thought that you missed the target completely without getting closer to verify.  All in all, I have to say I am pretty happy with how the gun and the Target Cam are doing.  Even knowing exactly where the bullets holes went, I tried to spot them through my 24 power scope and it wasn’t going to happen.  I even tried to see the bullet holes through my shooting partner Calib’s 32 power scope, no dice.  So now that we’d broken the ice on the Target Cam, we wanted to see if it could get all the way out to 1,000 yards.  We put up a fresh target and headed out.

Once we got out there, the signal did come in but was a bit in and out. Which is not surprising, as we did not make any adjustments to the antenna and it was very hot that day. The mirage was horrid.  I am not sure if the mirage could interrupt the signal or not, but it wouldn’t surprise if it had.  Now that we had done some daytime shooting it was time to see how it worked at night and it just so happens that my shooting partner has a .243 with a night vision scope on it.  I have never shot at night before and it was a bit of a learning curve for me, but I did enjoy being able to shoot at 11:30 pm.  The only problem we encountered was the the black circles we put on the target which disappeared through the night vision scope, so we had to do some guessing on where to hold.

So here is the true statement on the Target Cam; not only could we easily see the bullet holes from a .243, but it also allowed us to see them at night.  So you hear all this and it sounds great but wait, there’s more. That monitor can handle up to 4 different cameras at once, in split screen or one at a time where you can switch through each camera. I took this out with my last class at the time of writing this. It was really nice being able to give instant and accurate corrections for students and if I had more cameras, that would just make things all that much better. Mark has 2 different models currently available for you to buy. The TC-100 which has a range up to 300 yards and the LR-1000 that has a range up to 1,000 yards. Now even though the LR-1000 is given a max range of 1,000 yards, we were able to squeeze a bit more out of it getting it out to 1,300 yards using taller pole on the antenna. You can find Mark and the Target Cam system at http://target-cam.com/ and for anyone that is serious about shooting long range, they would be very pleased with the target cam system as I am.

Everyone that has used ballistic software in the past knows the steps that need to be taken in making that first round hit.  You get your range finder out your Kestrel your PDA probably your note book so you can make that shot right the first time.  Then one day someone puts it all together and now we have the the Kestrel 4500NV and ATrag Ballistics software together in one unit.  Now with this unit your ballistic software gets your atmospheric conditions automatically with out the need to input the data manually.  Humidity, Temperature,  Station or Barometric pressure and Wind being updated in real time so that its ready before you are.  Here is the press release on the new product that you will be seeing soon……………

Savage Model 110

Patent-type drawings, dated 1892, demonstrate that Arthur W. Savage designed the first rotary-magazine, lever-action repeating rifle. Hammerless and with a solid breech, the rifle’s rotary magazine was similar to the Mannlicher design of 1887. It was actuated by a bar-lever also serving as a trigger guard. It was Savage’s intent that his design would serve as a military firearm. He was unsuccessful in doing so, but was granted a patent on 7 February 1893. The rifle was introduced as the Model 1895. After some changes were made, the Savage Arms Company introduced the Model 1899, which was to become the company’s mainstay for many decades. In 1958 the Savage Arms Corporation introduced the Model 110 bolt-action rifle. While not entirely novel and basically a Mauser type, the Model 110 has several internal features never used before in a turnbolt design. The Savage Model 110 action was designed by Nicholas Brewer. Brewer’s action is reliable, economical, easy to operate and easy to disassemble

It forms the basis for the Savage caliber .308 Win. Model 10FCP 308 WIN HS PREC sniper rifle sent to SHOTGUN NEWS for test and evaluation. In addition to their extensive line of sporting rifles, the Savage Arms, Inc. markets an extensive line of sniper rifles for law enforcement applications with stocks from H-S Precision, Choate or McMillan. They are economical, incredibly accurate and both rugged and reliable. These rifles have already been fielded successfully in operations with the Special Action Force, which is the main counter-terrorism unit of the PNP.

The PNP-SAF model has a barrel with a precisely machined taper and thread to accommodate an Ops-Inc. sound suppressor. The PNP-SAF rifle is equipped with a four-round, single-position-feed, staggered-column, detachable box magazine. This is a seldom encountered, but decidedly valuable feature on a tactical turnbolt, as it provides the operator with an instantly available potential for a greater supply of ammunition and also a selection during an operation of alternative specialty ammunition types.

Overall length of the Model 10FCP 308 WIN HS PREC sniper rifle sent to SGN is 45.5 inches (1155.7mm). The 22-inch (558.8mm) Savage heavy barrel has six grooves with a 1:10 right-hand twist. It is fully free floating. The weight, empty, is 9 pounds (4.08 kg). The exterior finish is a matte, shot-blast, black oxide.

