Innholdsfortegnelse for August/September 2022 i Ballistic

There was a time when precision rifle shooting was cloaked in mystery. At least I would have said that. And after discussions with so many of you, it’s evident that I wasn’t alone in that sentiment. But thanks to revolutionary developments in rifles, ammo, optics, rangefinders, ballistics solvers and the like, that time is no more. While these advancements have been monumental as a whole, the single largest factor in making precision shooting an attainable and progressive skill set has been the sharing of information. It was the lack of information and, likely more accurately, the reluctance to share it that hurt shooters the most. It was a threat, if you will, despite the technologies of the times. Our biggest threat now is boredom. We literally have everything at our…

Many rifle shooters began their journey on a .22 bolt-action rifle. It’s likely a parent, close family member or other mentors wisely determined that this platform would help the young student develop shooting discipline and instill the necessity for accuracy. If you were one such person, think back to your reaction when you missed a shot. You likely wanted to send another shot as quickly as possible to mentally negate the miss. On a semi-auto platform, this could quickly develop into a “spray and pray” mentality—a detriment to the proper development of a rifleman to be. Many young learners can’t wait to move on beyond the diminutive .22 LR. The lure of the big rifles is strong, and the perception is that the centerfire rifle is more capable than a…

Some things are worth the wait. Some things aren’t. This rifle falls in the former category. It’s a custom build with specialized attention not out of the builder’s norm. It takes me back to custom builds from years back—the kind of builds that took nine-plus months to acquire. Thankfully, that length of waiting is finding its way into extinction. If you’re deep into precision rifle shooting and especially a competitor who enjoys finding his way around to different venues across the nation, then you know who Altus is. If you’ve never heard of them, allow me to introduce you to Altus Shooting Solutions, a premier shooting/training facility in northwestern Florida. They are host to high-level LE and military training, as well as countless shooting competitions throughout the year—precision rifle and…

Two years ago, Ballistic magazine received a Browning X-Bolt for the annual Ballistic’s Best competition. This is literally a no-holds-barred, head-to-head comparison of the best bolt actions of the year. That particular comparison was interesting because the scope of rifles was so broad. We try our best to get newly released rifles for that year, and because of that, you may have an 18-pound target rifle versus a 15-pound tactical rifle versus an 8-pound hunting rifle. Nonetheless, it’s still possible to pick out a clear winner thanks to a wide array of evaluators, each with their own niche of likes for a rifle. While the Barrett MRAD won that year, I specifically remember a lightweight hunting rifle that collected a fair number of points between the reviewers. In fact, it…

You’re with your wife, 13-year-old son, 8-year-old daughter and 10-month-old baby boy vacationing in Cancun and decided to visit the outskirts of the resort. Next thing you know you just got jumped and robbed by a group of men and you are watching your 8-year-old daughter and baby boy being thrown in a van with no chance to get them out. Oh, wait… is this scenario a little too scary for you? Let’s switch it up…same family, same scenario except you were just thrown in the van. You have just been kidnapped, tied up, and you are currently being tortured in austere conditions and being held for ransom. Between you and your wife, you average about $185K a year but you put off the vibe you make more. You’re asking…

First of all, I have no answers, and there is no one-stop final answer when it comes to dealing with your mental health. Now what I am going to suggest are things that have worked for myself and others. Dealing with mental health is a subject that I have been working on for decades, as a recovering alcoholic, a person with physical and emotional life trauma, and I have been bankrupt on all levels; spiritual, physical, mental and financial. What I want you to take away from this piece are possible new suggestions on positive mental health, and if nothing else, the fact that I am 53 years of age and have survived and thrived to this point. If I can, you can. Please remember that you have made it…

Before we can press the trigger with the slightest hope of any success, we must first have a ballistic solution. Some call it DOPE. There is a host of ballistic solvers at the ready for the precision rifle person. They all technically do the same thing, and in some cases slightly differently. They all rely on accurate data inputs to give us accurate outputs. One of those important inputs is the target distance or range. The laser rangefinder, or LRF, is an invaluable tool for the precision marksman. Rangefinders are available in two basic forms—the handheld unit and binocular form. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. The most obvious is size. Handhelds are much smaller and lighter than binos. And while they all have some magnification, they don’t get you…

