M1A owners looking to wring more accuracy out of their rifles should know that Faxon Firearms has introduced its own match-quality barrel for this popular competition platform. MSRP, $299.
The M1A Super Match Barrel is to the true match-winning profile with heavy weight to the rear and a balanced profile towards the muzzle.
Faxon’s M1A Super Match Barrel has a competition profile, with weight to the rear and a balanced profile towards the muzzle. The barrels are button rifled, stress relieved, and have hand-polished .308 Winchester chambers. The M1A Super Match barrels feature 1/10 twist rifling versus the common 1/11, to create a barrel designed for the heaviest target loads. The surfaces are finished in a black-oxide coating.
Nathan Schueth, director of sales, marketing, and product development for the company, said, “We are thrilled to expand into a new platform. We applied our expertise from manufacturing thousands of general-purpose machine-gun and AR barrels to create match-ready barrels for the M1A.”
The installation-ready Super Match barrels are made of 4150 GBQ steel and measure 22 inches in length. They have standard M1A muzzle threads and fit all M1A / M14 Rifles (with timed threads). They weigh 3.3 pounds. An 11-degree target crown completes the muzzle end. The barrels are Magnetic Particle Inspected, fully stress relieved, and air-gauge tested.
The M1A Super Match Barrel is to the true match-winning profile with heavy weight to the rear and a balanced profile towards the muzzle.
Maura Healey, the attorney general of Massachusetts, recently rewrote the state’s 1998 Gun Control Act to reinterpret what it had meant since 1998.
Writing in the Boston Globe, Healey outlined the changes:
— The Massachusetts assault weapons ban mirrors the federal ban Congress allowed to expire in 2004. It prohibits the sale of specific weapons like the Colt AR-15 and AK-47 and explicitly bans “copies or duplicates” of those products.
— “Copies or duplicates” mean “state compliant” versions of Modern Sporting Rifles sold in Massachusetts. Such “state compliant” versions lack a flash suppressor, a folding or telescoping stock, or other helpful shooter features. The AG will notify all gun manufacturers and dealers to make clear that the sale of semi-auto rifles with certain features is now illegal in Massachusetts.
— The effect could mean that all AR-15s that have been modified to comply with Massachusetts law are now illegal purely because they are AR-15s. This could eventually outlaw all semi-automatic weapons in the state, which should violate D.C. v Heller’s explicit “common use” standard.
— Healey said in her Globe article that “if a gun’s operating system is essentially the same as that of a banned weapon, or if the gun has components that are interchangeable with those of a banned weapon, it’s a ‘copy’ or ‘duplicate,’ and it is illegal.”
Bottom Line: Some of our customers in Middle America will notice this state-law change and not be too concerned about it, because it is Massachusetts, and things like this are to be expected there.
Quite a few of our customers and fellow countrymen in the Bay State are now in limbo because basic AR-15 parts may turn a vanilla semi-auto rifle into “copies or duplicates” of those products.
Will this turn into another nudge in the direction of our fellow Americans losing their rights? There seems to have been a precedent set with California cities banning firearms, the strict laws placed in Chicago (which seems to be working, he lied), and other “leaders” treating their constituents more like an authoritarian society.
Hopefully the people of Massachusetts sound off in a clear, unified, voice at the ballot box this November.
The DDM4ISR features a pistol-length gas system and comes standard with an MFR XL 15.0 modular handguard. A Mil Spec + Cerakote finish protects the rifle from the elements.
Daniel Defense has taken suppressed weapons to the next level with the release of the new DDM4ISR rifle. This new rifle, designed for fulltime-suppressed fire and optimized for the .300 Blackout cartridge, features a fully integrated suppressor attached to its barrel, so it’s ready for suppressed service right out of the box.
“This revolutionary rifle simplifies suppressor usage by eliminating variables and uncertainty,” said Daniel Defense VP of Sales Bill Robinson. “There’s no need to attach a suppressor and wonder if it’s mounted correctly and properly aligned. And no need to re-zero the weapon for suppressed vs. unsuppressed fire. The suppressor is literally part of the barrel.”