The Savage PNP-SAF rifle sells for $1,330 without the bipod. Anyone wanting a rifle exactly like this with the barrel threaded for the Elite Iron sound suppressor and equipped with a thread protector can go through the Savage special-order department, as it is not a catalogued item. The H-S Precision Pro-Series stock is composed of woven Kevlar and fiberglass cloth, uni-directional carbon fiber, with an epoxy-based gel coat and laminating resin. It features reaction injection molded (machine mixed) polyurethane foam that has been fiberglass reinforced. The stock has a high comb that was designed to interface with optical sights equipped with the large objective lenses popular with law enforcement and military snipers without the need for a padded or extended cheekpiece, although for the PNP-SAF contract it was fitted with an excellent Karsten adjustable cheekpiece. An important characteristic of this stock is a proprietary CNC-machined aluminum bedding block chassis system, designed by H-S Precision, which results in an extremely stable and rugged bedding system. The stock is equipped with a rugged rubber recoil pad.

The model 110 receivers start as a large diameter bar of aircraft-quality steel alloy or stainless steel. Bars are cut and gun-drilled, as are the barrels, and then are turned to final diameter and concentricity. Next, five broaches are pulled to change the hole from round to a shape that matches the bolt head. After a few operations on heavy milling machines, the receivers pass through a line of CNC vertical machining centers to machine finish all the critical dimensions. The receivers are induction hardened in a computer-controlled machine that utilizes a robot to load the parts for hardening.

Induction hardening generates heat by holding the part inside a coil that generates a magnetic field with high frequency alternating current, which causes the field to reverse with every cycle. The molecules of steel are pushed and pulled in the field so fast that they rub against each other and the resulting friction generates heat. The entire hardening process takes less than a minute and the parts are dropped into an oil quench. The receivers are pulled from the quench by conveyor. After washing they are tempered in electric ovens to produce the final hardness.

Barrels start as lengths of solid bar 18 to 20 feet long of gun-barrel-quality special alloy steels (carbon and stainless alloys) fully heat-treated to finished specifications. All machining is performed on the barrels in its final heat-treated condition. This is important as heat-treating after machining could change critical dimensions and surface finish, resulting in a barrel that will never be capable of good accuracy.

Some other makers use the hammer forge method that starts with a large diameter short bar of steel in its softest condition and a through hole larger than the chamber, which is then hammered over a mandrel tightly pushing the steel along the length of the barrel nearly doubling the length of the original blank. The tricky part is relieving the stress and heat-treating without changing the inside shape, size and finish. Some target barrels made by this process leave the hammer marks on the exterior, as the maker wants to prevent changes to the bore that result from stress relieving by turning the outside diameter.

At Savage the bars are cut to lengths based on the finished barrel length desired on a lathe-type bar cutting machine, which provides an end with the smooth finish and perpendicularity required for gun-drilling. After gun-drilling, the blanks are reamed to final size and finish in multiple passes. The final size and finish must be held very close so that the button rifling process can create the rifled bore and grooves to the final dimensions. The rifling button is pulled through the bore and is rotated to match the twist on the grooves made in the button. The button forms the rifling by displacing material. No material is removed. Next, the outside of the barrel is created concentric around the hole. This requires that the hole be straight and this is where the “art” in making barrels gets applied. It takes a lot of skill and years of experience to get consistent results.

The first step in the rifle’s assembly is called “swinging.” At this stage Savage assembles a receiver, barrel and bolt assembly and sandwich the recoil lug between the receiver and locknut. The barrel is screwed against the bolt with a “Minimum”headspace gage in the chamber to fit the headspace at dead “Minimum” with the bolt closed. The locknut is tightened with a torque wrench to secure the barrel. Until this operation is completed it’s not known where the top of the barrel is going to be, which is why Savage strives to produce barrels with uniform concentricity.

Another important reason to have uniform concentricity is so the point of impact will not walk as the barrel heats up shot-to-shot. In this manner Savage can build rifle after rifle with minimum headspace. Other manufacturers assemble barrels and receivers and fit the bolt to the space that’s left so that it will close on a “go” gage and not close on the “no go” gage. Savage has assembled rifles with as little as .00125″ difference between the “go” and “no go” gages. The Savage Model 110 bolt head is pinned to the bolt body, permitting a slight motion that ensures both lugs have full bearing on the locking surfaces in the receiver when the rifle is headspaced. This gives long life and aids accuracy. On most turnbolt actions, the bolt only contacts the receiver on a small part of the locking surface. This is why gunsmiths lap bolts before accurizing or fitting custom barrels. There is thus no need to lap the bolt and receiver of a Savage action to get full bearing.

Savage bolt assemblies provide for precision adjustment of firing pin protrusion and preload adjustment on the mainspring. This is performed on every bolt assembly, as it is built to minimize the stack-up of tolerances so that every rifle is fitted with an optimum bolt for uniform function. The Model 110 design has always achieved high ratings for short lock time and was listed in the top 10th percentile of all rifles rated in an independent study. The top of the receiver ring and bridge are tapped for scope mount bases. For the PNP-SAF model Savage installed a one-piece MIL-STD-1913 steel rail.

