http://www.demigodllc.com/articles/ Links to DEMIGOD LLC Gun Articles en-us The 2008 Steel Safari was extra tough this year for two reasons: extreme wind and extreme heat. With more target opportunities, shooters were put to an extreme tough mental, physical, and marksmanship challenge. The competitor who had the skill, preparation, and luck locked down the match title, but all those that finished were treated to a prize table better than any prior year's match http://demigodllc.com/articles/colorado-multigun-steel-safari-2008 http://demigodllc.com/photo/SteelSafari-2008/icon/D462_6886_img.jpg Ammunition costs have become downright painful, with no relief in sight. This hits the competition and tactical shooters particularly hard. Maintaining a high level of proficiency requires constant practice but the prospect of burning a couple hundred dollars in ammunition costs for a day training session can be prohibitive. Nordic Components came up with the idea of taking a Ruger 10/22 barreled action and wrapping it in a chassis that replicates the geometry of the AR-15 as closely as possible and accept AR-15 stocks, grips, float tubes, and optics. This idea was realized in the Nordic Components AR22 10/22 conversion kit. http://demigodllc.com/photo/Nordic-Components-AR22/icon/ar22.jpg The big .50 BMG has captured shooters' imaginations since its invention almost a hundred years ago. The last thirty years have seen the potential of the .50 BMG round wrung out by both civilian and military long-range precision shooters, and it's fair to say we're in the "golden age" for the .50 BMG. Here I look at some entry-level rifles from Watsons Weapons, Ligamec Corp, and Safety Harbor Firearms. (Pending publication in Shotgun News) http://demigodllc.com/photo/50BMG-review/icon/D462_5116_img_icon.jpg The concept and execution of the practical rifle has come a long way over the last twenty-five years as old designs and prejudices gave way to new equipment and new realizations about what a carbine can accomplish. The modern 3-Gun rifle represents a format combining reliability, accuracy, and compact size which is applicable to both competition and tactical use. (2008 Book of the AR-15) http://demigodllc.com/photo/ITRC-2004/icon/135_3507_img_icon.jpg Shooters who compete in "practical" rifle matches have been migrating to 6.5mm calibers for several years. While "tactical" shooters can be a dogmatic bunch, practical competitors are in it to win. Lapua's newest entry to the field, the 6.5x47 Lapua, is a natural choice. With the help of AccurateShooter.com, we set out to build the 6.5x47 Tactical Rifle. http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek084.html http://demigodllc.com/photo/6.5x47Lapua/icon/zakstampx200.jpg German Sport Guns has a passion for .22 and airsoft versions of famous military and law-enforcement weapons. In cooperation with Amchar, they've brought a new rifle to the U.S.- the GSG-5, which is a .22LR version of the infamous HK MP5. I got my hands on one of the very first ones in the country. Here's a brief review of the GSG-5 after a week with the gun. http://demigodllc.com/articles/gsg-5-mp5-in-22-lr/ http://demigodllc.com/photo/GSG-5/icon/D462_4426_img.jpg It's been a good year for 6.5 mm. The .260 Remington has hit full stride in practical long-range matches; Lapua burst on the scene with its 6.5x47, designed for 300 meter CISM competition; and Hornady developed the 6.5 Creedmoor as a turn-key solution for NRA HP Long-Range matches. How do these three mid-size 6.5 mm cartridges stack up against one another? I spent much of 2007 figuring out the answer to that question. http://demigodllc.com/articles/6.5-shootout-260-6.5x47-6.5-creedmoor http://demigodllc.com/photo/6.5x47Lapua/icon/D101_6015_img.jpg Long-range shooters gravitate towards calibers which provide great ballistics and accuracy along with low recoil. However, to get match-winning performance, you need to reload. This presents a barrier for entry into the sport for would-be new shooters. Hornady's 6.5 Creedmoor was developed to provide a cartridge with accuracy and ballistics to be competitive at the top level of High-Power Long-Range competition using factory ammunition. (31 Mar 2008 Shotgun News) http://demigodllc.com/articles/6.5-creedmoor-260-done-right http://demigodllc.com/photo/6.5Creedmoor/icon/D462_3216_img_cs.jpg Six point five millimeter has never been a big hit in the United States; however, this is changing as long-range shooters seek more performance with less recoil. Up until now, choices for a short-action 6.5 mm cartridge were pretty limited to .260 Remington and its wildcats like 6.5-08 Ackley. Nammo Lapua Oy, the famous Finnish component and ammunition manufacturer, recently developed the new 6.5x47 Lapua cartridge specifically for target shooting. (pending publication in Guns & Ammo) http://demigodllc.com/photo/6.5x47Lapua/icon/D462_2137_img.jpg With optics ubiquitous on fighting rifles, the old rule that long barrels - with their longer sight