would go to great lengths for a little bit more accuracy. But they know the impact of losing a wind condition or the impact a distraction of a sticky bolt can make on their performance.

Best wishes and good shooting,

Bill Gravatt

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