The receiver ring is about 1.6 inches in length. The Model 110 bridge, about 1.5 inches in length, is longer than that of most centerfire turnbolt actions. This added length provides support to the bolt when it’s drawn rearward so there is very little wobble or play at the end of the bolt stroke. The Model 110 barrel has no reinforced shoulder however, about 1.5 inches of the barrel length is threaded and screwed into this is a contoured lock nut. The breechface of the barrel is counterbored for about .250″, and into this goes the head of the bolt. The bolt head is also recessed about .135″ deep for the cartridge head. The recoil lug, a .150″ thick steel stamping, is positioned over the barrel shank, between the receiver and barrel lock nut.

The bolt and firing pin assembly look complicated, but were designed for ease of series production and assembly. Many of these components are investment castings. The bolt body is tube-shaped with the cocking-cam notch recess milled into it. The separate bolt head, with solid opposed locking lugs, attaches to the front end of the bolt body. The C-type spring-clip extractor is attached over the rim of the bolt head recess on the front end of the bolt head. Lips on the interior ends of the extractor engage grooves cut into each side of the bolt head, and thus prevent the extractor from being pulled off the bolt head during the extraction process. The ejector is a spring-loaded plunger built into the breechface.

The Model 110 is well known for its unique front baffle, which aids in the control of escaping gas (from a ruptured primer or case) by blocking off the bolt raceway when the action is closed. Any gas escaping due to an ammunition failure that enters the bolt head is vented through a hole on the bottom of the bolt head that lines up with one of two gas port holes in the receiver when the bolt is in the locked position. The tear of the bolt assembly is sealed with an assembly bolt and the tear of the bolt raceways are blocked by a rear baffle. The bolt handle is made as a separate component, its base surrounding the rear end of the bolt body. Two projections at the rear end of the bolt body, interfacing with two matching grooves inside the bolt collar, prevent the bolt handle from turning on the bolt.

A solid screw with a knurled head-called the bolt assembly screw-threads into the rear end of the bolt, retaining the bolt handle and sealing the bolt. Three ball-bearing plungers under the head of this bolt assembly screw, and notches at the tear of the bolt handle base, keep this screw from loosening once it has been tightened down. All of the law enforcement versions, such as the PNP-SAF model, feature larger, oversize bolt knobs. The two locking lugs, engaging behind shoulders inside the receiver ring, secure the round inside the chamber. The root of the bolt handle, interfacing with a deep recess in the tang, serves as the third, or safety, locking lug.

The one-piece firing pin is exceptionally lightweight. The threaded front and rear ends of the striker body are milled flat for the entire length of the threads. The firing pin stop nut is threaded over the front end; in assembling the firing pin in the bolt body at the factory, the stop nut is rotated until the firing pin tip protrudes .060″ when it’s resting on the rear of the bolt head. The rear end of this nut is notched, and a toothed washer-held in place by the mainspring-keeps the firing pin from turning and maintains a constant adjustment. One of the most interesting features of the Savage Model 110 rifles, in all their many formats, is the AccuTrigger. The Savage AccuTrigger gives the operator the option to set trigger pull weights to his preference without the requirement of a gunsmith.

Even when adjusted to its lowest setting, the AccuTrigger is completely safe and cannot accidentally discharge during normal use by jarring or dropping. A newly designed teardrop safety is an additional feature on centerfire rifles with the AccuTrigger. It provides better acquisition of the safety button with smoother and quieter operation. The AccuTrigger is designed with an integrated AccuRelease that must be completely depressed or the rifle cannot fire. When pulling the trigger, the AccuRelease is intentionally depressed, which unblocks the sear and allows the rifle to discharge.

Adjustment of the AccuTrigger is quite simple. Remove the stock and rotate the return spring with the tool supplied. It cannot be adjusted below the minimum setting. Trigger pull weights on law enforcement models can be adjusted from 1 1/2 to 6 pounds. The rifle sent to us for test and evaluation was adjusted at the factory with a pull weight of exactly 1 1/2 pounds.

This trigger safety is more than a little reminiscent of those found on the Glock and Springfield Armory XD pistols, which, in turn were taken from the Sauer Model 1930 caliber .32 ACP (7.65mm Browning) pistol, often designated as the Behorden Modell (Authorities Model). In my opinion, sniper weapon systems, whether designed for law enforcement or military applications, should be equipped with a bipod, especially so when chambered for the heavier 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge and when deploying with heavy scopes of high magnification.

Savage Arms keep coming out with better and more accurate rifles and are quickly becoming the standard that all company’s will have to strive to achieve.

The test rifle was designed to show case many of the options available and was made up of the following components

Benchmark stainless, 3-groove, 1:11 twist , 24″, fluted barrel, M40A1 contour with muzzle brake (5/8″x24tpi) thread protector included, chambered with 308 win. match spec reamer.

Lawton 7000 stainless action with chomolly bolt and Lawton 20 MOA scope base.

The pillar and recoil lug areas are bedded with titanium devcon, and skim bedded with marine tex.