radius - are needed for accuracy and longer-range capability is turned on its head. It's possible to get one-moa mechanical accuracy from 18, 16, 14.5, 12.5, and even 10.5-inch barrels. The role differentiation is determined by what optic is mounted on the rail. Put another way- carbine capability is determined by its sights. (Defense Review) http://demigodllc.com/photo/PRM-2006.11/icon/D100_5378_img.jpg http://demigodllc.com/articles/fighting-carbine-optics-short-guide The Rocky Mountain 3-Gun Nationals (RM3G), is the best conventional 3-Gun match in the country due to use of geographical features in stage design, facilities, and stage difficulty. After some management problems during the 2006 match, JJ and Denise Johnson took over for 2007, and boy did they do a great job. http://demigodllc.com/articles/rocky-mountain-3-gun-2007 http://demigodllc.com/photo/RM3GM-2007/icon/D462_0968_img_100.jpg The Invitational was an individual multi-gun match designed to test a competitor's skills shooting long-range rifle, carbine, and pistol to their effective ranges at practical targets in the natural terrain. One of our goals was to make it possible to hit every target shooting standard-issue military weapons systems, but make no mistake- this was a tough and unforgiving match. http://demigodllc.com/articles/camp-guernsey-multi-gun-invitational-2007 http://demigodllc.com/photo/CGI2007/icon/D462_0191_img.jpg You have to give credit to manufacturers who break out of their comfort zones and into new markets. The Howa Axiom rifle, based on their 1500 action, with a stock from Knoxx Industries is specifically designed to reduce recoil and fit different shooters, or the same shooter with or without body armor. The Burris XTR scope represents Burris' foray into the long-range tactical shooting field. Let's see how the Axiom stacks up against the field. (Shotgun News, 3 Dec 2007) http://demigodllc.com/articles/howa-axiom-burris-xtr http://demigodllc.com/photo/HowaAxiom/icon/D461_6925_img_b.jpg One of the best field-style hike-and-shoot long-range rifle challenges is known only to a small number of shooters. Dave Wheeler has been running his "Steel Safari" match for about ten years on his thousand-acre private ranch in the rugged terrain near Logan NM. The format of the match boils down the essence of practical rifle shooting in the field: to locate small and medium-sized steel targets (often hidden), range and engage while "on the clock" with a challenging time limit. http://demigodllc.com/articles/blue-steel-ranch-steel-safari-2007 http://demigodllc.com/photo/BSR-2007.03/icon/D101_3489_img.jpg Carbine capability is primarily determined by the sighting system. The same weapon could be optimized for door kicking, close to mid-range engagements with target identification requirements, or can be stretched to the cartridge's ballistic limit by merely changing the optic. Type I optics cover the majority of fighting and are most effective to 200 yards; Type II optics increase engagement range and precision (DMR), and Type III optics reach to the weapon's ballistic limit (SPR). (Shotgun News, 4, Feb 2008) http://demigodllc.com/photo/PRM-2006.11/icon/D100_5378_img.jpg http://demigodllc.com/articles/fighting-carbine-optics-for-the-ar-15 Ask a shooter if he can hit a target a half-mile away, and he'll probably think you're joking. It's hard to even see a target at that distance. However, many F-Class competition shooters shoot 60 rounds at 1000 yards into groups the size of a pie plate on a monthly basis. In the last ten years, a new long-range division called F-Class has sprung up which lowers the cost of entry into 1000-yard competition. (Guns & Ammo, Oct 2007) http://demigodllc.com/articles/introduction-to-f-class-1000-yard-competition/ http://demigodllc.com/photo/FClass/icon/100.jpg Practical long-range rifle shooting centers around being able to make first-round hits on unknown-distance long-range targets, and has both sporting and military applications. With off-the-shelf rifles available for under a grand that will hold one-MOA groups, half the equipment problem is easily solved. The other big decision regards optics. What optics should you put on your long-range rifle? (Shotgun News, 6 Aug 2007) http://demigodllc.com/photo/TRG42AWSM/icon/D100_4689_img.jpg http://demigodllc.com/articles/intro-long-range-rifle-scopes/ http://demigodllc.com/articles/the-case-for-260-remington The .260 Remington cartridge is gaining favor with many long-range shooters for the simple reason that it slings the long, slim, high-BC 6.5mm bullets at respectable velocity. It duplicates or beats the .300 Winchester Magnum's trajectory with less recoil than .308. (Shotgun News, 1 Oct 2007) http://demigodllc.com/photo/260-misc/icon/D100_9642_img.jpg Does the 20-inch A2 rifle have merit amid the trend of optics and shorter carbines, such as the M4 and CQBR? With one of ArmaLite's M15A2 Infantry Rifles in hand, I endeavored to find out. (2007 Book of the