The world of precision longrange shooting is unlike any other sector of the firearm world. It demands manufacturing quality and tolerances that most of our hand-sized blasters will never need. These incredible demands on performance get cranked up when the military enters the room and starts asking about a new precision rifle for its troops. This is exactly what happened when the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) started shopping for a new long-range solution. This decision was made after reviewing after-action reports from the Global War on Terror combat missions. What they found was that the target interdiction requirements of modern shooters in this application exceeded the capability of existing equipment. The new rifle would be required to allow snipers to “interdict enemy personnel, positions, and non-technical vehicles out to…

Ok, I admit it. I make mistakes. Although rarely. I may or may not be admitting to one right now. At our first annual Ballistic’s Best comparison back in 2018, we received a Modern Precision Rifle from Christensen Arms. I remember that while it wasn’t a bad rifle at all, we (the two guest evaluators and I) were somewhat hard on the rifle for lack of a better term. “Responses to its aesthetics brought mixed reviews. I personally liked the carbon-fiber handguard—it felt smooth and solid, while others thought it was odd-looking,” was written. Other things like, “The carbon-fiber cheek rest did not fare as well. It was uncomfortable and didn’t help with overall ergonomics scores,” and “The pistol grip was a distraction for all of us, but that can…

Pretty much everyone connected to the gun world knows the name Zev Technologies. They have become almost legendary for the incredible work they have done in the handgun world. They’ve become the gold standard for Glock mods and even built their own high-performance pistol, the OZ9. With their work, they bring performance and some zing to the standard Glock. Many people are surprised to find out that Zev also makes rifles. With the purchase of well-known rifle component maker Mega Arms, Zev entered the AR market. With this move, they are now offering complete rifles that have the craftsmanship of Mega Arms mixed with the creativity and precision of Zev. Their rifle division consists of traditional AR rifles, which include a large- and small-frame offering. I had a chance to…

Since issue one of Skillset, we’ve made it abundantly clear that we love knives around here. We have featured some incredible blades from the industry’s top knife makers, from self-defense knives, collectibles and even ones featuring exotic metals we can’t pronounce. Whether made with old-school forging techniques or blades made with the latest and greatest CNC machines and tooling on the planet, we love cold, hard steel. That being said, it was finally time that I packed my bags and headed off to Blade Show in Atlanta to check on the pulse of this fantastic and unique industry. I can’t tell you how big this event is. Not just in size but in heart, spirit and community. Before you tune out, hear me out. I attended with preconceived notions of…

Platoon is Oliver Stone’s war movie masterpiece for reasons we’re about to get into. The 1986 classic is a must-see for any war movie buff and is probably one of the most—if not the actual most—definitive Vietnam War movies ever made. Much like the war in Vietnam itself, there’s a lot about Platoon that is relatable to civilian and veteran audiences while at the same time completely foreign to either group. Even seasoned combat veterans of the Gulf War and the Post-9/11 eras may have a hard time believing some of the events in the film. Well, whether you’re the FNG (Vietnam War slang for f*cking new guy) or the number one GI, crank some Fortunate Son and hold on to your helmets, because there are some spoilers ahead. 1 IT WAS…

If you’ve done it, you know what to expect. The day started pretty much just like every other first day of specialized firearms training. You arrive expecting something but not knowing exactly what. That something will differ depending on the student, but mostly you expect to prove yourself while there and hopefully walk away a better student of the craft. In this instance, it is the craft of precision rifle shooting, and more specifically, performing as a team. For training specific to team dynamics, I looked to SG Concepts LLC. Who is SG Concepts? Well, only the most winning team in precision rifle/sniper team matches ever. Sean Murphy, an employee of Nightforce Optics, and Greg Hamilton, an employee of Proof Research, have won more team matches in precision rifles than…

There is no precision rifle without the precision rifle optic. This important piece of equipment can make or break a rifle’s and shooter’s performance. There are more options in precision optics than ever before, which has its positives and negatives. The following are optics that we at Ballistic magazine deem worthy of a look from our readers. We’re cramming in as much info on our opinion and experience with the optics as we can. You won’t find regurgitated manufacturers’ specs and verbiage on glass coatings here unless it’s unavoidable. You can find that on their respective websites. BURRIS XTR PRO: The Burris XTR was a successful optic with a following that spoke of its durability and dependability. Now the XTR has gone pro and offers an interesting set of features. The…