McMillan A5 stock with saddle cheek piece

Jewel trigger adjustable from 3 oz. to 1 lbs. (I found it to be very nicely tuned when testing)

Badger M5 DBM with 5 round mag. (added after my testing)

Guarantee: ½ MOA at 500yds (3 shots) with hand loads.

The rifle came in around 12.5 pounds without scope and bipod.

The tentative price the rifle would be $3,829 (with the above options) which is very competitive with rifles built with similar components. Many I looked at where just over $4000 with similar options.  Benchmark’s rifles would also include a guarantee of ½ MOA guarantee (for 3 shots) at 500yds with hand loads (no bench rest match prepping required, just quality components in consistent proportions). It’s not uncommon to have 100yd accuracy guarantee with factory ammo, I think this is a good thing, but most who buy rifles like this aren’t shooting factory ammo anyway. Law enforcement and military are another animal altogether, but the Jewel trigger leads me to believe this rifle is directed more toward the competition (long range tactical and F-class alike) market anyway.

When I first took the rifle I was immediately struck by how solid and quality the Lawton action felt. It compared very favorably to a Phoenix action that I currently own. After looking it over, working the action, and dry firing a few times I had a very good feeling about this rifle. I took it home an mounted my loaner scope, a Bushnell 4200 6-24×50 Tactical (I mounted my Nightforce  for pictures). It’s not as nice as my other scopes but it has worked flawlessly since I got it. I wouldn’t be able to blame any “accuracy issues” on the scope. I normally avoid public shooting ranges like the plague but I didn’t have time to get out to one of my own “shooting spots” for barrel break in. I’m not personally sold on the “proper barrel break in procedure” but since I can’t afford to purchase this rife myself. I judiciously, fired and cleaned, fired and cleaned until there was very little fouling. I was provided some surplus ammo (mixed head stamps) for this process. I did shoot some groups for accuracy and separated head stamps as best I could. Some of the groups weren’t incredibly impressive (no doubt there was some human error, but it’s safe to say I could hold tighter than the surplus ammo would shoot). One head stamp though, “FN 70″ shot very well with a best 3 shot group of .271″. Nearly ¼ MOA with this ammo is pretty darn good in my opinion. Another shooter provided me with 3 rounds of 168gr GMM free of charge if I could squeeze them into less than ½ inch outside to outside. The rifle liked this ammo just fine, as the group was .091″ center to center. I took the rifle home for a thorough cleaning and found it cleaned up very easily, something I expected since it’s not my first Benchmark barrel.

The very next weekend I had planned to go with some buddies on a long range shooting trip. I knew this would be my best opportunity to test the rifle at 500yds. Benchmark didn’t give me any demands about my testing, so I selfishly based everything on my goals for an F-TR rifle mentioned previously. I didn’t have as much 308 Lapua brass as I had remembered, and realized it wouldn’t be possible to test many different loads. I tried to bribe some buddies to test my loads at 300yds during the week, so I’d know which to bring for 500yd testing, but I guess I’m not particularly persuasive. I had 3 different loads (45gr, 45.5gr and 46gr of powder) all with the following components:

Lapua unfired brass

CCI BR-2 primers

Hodgdon Varget powder

Sierra 155gr HPBT “palma” bullets

OAL: 2.825″ (average)

I did no bullet separation by o-give, weight, etc. Cases were not trimmed, or measured for capacity, powder charges are as close as I could get them with my RCBS beam scale. It wasn’t exactly fair to expect much since I had done absolutely zero load development. I had used these same components with very favorable results in 308′s I’d owned previously. More importantly though These are the components I’d plan to use in an F-TR rifle (I’d also look into the 155.5gr Berger BT).

The weekend couldn’t have come fast enough. It was very cold in my buddy’s shooting area (in the 20′s), I was glad he brought a trailer for us to sleep in even though it wasn’t heated. The next morning we drove out and set up our targets. A 14″x12″ steel plate, prairie dog silhouette and clay pigeons at 975yds. Those targets seemed to be calling the Benchmark 308 tucked safely away in the case but I simply didn’t have enough ammo and needed results on paper. Later we moved to a spot where we set up clay pigeons at 500 and 650yds. Of course I also put paper targets up at 500yds for testing purposes. By this time it had warmed up a bit, probably into the low-mid 30′s but, I’m pretty sure the ground was still frozen! There was a little wind, mostly into our face (zero value). I started out with the 45gr load, shooting a couple fowlers, and getting dialed close enough to keep the groups on paper. I repeated the process with the 45.5gr and 46gr loads (minus fowlers obviously) . The rifle clearly liked the 45gr load best with a 3 shot group (of 3 total) of 1.644″ center to center. This is just .336″ over the ¼ MOA mark and .319″ under the 3/8 MOA mark. The group strung horizontally with vertical dispersion of just .494″ which is 0.16″ under 1/8 MOA of vertical dispersion for 3 shots. The 46gr load wasn’t too shabby either at under ½ MOA. The testing was all done from the prone position using a bipod, and rear sand sock. I can only hold so tight, but if I had the opportunity to shoot more than one group with the 45gr load I’m fairly confident it could get even better for 3 shots. Most impressive to myself is the fact that there was no load development done with this rifle. Perhaps I lucked out and the 45gr of Varget is optimal, but I’d bet one could tune the seating depth to further enhance accuracy even thought the SMK’s don’t‘ seem to be very jump/jam sensitive.