AR-15) http://demigodllc.com/photo/PRM-2006.11/icon/D100_5453_img.jpg http://demigodllc.com/articles/the-armalite-m15a2-infantry-rifle http://demigodllc.com/articles/military-338-lapua-rifles-trg42-awsm As I shot my first rounds of .338 Lapua Magnum through Ray's TRG-42, I knew I would own a rifle in this caliber. Shooting like a laser beam to 1200 yards, "edge of target" holds for wind often hit when lesser calibers require precise windage adjustments. (2007 Combat Arms Magazine) http://demigodllc.com/~zak/articles/trg42awsm/icon/03_icon.jpg http://demigodllc.com/articles/tactical-slings It's been said that a handgun is merely for fighting one's way to a rifle, and just as no serious pistolero goes forth without a holster, neither should a long-gun be used without a sling of some sort. (2006 Tactical Guns & Gear Magazine) http://demigodllc.com/~zak/articles/tacticalslings/icon/9_icon.jpg http://demigodllc.com/articles/windmeters-for-tactical-shooting At short distances, the shooter can ignore the atmosphere; the wind isn't going to blow his 9mm bullet off-target before it impacts the 10-yard target, nor will it deflect his 5.56mm bullet before it impacts a 50-yard target. For the precision long-range shooter employing a bolt-action sniper rifle, however, monitoring the wind and environment is critical to making hits. (2006 Tactical Guns & Gear Magazine) http://demigodllc.com/~zak/articles/windmeters/icon/1_icon.jpg http://demigodllc.com/articles/practical-long-range-rifle-shooting-equipment/ Practical precision rifle shooting involves engaging small and/or distant targets at the limit of weapon, ammunition, and shooter capability under time pressure in field settings. This article lays out the rifle and equipment a shooter needs to make long-range hits. http://demigodllc.com/photo/CGMG-2006.11/icon/D100_3368_img.jpg http://demigodllc.com/articles/practical-long-range-rifle-shooting-optics/ What kind of scope do you need for practical long-range rifle shooting in the field? This article discusses the desired capabilities and their tradeoffs, going into minute detail in every aspect of rifle scope selection. http://demigodllc.com/photo/AI-AWSM/icon/A100_1910_img.jpg http://demigodllc.com/articles/practical-long-range-rifle-shooting-shooting/ You have the rifle, good optics, and all the gear. This article brings it all together by stepping through what a shooter has to do to make long-range hits in the field, starting from establishing a zero and progressing to shooter/spotter communication and wind management. http://demigodllc.com/photo/TRG42AWSM/icon/D100_4594_img.jpg http://demigodllc.com/articles/practical-rifle-team-challenge-2006 Colorado MultiGun just concluded its first annual Practical Rifle Team Challenge (PRTC), and I am pleased that it was so successful. This was a different kind of match than what both long-range ("sniper") shooters and 3-Gunners are used to, and from the positive comments we've heard so far, I believe people will be talking about this match for a long time. http://demigodllc.com/photo/PRTC-2006/icon/B100_1976_img.jpg http://demigodllc.com/~zak/archive/sgn_68spc.pdf With the advent of 6.8 SPC, fans of the "Black Rifle" are realizing it is now in a new category-- a real game-stopper and man-stopper. The soldiers of the Special Forces and the USAMU have opened the door to revolutionary capability in the AR-15; all shooters need to do is step through and start lighting primers. http://demigodllc.com/photo/6.8SPC-sgn/icon/B100_0601_img.jpg http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=174770 http://demigodllc.com/photo/USOSB/icon/A100_1981_img.jpg Here's a real quick comparison of the new 5-25 S&B vs. a similar USO SN3. http://demigodllc.com/articles/blue-steel-ranch-steel-safari-2006 http://demigodllc.com/photo/BSR-2006.05/icon/B100_1082_img.jpg I recently shot the Steel Safari rifle match, run at a private ranch near Logan NM. This match follows the general idea of the Keneyathlon-- movement, target location, and engagement. The match format this year was two field courses, and a couple side-stages. http://coloradomultigun.com/howto3gun.html http://demigodllc.com/photo/RM3GM-2005/icon/174_7460_img.jpg Here are some match reports from "Major" or National-level 3Gun matches in the last few years. They give a good indication what 3Gun competition is about. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=159209 http://demigodllc.com/photo/TV3G-2005/icon/A100_1125_img.jpg Cavalry Arms put on a great 3Gun match in Waco TX this year. Pretty much all the problems from the match's first year (2004) were addressed. This year we had good stages, good organization, fair and clear scoring, and good weather. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=157436 http://demigodllc.com/photo/TR-FOF-2005/icon/A100_0397_img.jpg Tactical Response had two Force-on-Force (FOF) classes back to back Mon-Wed, just after their Tactical Carbine class Sat-Sun. The two FOF classes were "Force on Force Primer" and "Force on Force Scenarios". The "Primer" was one day, half covering a lot of the classroom material from the Tac Pistol class, and half being three or four short scenarios acted out FOF with the marker pistols. The markers were UTM-converted Glock 17's. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=157711 http://demigodllc.com/photo/TR-Carbine-2005/icon/IMG_4932.jpg Tactical Response had two days of Tactical Rifle training Sat-Sun in Pueblo CO. This class was designed to be an introduction to fighting with a carbine and pistol as backup. Much like the Tac Pistol class, we started with close-range drills to get the fundamentals down, including stance, sight picture, close-range trajectory, pistol technique, carbine to pistol transitions, and the different types of reloads for the rifle-- speed, tactical, and emergency. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=153665 http://demigodllc.com/photo/RM3GM-2005/icon/176_7641_img.jpg I arrived at the NRA WC about 1.30pm Wed and checked in. The overall format was virtually identical to the 2004 match: 8 stages, three shot each of Thursday and Friday, two and the team shoot on Saturday. The machinegun side-match run by Alan Samuel's MachinegunTours.com, and the long-range rifle side-match run by Mike Kolar of the Sporting Rifle Match http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=153832 http://demigodllc.com/photo/ITRC-2005/icon/170_7077_img.jpg The D&L Sports International Tactical Rifleman Championships (ITRC) is a "3 Gun" match unlike conventional 3Gun matches. This match has field courses from 1 to 2.5 miles long which must be finished in times from 45 minutes to two hours by teams of two: a bolt rifle shooter, and a carbine shooter. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=144779 http://demigodllc.com/photo/TACPRO-2005/icon/Z_nod.jpg The 2005 TacPro Sniper Tournament took place on Sat-Sun Jun 25-26 at the TacPro training center between Mingus and Stephenville TX. Many people know of TacPro as the best Accuracy International dealer in the country. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=143016 http://demigodllc.com/photo/MGM2005/icon/164_6419_img.jpg The MGM Ironman 3Gun match is run by MGM Targets (Mike Gibson Manufacturing) and Mike is the match director. It is held annually at the Parma Sportsmans Club near Parma, Idaho. The match is best known for its very high round count and use of the different MGM target types. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=135249 http://demigodllc.com/photo/SPSC-W-2005/icon/156_5636_img.jpg Here are some pictures I took at the Sniper Challenge match last weekend in SLC. This was at the F.A.R.M. training center SW of SLC. Dave Bohdie (sp) was the match director. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=99368 http://demigodllc.com/photo/ITRC-2004/icon/135_3506_img.jpg The D&L Sports International Tactical Rifleman Championships (ITRC) is a "3 Gun" match unlike conventional 3Gun matches. This match has field courses from 1 to 2.5 miles long which must be finished in times from 45 minutes to two hours by teams of two: a bolt rifle shooter, and a carbine shooter. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=98190 http://demigodllc.com/photo/RM3GM-2004/icon/132_3242_img.jpg I arrived at the NRA Whittington Center at about 2pm on Wednesday and checked in. Raton has had much much more precipitation this year than recent years, so the whole environment was transformed by the flora compared to last year. http://demigodllc.com/~zak/firearms/6.8SPC/faq.php http://demigodllc.com/photo/6.8SPC-sgn/icon/B100_0601_img.jpg This document is meant to answer the most common questions about 6.8SPC in AR15 rifles. I'm one of the early "regular guy" adopters of this caliber- I've had my 6.8SPC AR15 upper since March 26th 2004. http://demigodllc.com/~zak/firearms/6.8SPC/loads.php http://demigodllc.com/photo/6.8SPC-sgn/icon/B100_0601_img.jpg The following loads were developed basically from scratch. The results are repeatable in my 6.8SPC upper. I have no direct way to measure pressure, so I am limited to examining brass and primer condition, observing the operation of the AR15 action, and simulating the internal ballistics using numerical methods. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?threadid=71466 http://demigodllc.com/photo/SMM3G-2004/icon/115_1570_img.jpg I shot the SMM3G match for the first time last week. It was my second large match after shooting RM3G in Raton last summer. Skipping over all the overhead info you can get from http://www.smm3g.com , here's my perspective of the match. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?threadid=37394 http://demigodllc.com/photo/RM3GM-2003/icon/034_324.jpg The RM3GM took place at the NRA Whittington Center near Raton, NM. The Whittington Center is on land sold to the NRA by some large mining/steel company in the 1970's. The 31,000 acres that makes up the W.C. includes a canyon that was mined for coal starting in 1902, and surrounding area.