“The PRS has an MSRP of $2,500, which makes it eligible for production-class competition.” As much as the bolt-action market has exploded, thanks to a nationwide, if not a worldwide resurgence in the platform’s popularity, the platform hasn’t really changed all that much. I like to think that some firearms have developed into the modern era. After all, we have “modern combat pistols” with red-dots and compensators, as well as inner and outer workings that help deem them as such. And we’ve seen and continue to see many modern semi-automatic platforms modernized by design enhancements or complete reengineering, breaking the molds of previous platforms. But that hasn’t happened much with the bolt-action rifle. Remington 700 clones still rule a majority of the market with several companies making the tried-and-true design,…

What’s your farthest shot? If you are asking an Extreme Long-Range (ELR) shooter, you might be asking in units of miles instead of yards. When I hit my first shot at 1,000 yards, I was hooked on long-range but when I hit 2 miles, it was a whole new level. So, what is the dividing line between long-range shooting and extreme long-range? That question has been debated for years, as there is not yet an overall governing body to define that. Most would agree that ELR shooting starts at 1,500 yards and beyond. There is also extended long-range, which is the distance between long-range and extreme long-range, but that will not be discussed in this article. ELR EXPLAINED When shooting miles, many factors need to be considered. It is not…

The Savage 110 is one of those guns that everybody either owns, has owned or at least knows someone who owns one. The gun was originally designed in 1958, and Savage secured the patent on it in 1963. There are few guns in the industry that have such a long history and are still actively in production. Savage has done a good job of keeping the gun fresh, and a quick visit to their website shows 35 different versions of the rifle available. They are all good shooters and fit their own specific applications. This year Savage decided to really change things up and give the 110 a serious new overhaul. The newest member of the family is the Savage 110 PCS—Pistol Chassis System. THE WHAT AND WHY At first…

DO BUGS FART? That’s a great question that’s already been answered. In fact, some bugs pass large amounts of gas, but they don’t pass it through their anuses. No, they actually have smaller-sized holes in their exoskeleton that allows the gas to pass through, but just like humans, it is a byproduct of the digestion process. DOOMSDAY TWIN TWIN Doppelgänger or Doppelganger? Doppelganger in English means an apparition or look-alike of an existing person, but did you know that Germans believed that whenever a doppelganger was seen it meant bad things for the person whom he is impersonating. Now don’t worry, as the “bad things” only consist of, well, impending death. SPIT, SWEAT & BUTTONS Your mouth produces approximately one liter of saliva a day. More than 1,400 new bacterial…

If You grew up watching the Global War on Terror, you likely saw the video of Saddam Hussein being hanged in December of 2006. The location is still hard to find, but I toured it in 2010 as a U.S. Army intelligence officer. This is a peek inside the compound where he was hanged and the literal steps he took before his life ended. There’s a small compound with a large detention facility off the Tigris River in northern Baghdad. This was a hotbed for intelligence for the U.S. military and Other Government Agencies (OGA’s) in Iraq. I had the misfortune of being stationed there in 2010. The food was terrible, the gym was dilapidated and U.S. combat forces were exiting Iraq. My team was tasked to collect intelligence on…

RIFLES: Our rifles were identical aside from one of the two being a left-handed action. Like-rifles mean like-performance and less guesswork when sharing ballistics information. Kendl’s 6.5 Creedmoor had been a hammer from its inception back in April of 2021 when Axis Works of Arizona chambered and mated a Proof Research steel barrel to a Falkor action. The resulting performance was phenomenal. Because of this, I decided to do the same nearly five months later. If you’ve run a Falkor action, then you know why we love them, and Proof’s barrels have been reliably consistent. Triggers were both Timney HIT triggers and coupled with Magpul Pro 700 chassis, which handle all scenarios well from competition to general shooting. And out front Atlas bipods from Accu-Shot reinforced consistency and familiarity in…

Guns and gear are plentiful. In fact, if you read Ballistic regularly, you know that’s what we’re all about—new guns and gear and the people involved. But what’s next? What happens after you buy the latest and the greatest lead slinger and accompanying gizmos? Well, we’re here to answer. As the political climate heats up regarding gun ownership, we may need to take the opportunity to change from growing the collection to what we can do with the collection. The “experience” is what we like to call it, and the shooter’s experience is one that’s been often overlooked. Yes, you can go to your local ranges and hang and bang with the boys (and girls), but there’s a much bigger shooting world out there to explore, and we’re here to…