I gave the rifle back the same day I tested it at 500yds. It did hurt a little, handing the rifle over along with the 500yd target, but I think I hid it very well. I’d found and shot an ideal F-TR class competition rifle. With the vertical dispersion it displayed, I feel confident in assuming this rifle is true ¼ MOA capable at 500yds. All the more so, as the testing was from a bi-pod, in less than user friendly conditions. It is very likely I’ll be talking to Benchmark about building another 308 in the near future.

Lucas Beitner

The key to shooting long range with accuracy is knowing and compensating for ballistics. Ballistics programs allow you to input your specific load information (most importantly bullet ballistic coefficient and muzzle velocity) and atmospheric conditions and then, provide you with a predicted flight path. Any experienced long range marksman will know that these predictions are often very close at closer ranges (usually out to about 500yds) and usually not so close at longer ranges. Ballistic coefficients are speed dependant because they are based off a given profile, the G1 profile being the most common. If your bullet were a perfect match to the G1 profile your BC would remain the same despite the velocity. The variance with speed is so great because the G1 profile is nothing close to the profile of long range low-drag, boat-tail, bullets most popular today. The problem is well known and the better ballistic programs have compensated for this issue to some degree.

I have been using the Nightforce Exbal program for some time and I’m very happy with it. It has allowed me to make a few cold-bore shots at extreme distances that I wouldn’t otherwise be capable. I can get information on how changing atmospheric conditions will effect my dope (data on previous engagement). I have this program loaded into a palm pilot that I can use in the field (although I’m never without a written drop chart for obvious reasons). Other features include trajectory validation, point blank range analysis, target engagement, factory load data, bullet BC data, reticle analysis, scope adjustment options, target distance estimation, etc. It’s safe to say I’ve got my money’s worth from the Exbal program. With such a comprehensive program you might wonder how Exbal compensates for inaccuracies of BC’s changing  with speed. They have included a multi-BC option where one can enter 5 different BC’s at 4 specific velocities (last velocity value must be at zero). This allows you to tailor your BC to match your confirmed drops in the field. Sierra Bullets provides multiple BC’s and using these will allow you to get very good data from the program right from the start. Unfortunately most bullet manufacturers don’t give multiple speed dependant BC’s. Obviously bullet BC’s don’t change suddenly at a specific velocity, so multiple BC’s isn’t a perfect fix, simply a compromise. Even so, I’ve found it possible to get an essentially perfect drop chart using the multiple BC option. When using bullets without published speed dependant BC’s you’ll be spending some time playing with the program to get your drop chart just right. It usually takes more than one long range shooting session to get everything just right.

Thanks to Sean (host of longrangeshooter.com) I recently had the opportunity to test the Lex Talus Delta IV ballistic program. Completely satisfied and very familiar with Exbal, I was honestly expecting just another ballistic program. It doesn’t take long to notice a difference when inputting basic data. When using standard G1 BC’s you will get drop charts much closer to actual numbers than with other ballistic programs. This is due to the type of compensation Delta IV uses for BC variation with velocity. They label it “DK” which is a way of calibrating BC degradation and they also claim it can be used to compensate for shooter to shooter variances in launch dynamics. I must say that the default DK settings gives me very close drop info compared with my confirmed data. I’ve found that adjusting the DK (and BC if  advertised BC is off)  is easier to get “perfect” drops compared with the adjustment of multiple BC’s and the velocities at which those BC’s “change”. Delta IV includes all of the options of the Exbal program mentioned above. One option of Delta missing with Exbal is the powder temperature (ammo temp). You can adjust how sensitive your powder is to temperature. I gravitate to using powders that are not particularly sensitive to temperature. I have a reasonably wide range of temperatures where my drop charts will allow hits on reasonably small targets, but there’s no getting around changes in MV due to temperature. In one competition a couple years ago, the temperature rose to over 100 degrees and I quickly discovered I was missing high. My “temperature insensitive” loads had lulled me into a false sense of security. If only I had been using Delta IV back then! Having this option will allow you to get very accurate drops even when out of your normal temperature range.

To compare these programs I did a few tests. I have some confirmed drops for a couple different rifles. I decided to input “standard” BC info (only data that’s readily available), no multiple BC’s except for Sierra bullets. I only used the default DK for Delta IV. Either program can be adjusted to match your tested drops. Obviously, I made all the elevation, atmospheric/scope height data the same. I think  these examples  give a good basic idea of the program capabilities. Before I get into all the specifics let me just say that there are numerous reasons this test isn’t a perfect comparison including: operator error (in using the programs and/or shooting the rifles) imperfections in my confirmed drops, difference in actual MV and measured MV, error in atmospheric condition and elevation data, group dispersion, scope calibration error (I check mine but when you dial over 50 MOA a small error will show up in drop chart data), bullet manufacturer BC inaccuracy, etc.