The high-performance suppressor—constructed of durable, heat-resistant metal alloys and coated with a protective high-temperature Cerakote-C finish—features a user-serviceable baffle core that can be easily removed for cleaning and maintenance. It is permanently attached to a 9-inch Cold Hammer Forged fluted barrel with a target crown for superb accuracy and reliability. Because the suppressor is a permanent part of the barrel, extending the barrel to the NFA-required 16 inches, the firearm is not classified as a Short Barreled Rifle (SBR) and only requires a single tax stamp, for the suppressor.
Everything else about the DDM4ISR is classic Daniel Defense. It features a pistol-length gas system and comes standard with an MFR XL 15.0 modular handguard, which features a continuous 1913 Picatinny rail on top and Keymod attachment points at the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions. This longer handguard, in conjunction with a DD Buttstock and Pistol Grip, make this ergonomic rifle highly maneuverable and as versatile as the .300 Blackout rounds it fires. A resilient Mil Spec + Cerakote finish protects the rifle from the elements and adds to its overall aesthetic.
Available in states where suppressor ownership is legal, the DDM4ISR has an MSRP of $3049. Learn more or purchase this rifle by visiting danieldefense.com or an authorized dealer.
The following is a specially adapted excerpt from the forthcoming book Top-Grade Ammo by Glen Zediker and Zediker Publishing. Now, it’s just around the corner… BuyZedikerBooks.com for details.
by Glen Zediker
Last time I showed a couple of valuable tools: the Hornady LNL O.A.L. Gauge and the LNL Comparator. The first showed the bullet seating depth that touches the lands, and the other gave a more accurate way to measure. Now for a few ideas on how to use this newfound information.
“Dead-length” sounds pretty ominous, and it is, or can be. Again: that is the cartridge overall length that has a bullet touching the lands when the round is chambered.
Hornady LNL O.A.L. Gauge, and why to use it: these three .224 Sierra 80-grain MatchKings are seated to touch the lands in three different barrel chambers. You need to know the overall length if you want to experiment with this tactic.
This tactic is well (very well) proven to promote accuracy. Usually. The overall idea is to introduce a bullet dead straight into the bore. Entry will be smoother. This is also an asset to concentricity, or centeredness. If not touching the lands, scooting a bullet out to be very near the lands helps, usually, and it’s a near-requirement for some bullets. The reason is pretty clear: the shorter distance the bullet has to “jump” before it engages the lands and enters the bore, the less can go wrong. Off-centeredness may then be less a factor over a shorter distance. The bullet is already in-line with the bore, and that overcomes any small alignment imperfections that might exist elsewhere in the round. Gravity also factors in, even in that short gap.
Dead-length seating is not the same as “soft-seating.” You’ll encounter that term. Soft-seating is sizing the case neck inside diameter to just barely less than the bullet diameter, and the idea is to have the bullet “out” and then let contact with the lands finish the seating the bullet into the case neck as the bolt closes. That requires very light case neck “tension” (less than 0.001 difference). Bolt-actions only! This eliminates the effects of any bullet dimensional issues. I’m not recommending this, but there it is. Pressure cautions are increased with this tactic! It’s common for soft-seating to engage into the lands by 0.010-0.020. So now you know…
My experience has been that once it gets past 0.010, more jump doesn’t really make any difference. I see the biggest improvements (if I see them) when it’s reduced to 0.005 or less. That sort of reduction is not often possible when loading to cartridge overall lengths that fit into a box magazine. However, there are some 52-grain-range .224 bullets that have to be seated more deeply than the generally-accepted 2.260-inch mag-length maximum for an AR-15. Hornady’s 52-grain HPBT for one. This bullet will be 0.020 into the lands, or more, at 2.260 inches. There are other similar bullets that will do the same: contact the lands at a cartridge overall length less than the magazine allows.
Generally, the longer and spikier a bullet is (secant-style ogive, high-caliber-radius), the more likely it will be to perform best starting nearer the lands. For good example, although it’s contrary to some others’ experience, I have yet to get good accuracy from any of the true “VLD” (Very Low Drag) bullets until they get on the lands. Same goes with others similar, like the Hornady A-Max; those are more tolerant of jump, but don’t like much of it.
Three things:
One — first, foremost, always — this tactic will raise pressure! There’s nothing to worry about here until the bullet actually gets on the lands. Going from “near” to “on” is a huge difference! The reason is the loss of space for burning gases to occupy, release been delayed because the bullet is working as a plug from the get-go. Reduce any load one full grain! Work it up from there. It might end up being more like a half-grain, but it will at the very least be that much difference. That’s significant.