Test 1) 7wsm 168gr JLK @ 2910fps Advertised BC .690

500yds Actual drop 8.25 MOA                                     1000yds Actual drop 24.50 MOA

500yds Exbal projected drop 8.00 MOA       1000yds Exbal projected drop 23.25

500yds Delta projected drop 8.25 MOA           1000yds Delta projected drop 24.25

This test was not exactly fair to either program since the advertised BC of this JLK bullet is too high in my opinion. Delta was still very close!

Test 2) 243 win 108gr Berger BT @ 2912… Advertised BC .511

500yds Actual Drop 8.50 MOA                   1000yds Actual Drop 27.75

500yds Exbal projected drop 8.50      1000yds Exbal projected drop 27.00

500yds Delta projected drop 8.50       1000yds Delta projected drop 28.25

Test 3) 308 win 175gr SMK @ 2729… Advertised BC’s .505 (2800fps+) .496 (1800-2800fps) .485 (1800fps-)

500yds Actual Drop 10.25 MOA                                     1000yds Actual Drop 32.75

500yds Exbal projected drop 10.00 MOA       1000yds Exbal projected drop 32.00 MOA

500yds Delta projected drop 10.75                           1000yds Delta projected drop 34.00 M0A

This test illustrates how the Exbal program works with multiple BC’s.

Test 4) 338 Lapua Mag 245gr Bore Tech V3 @ 2895… Advertised BC .869

500yds Actual Drop 7.25 MOA                 1000yds Actual Drop 22.00

500yds Exbal projected drop 7.25    1000yds Exbal projected drop 21.50

500yds Delta projected drop 7.25       1000yds  Delta projected drop 21.75

1850yds Actual Drop 58.00

1850yds Exbal projected drop 59.00

1850yds Delta IV projected drop 57.75

This one is truly amazing. Delta was within ¼ MOA at over a mile! I wouldn’t have imagined this was possible. Now the info after using Delta IV’s DK calculating option which gives me a new DK of .4992 new drop info was

500yds 7.25 MOA

1000yds 22.00 MOA

1850yds 58.00 MOA

A quick and simple step (DK calculation) gives me an essentially perfect drop chart not just at 500yds (most on-line ballistic calculators could do that) but spot on at 1000yds and 1850yds! To say that I’m impressed with Delta IV would be an understatement.

Lucas Beitner

 
When getting involved in long range shooting, rifle selection can be difficult. There are so many different manufactures, cartridges, and configurations available. Many would like a custom built rifle, but wonder if it’s worth the extra time and cost. The answer depends mostly on your priorities, and needs. There are advantages for each. Here’s a quick overview.

Factory Rifles

Factory rifles can be anything from the awesome Sako TRG to the cheap Savage Stevens. Factory rifles can be purchased in many different cartridges and calibers. The accuracy ranges from excellent to unacceptable (for long range). If you have the ability to do a little research, you can avoid any that have a high probability of poor accuracy. You can also find some where good accuracy is the rule rather than the exception. Factory rifles come ready to fire. You can get them from a local shop in minuets or have one shipped in days. You’ll have little down time especially if you have optics ready to go. There are custom rifles that will take over a year to get once you order!

A reasonably priced factory rifle can have good accuracy even for long range. I’ve  owned a factory rifle that shot with accuracy above the level of many customs. This is the exception and not the rule, but it’s a joy to find and shoot such a rifle. Some factory rifles come with accuracy guarantees, but most do not. If you purchase a rifle that shoots poorly there are modifications (at relatively little cost) that you can make to increase accuracy. It is possible to get one that cannot be made to shoot with acceptable accuracy. The worst case scenario, would have you ordering a new barrel and action work from your gun smith. This extreme would be very rare, and one should not be worried. I’ve heard of plenty who get the factory to fix rifles that shot poorly  even when no guarantee of accuracy was made.

There are many options available for factory rifles. They will often have different magazine configurations (or lack thereof). Different barrel contours and lengths… heavy barrels for varmint and tactical models, helping dissipate heat and maintain accuracy for extended strings of shooting. Light barrels are most popular for hunting models, keeping weight to a minimum. They can be made  from different materials including chromoly, stainless, even titanium. Some will have synthetic stocks, some wood. Even factory rifles designed for accuracy will often have aluminum pillars or bedding blocks. Some will have stocks that are adjustable, but most will not. The choices you will have to make for selecting a factory rifle are generally very straight forward.

Factory rifles are generally less expensive than customs. Good shooting rifles will sell for as little as $400. The used market can be great way to save even more. Make sure you know what a rifle goes for new. Just because it’s at a pawn shop doesn’t mean it’s a good deal. If you order a rifle off the internet keep in mind you’ll have to pay a local FFL for transfer. This usually runs about $40 in my area. A budget minded shooter will often purchase a factory rifle and slowly make modifications over time. Doing this can be enjoyable especially if you see better accuracy as a result of your own work. When a barrel is shot out on a factory rifle, a custom can be built from it.

Custom Rifles

Custom rifles can be had in every configuration imaginable. Any cartridge can be used from a standard 308 to a custom wild cat. You can build a single shot or repeater. Left hand, Right hand, left port, right port. It can be built from a factory action you are familiar with, or a custom action of extremely close tolerances. It can take a great deal of time and research to decide what suits you.

The accuracy of custom rifles is generally much better than factory. Accuracy guarantees are not uncommon. Not all custom rifles are created equally. If you’re going to spend the money, make sure you know what you’re getting. Find out what experiences others are having with customs from the same smith or company. Amazingly there are custom rifle makers who consider MOA accuracy to be excellent.

Custom rifles will require some decision making not necessary with factory rifles. Perhaps you will be selecting each component individually and paying a smith you know is good to assemble a rifle you’ve designed. If you allow your smith to decide what’s best, make sure you know what you’re getting. If you have any concerns let them know before your rifle is built. If you have questions….ask, this is part of what you’re paying for. With the advise of your smith, it’s probably best that you make most of the decisions. You’ll have to decide what cartridge, action, barrel, stock, trigger, etc. It’s best to keep in mind the purposes of this rifle.

When you decide what cartridge and caliber best suit your purposes it would also be good to decide what bullets you would be using. Find out what twist rate is required to stabilize the bullets you plan to use and order your barrel accordingly. If your rifle will be a repeater make sure the reamer is throated so you can seat the bullets into the lands without exceeding the   mag length. By the same token if you have room in the mag, a reamer that allows you to seat the bullets near maximum mag length will give maximum capacity for powder. This can net a little more muzzle velocity which is generally a good thing!

Length of barrel is another consideration. For large magnums shooting heavy bullets long barrels will allow best velocities with slow burning powders. Some cartridges suffer little loss of velocity when used with short barrels, particularly those using relatively fast burning powders. Of course, if you will be dragging this rifle through the hills a long barrel may be out of the question. How about your trigger? Even a good rifle’s accuracy can be spoiled by a poor trigger. The trigger on a custom rifle should be tuned for a crisp brake and minimal over-travel. The weight of the trigger is up to the shooter. If the cross-hairs routinely move when you pull the trigger it may be to heavy (or poor shooting technique).Only you can decide whats best for you… that’s why you’re building a custom in first place.

Make sure the components come together in a rifle that will be comfortable for you. You’ll likely be spending more money than most “off the shelf” rifles require and you want to get your money’s worth. If at all possible handle the stock you want to use before you purchase. If the stock does not fit you correctly (and cannot be adjusted), shooting your rifle could be frustrating. Don’t leave anything out. With careful research and consideration you can build a custom rifle that will meet your needs and expectations. Such a rifle is always a pleasure to shoot.

Our mission is to provide quality propellants, other products, and services to sportsmen, governing units, and other businesses in a manner which enhances the quality of life for our stockholders, employees, customers, associates, and suppliers. In doing so, we will deal with integrity and honesty, reflecting that people are more important than dollars and that our purpose is to bring credit to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Success in the American tradition demands the qualities of motivation, determination, willingness to sacrifice, hard work, timing and a true element of luck. Even in our modern times of high taxation, escalating costs, and governmental regulation, it is still possible for the “common man” to become successful if he has a good idea and most or all of these qualities.

The Hodgdon Companies, as they exist today, are an example of this tradition. Until he began the surplus powder business, Bruce Hodgdon was a salesman for the Gas Service Company, traveling local territory selling gas appliances. From a few dollars borrowed on the cash value of his life insurance policy has evolved a manufacturing and distributing company that has customers in all 50 states and many foreign countries.

All his life Bruce Hodgdon was interested in shooting, hunting, and reloading. He custom-loaded ammunition for friends during World War II while he was in the Navy and after, while working full time as a salesman for the Gas Service Company. Somewhere Bruce had heard that the government burned huge stocks of surplus powder after WWI because of the lack of market for them, and he figured that the same would be true after hostilities ended in 1945.

Even though he had no place to store gunpowder, and did not know if enough shooters would gamble to purchase unknown types of propellant, Bruce cut government red tape and soon owned 50,000 pounds of government surplus 4895. An old boxcar moved to a rented farm pasture served as the first magazine, the first one-inch ad placed in the American Rifleman, and Bruce was in business.

The first 150-pound kegs of powder sold for $30.00 each plus freight! Early shipments also consisted of metal cans with hand-glued labels sent out in wooden boxes made from orange crates and sawed on a homemade circle saw by Bruce and his grade-school age boys, J. B. and Bob. A little later, the boys delivered shipments to the REA or the Merriam Frisco train terminal each morning on their way to high school. The trunk of the family 1940 Ford served as carrier for hundreds of thousands of pounds of powder during this time. Bruce’s Wife Amy served as bookkeeper and saleswoman. Very quickly mail order sales grew to include other reloading components, tools, and finally firearms and ammunition.