Two is that approaching dead-length isn’t usually possible on any but single-loaded rounds (not fed from a magazine). This also goes for bolt-actions (and, honestly, I really only recommend this tactic for bolt-guns). Just depends on the space available for the rounds at rest: magazine length. For my ARs I do it only with “long” bullets used for the “slow-fire” portions of a rifle tournament (rounds must be fed singly). (With one exception, shown nearby…)
Three is that it’s going to change. As the rifle throat erodes it advances, distance to the lands gets longer, so what was “touching” some-hundred rounds ago is no longer “touching” now. Certainly, that varies with the cartridge, and will lengthen faster with a .243 Win. than it will with a .308 Win. Get the OAL tool, keep up with it, and it’s easy. However! The load is also changing, a little bit, each time the bullet moves forward, and that can influence velocity and zero.
It’s a lot to keep up with.
Make sure there is adequate bullet retention (diameter difference between bullet diameter and case neck inside diameter, go a good 0.003 inches). Can’t have the bullets jumping forward (inertia-induced). If, for example, you’re loading to give 0.002 hold-off, that little gap can get taken up easily and then, if the bullet gets on the lands, there’s a pressure spike. Goodbye primer!
Here’s a couple of purpose-built loads for 100- and 200-yard “reduced” High Power Rifle courses. It’s a .222 Rem. with a chamber built around one bullet: Bart’s 52-grain flat-base. The whole idea was to create an “ideal” round structure where jump could be eliminated entirely. The author had it throated at 0.150 shorter than cartridge overall length that touched the lands at the magazine length limit; 0.150 throat erosion is where the author rebarrels. The author chose .222 Rem. because it’s well more accurate than .223 Rem. There’s also a long case neck, and no donut, ever, to contend with. It’s the most purely accurate AR-15 the author has owned. It’s a solid 1/8-minute-of-angle gun, but its little world of dominance border is 250 yards.
In 1866, America was still rebuilding from the recently concluded Civil War, and citizens were pushing West in an effort to find their fortunes and settle the frontier. At the same time, Oliver Winchester established the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. The Winchester brand went on to help Americans settle the West, win two World Wars, help law enforcement keep our communities safe and, to this day, continues to revolutionize the way hunters and shooters succeed in the field and on the range.
Like few other brands, Winchester has helped shape America and in 2016, the iconic brand celebrates this important milestone by introducing one of its most collectible editions of ammunition in history, featuring classic Winchester artwork and embossed packaging, making these offerings truly unique.
Collectible ammunition offerings will be available throughout the year and include:
.270 Winchester 150‐grain
.30‐30 Winchester 150‐grain
.44‐40 Winchester 200‐grain
12‐gauge 3‐inch 11⁄4 ounces of No. 2 steel for waterfowlers
Additional Winchester Ammunition products will carry special 150th anniversary markings. Look for your favorite loads in popular offerings throughout the year. To honor the milestone, Winchester Repeating Arms Company will be releasing a commemorative Winchester 1866 Yellow Boy lever‐action rifle chambered in .44‐40. The original Yellow Boy was the first ever firearm to bear the Winchester name.
“Winchester has been a part of America for more than half of the country’s history and has played a vital role not only in the way we hunt and shoot, but also in the settling of this great nation,” said Brett Flaugher, Winchester Ammunition vice president of marketing, sales and strategy. “We are proud of Winchester’s storied history and look forward to making these collectible products available to those shooting enthusiasts who wish to share in the company’s continuing legacy.”
Magnum Research (MRI) has updated its line of BFR (Big Frame Revolver) wheelguns.
All BFR special-ordered calibers, and all twelve BFR standard models with in .454 Casull, .44 Magnum, .30/30 Win, .45/70 Govt., .460 S&W, .500 S&W, and .45LC/.410, and with barrel lengths of 5 inches up to 10 inches will feature the new upgrades.
It all began in 1999, when an independent gunsmith/designer named Jim Tertin, was approached by MRI to manufacture the new large caliber revolver for them. Tertin mastered the base pin design, firing pin, barrels, frame and cylinder, and fine-tuned the timing of all BFR revolvers, and then put it into production for Magnum Research. In 2005, Tertin sold the BFR design to MRI and was hired by them as the Director of Manufacturing. His focus is now that of Director of Design, Research and Development for all MRI products including the iconic Desert Eagles and Baby Desert Eagles.