In 1952 Bruce resigned from the Gas Service Company and B. E. Hodgdon, Incorporated, was officially underway. J.B. and Bob entered the business full time after graduating from college in 1959 and 1961. After considerable expansion in the 1960s, it became apparent that splitting the wholesale firearm business from the nationwide powder business would save confusion among customers and facilitate bookkeeping. Hodgdon Powder Company came into being in 1966 as a result. Eventually, the wholesale firearms company was sold in 1984.

If it were not for the efforts of a handful of men seeing that changes were made, shooters all over the country would now have much greater difficulty obtaining their powders. In 1963 and 1964, Bruce Hodgdon, Ted Curtis, Homer Clark of the Alcan Company, and Dave Wolfe of Wolfe Publishing Company, were successful in persuading the ICC – now the DOT – through exhaustive tests by the Bureau of Explosives to downgrade certain packages of smokeless powder to the much-easier-to-ship “1.4C – Flammable Solid” Classification. As a result, containers under 8 lbs. each and in approved packages of shipments weighing less than 100 net pounds can today be handled by any common carrier, including UPS and FedEx. Previous to this, all Smokeless powders were considered “Class B explosives” for shipping purposes, which is nearly as restrictive as the almost impossible task of transporting black powder.

In 1967, the Hodgdon’s built what was then billed as “the world’s largest indoor shooting range,” an indoor structure allowing 44 shooters to share a 25 Yard range at the same time. This range and store is open to the public at 6201 Robinson, Overland Park, Kansas (www.thebullethole.com). Although this business was sold to outside parties in November 1982, we invite any of our nationwide customers to visit when in the Kansas City area.

Bruce Hodgdon passed away in 1997. Bruce was among other things an avid reloader, competitive rifle shooter, trap shooter, hunter, NRA Benefactor Member, and World War II Veteran. The industry honored Bruce for his contributions to the shooting sports in 1995/1996 with the Shooting Academy Award of Excellence. The company is now in the hands of J.B. and Bob Hodgdon, the two grade school boys back in the late 1940′s, who worked hand in hand with their father to establish and grow this company.

Today, Hodgdon smokeless propellants are developed and manufactured to meet the needs of every reloader. The powder that started Bruce Hodgdon’s business, H4895, is still produced and sold along with world-class powders available for just about any Rifle, Handgun, and Shotshell load.

Smokeless propellants are only half of the famous Hodgdon story. Muzzleloading shooters and hunters around the world recognize Hodgdon as the company that makes the best performing, most convenient, safest, and easy to clean black powder substitute propellants. Pyrodex ®, introduced in 1976, is the most successful black powder substitute on the market. Pyrodex products are safer, cleaner burning and produces 30% more shots per pound than common black powder. Pyrodex also makes it easier to clean the gun after shooting.

Innovation is a key part of Hodgdon’s philosophy and values. The patented Pyrodex Pellets give the modern muzzleloader speed and safety in a convenient preformed charge. They offer quick and safe no-spill loading, instant ignition, and faster second shots.

Always looking to the future, Hodgdon took muzzleloading to the next millennium with Triple Seven ® muzzleloading Pellets and granular propellants. Introduced in 2001, Triple Seven has proven to be very consistent and accurate but is most recognized for its easy water clean up and no sulfur (rotten egg) smell! In 2007, Triple Seven Magnums were introduced. Magnums deliver higher energy for serious hunting knock down power.

Hodgdon Powder Company offices are located at 6231 Robinson in Overland Park, Kansas (even though the mailing address is Shawnee Mission, the destination of the central post office). The Powder magazine, packaging and manufacturing facilities are maintained about 140 miles southwest of the main office, in Herington, Kansas. Additional magazine space, located on a closed military base, is also leased from the City of Topeka, Kansas.

To better serve our reloading customers Hodgdon Powder Company continues to grow. Hodgdon purchased IMR ® Powder Company in October 2003. IMR legendary powders have been the mainstay of numerous handloaders for almost 100 years. IMR powders continue to be manufactured in the same plant and with the same exacting performance criteria and quality assurance standards that shooters have come to expect.

In March 2006, Hodgdon Powder Company and Winchester ® Ammunition announced that Winchester ® branded reloading powders would be licensed to Hodgdon. Winchester smokeless propellants, the choice of loading professionals, are available to the handloader to duplicate the factory performance of loads from handgun to rifle and shotgun.

Hodgdon, IMR and Winchester smokeless propellants continue to introduce many new, innovative, technologically advanced and unique propellants to the marketplace. Today, as over the last sixty years, the success of the Hodgdon Companies depends upon the good will and satisfaction of our loyal customers. Thank you for the trust you continue to give our products; we only hope that they are a part of the reason you enjoy your chosen sport of hunting or shooting.