Among the changes:
The hammer spur is now taller and narrower than previous models. It was raised vertically, allowing for easier cocking. The new hammer is machined stainless steel and is made with extremely tight tolerances.
The BFR’s product line now employs a soft-rubber one-piece grip, with a taper suitable for single-action shooting. It is slightly longer than the original two-piece grip. The new Hogue grip is a brand new screwless design that has never before been offered on a single-action revolver. Each grip is shipped with an assembly/disassembly tool that aids in installing or removing the grip. The new grips and hammers will fit any BFR manufactured since 2000 and are available directly from Magnum Research.
The last new feature offered on the entire BFR product line is the new BFR logo. The logo was designed by Kevin Yoon, marketing manager for Kahr Firearms Group.
The memorial service in remembrance of the tragic deaths of five Dallas police officers was remarkable, but for all the wrong reasons. The service took a turn from memorializing to politicizing when President Obama decided to take advantage of this national platform and turn his memorial speech into yet another push for his political agenda. He implied the deaths of the police officers occurred because “we flood communities with so many guns that it is easier for a teenager to buy a Glock than to get his hands on a computer, or even a book.”
The remark immediately earned Three Pinocchios from the Washington Post fact checker, which called it an “exaggerated claim based in no real statistics, which does nothing but distract the public.” And distraction is exactly the effect Obama’s statement had on the public, which simply took away from the real reason everyone gathered: to commemorate the lives of true heroes whose lives were taken too soon.
Larry Keane, Senior Vice President, Assistant Secretary & General Counsel for the National Shooting Sports Foundation said, “It is a shame that our nation’s leader would rather take advantage of his television air time to push his political agenda than pay respect to the fallen officers and share grieving with their families and the law enforcement community. But Obama is not a novice when it comes to employing this tactic of exploiting a tragedy for political purposes. And, I suppose it was to be expected since he told America after the Umpqua Community College tragedy last year that he intended to politicize these events.”
Keane added, “Our highly regulated industry is not ‘flooding’ communities with guns. Criminals, not guns are what‘s flooding communities like the President’s hometown of Chicago. In times like these where the President chooses to beat the drum on restricting Americans’ Second Amendment rights, it’s important to remember the facts. Violent crime continues its downward trend, even as the firearms market sees more and more growth over the past two decades. Placing blame on firearms for the criminal acts of terrorists and madmen cannot be justified by data.”
Keane said, “It’s a shame that these victims could not be simply commemorated and their families, along with the Dallas community, could not mourn their losses without the President stooping to inject his self-serving political bias. Will he repeat this tactic at the funerals of the slain Baton Rouge police officers and East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s deputy? It will be equally off-point if he does, when even East Baton Rouge Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said “This is not so much about gun control as it is about what’s in men’s heart.”
NRA All Access meets with Scott Perkins, a Marine veteran, who didn’t think twice about his own life as he sprung into action to stop a violent attack on a local Sheriff’s deputy by drawing his concealed firearm.
Hours after the devastating police shooting that claimed the lives of three officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Sunday, CNN’s Don Lemon invited Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke on air to speak about the recent surge in anti-police violence nationwide. The sheriff said he predicted such violence two years ago as the result of anti-police political language. Do you agree?
Americans are continuing to acquire guns at an unprecedented level. In early June, the FBI reported that in June 2016, firearm-related background checks set a new record for any month of June, up 39% from the number of checks conducted in June 2015.
For the first six months of 2016, checks are up 32 percent over the same period in 2015. If the present rate of checks holds through December, there will be over 32 million checks conducted this year, more than double the number conducted during President Obama’s first year in office. There have been 26.5 million checks during the last 12 months, more than in any 12-month period previously.
NICS checks don’t precisely indicate the number of firearms acquired in a given time frame. But the trend in checks makes clear that Americans are acquiring firearms at a record pace. The annual number of checks has risen from 12.7 million during the last year of President George W. Bush’s administration to an average of 23 million during Obama’s second term.
Gun sales as reflected in NICS checks. Graphic courtesy of NRA.
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