The Firearms MagEzine
A publication of
CenterFire Central
http://www.centerfirecentral.com
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The Firearms MagEzine
is no longer published
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VOL. 1 ISSUE 5 SEPTEMBER 1998
Circulation 850
IN THIS ISSUE
THE EDITOR'S NOTES
New Domain Name
FEATURE ARTICLE - RIFLE TOURNAMENTS OUTLINE
By Gregory Garland Part I
PRODUCT REVIEW - SOFTWARE LOAD FROM A DISK
By Bill Wade
RELOADING CLASSES
Schedule
INTERNET RELOADING CLASS
CenterFire Central
RESOURCES
Other resources for related information
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
SUBMIT AN ARTICLE
ADVERTISING OPTIONS
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A WORD OF CAUTION
CenterFire Central and contributing writers are not responsible for
mishaps of any kind which may occur from use or misuse of data or
information published, electronically or otherwise by CenterFire
Central. Activities involving firearms, ammunition, components and
equipment require strict safety precautions and training which are not
detailed herein.
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EDITOR'S NOTES
We have a NEW DOMAIN NAME ! Ok maybe it does not
thrill you, but
it excites me. The other URL was a mouthful, to say the least. The new
one is simple, http://www.centerfirecentral.com
Still plenty to type but easy to remember. Of course you have it
book-marked so you don't have to remember. Now it should be really easy
to tell your friends where to find us.
I mentioned the pet loads project last month. With the new domain name,
and the changes taking place there, I plan to revamp the site and
include the pet loads by caliber. For instance; when you click on the
22 Hornet and enter that area of the site, you will be able to click on
pet loads and view a readable format of pet loads that have been
submitted for the Hornet.
Ultimately, I may end up grouping calibers on the front page just so
that it will load quickly. Stay tuned for further developments.
As always, your input is more than welcome.
Bill Wade
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THIS MONTH'S FEATURE ARTICLE
OUTLINE FOR COMPETITIVE HIGH POWER RIFLE TOURNAMENTS Part I
By Gregory Garland
Copyright 1998
Welcome to the precision world of competition High Power Riflery.
It
is a lifelong sport. Competitors range in age from 14 years old to
their 80's. It is accommodating of the physically fit, and the sedate.
It is equally accessible to individuals whose mobility depends on a
wheelchair. Men and women alike have equal opportunity for exceptional
performance in this sport.
As the author said, it is a precision world. Everything must work
well together. The mind, the equipment, the nerves... all must
function well to be a precision shooter. Many of you may have become
familiar with the world of firearms from other facets of shooting, such
as plinking, trap, skeet, maybe even casual benchrest
shooting on the
weekends at the local range.
The author's introduction to this world of shooting came one day while
he was shooting some satisfying hobbyist groups with a Remington
22-250. A man wearing an olive shooting coat on a hot
afternoon, with a sling wrapped around his upper arm, some strange
eyeglasses, and a very big smile, approached and engaged in
conversation. "That rifle shoots really well. How well do you shoot?"
A challenge like that? I had to know more.
I hope as you read on, you too will "want to know more".
RULES
Highpower rifle matches are organized under the
National Rifle
Association. There are recognized matches, and sanctioned matches.
Another sponsoring body for competitions is the Directorate of Civilian
Marksmanship, a self supporting quasi governmental body, long ago
commissioned by the Congress of the
marksmanship among civilians who, in time of war, would be the backbone
of a conscripted army.
Yearly, the National Rifle Association sponsors the High Power Rifle
National Matches at
Erie
disciplines as well during the steamy months of late July and August.
Most of the rules can be explained to you in a short afternoon watching
others compete, watching how a tournament is run, and getting the lay
of the land. Were you to ask any questions about the rules or the
sport, one of the competitors would likely happily answer them.
Even
so, there is no substitute for the actual "rule book". The NRA
publishes
a rule book which is available at modest cost from the NRA at:
National Rifle Association of America
11250 Waples Mill Road
Fairfax, Virginia 22030
CLASSIFICATIONS (Rules 19.1 to 19.21)
As a competitor in these tournaments, one is classified according to
his skills. This assures that the competition remains fairly even
between individuals of a given skill level, and it offers the
competitor the individual goal of improving classification as he
progresses through his shooting career. The classifications are
determined from the average score of one's last 240 record shots as
reported from sanctioned or recognized matches. The following
classifications are currently in effect.
Marksman. A competitor shooting an average of up to
84% is classified
Marksman.
Sharpshooter. A sharpshooter is one who shoots from
84% to 88.99%.
Expert. An expert shoots from 89% to 93.99%.
Master. A master shoots from 94% to 96.99%.
High Master. A high master shoots an average score in
his last 240
rounds above 97%.
The Distinguished Marksman Award. This is an award
which many riflemen
strive for each year. It is awarded by the Directorate of Civilian
Marksmanship. A highly coveted award, very few ever attain it. A
competitor who wishes to go "distinguished" must shoot a service
rifle,
and obtain points in so-called leg matches, of which the National Match
referred to above is one. These points are accumulated by scoring in
the top 10% of leg matches, and when enough of these points are
accumulated, the DCM recognizes this accomplishment by issuing a gold
medal inscribed with the competitor's name on the reverse.
SCORING
Scoring is relatively straightforward, and one's performance is
reduced to a number. While a small group is important, its placement
is critical. Small groups towards the center of the target will yield
higher scores than those located elsewhere. At the center of the
target there is an "X" ring located inside the 10 ring, which is in
turn, surrounded by concentric rings which each bear a lower point
value the closer one gets to the outside edge of the paper. Bullet
strikes on the line separating one number value from another are
counted at the higher point value. For instance a bullet strike on the
line between the "10" and the "9" ring would be counted as
a "10".
The highest point value is "10", the lowest
is "5". Below "5" is a
"miss". An "X" is a "10", but X count determines
tie breakers. Thus
if, for example, you shoot a 450X15, and I a 450X14, your score will
beat mine.
RIFLE CLASS, or TYPE
There are two rifle classes in high power rifle competition. The
first is Service Rifle, the other is Match Rifle.
Service rifles are defined as rifles as issued to the
military forces, or their civilian counterparts. These are the M1
Garand, the M14 (or the M1A semi automatic version of
the military M14
rifle), or the M16 (or AR15 semi automatic version of the M16 rifle).
The rules stipulate that the rifle must appear identical to one of
these standard issue service rifles, but that the internal parts of the
rifle may be modified in most any way that the competitor desires. The
trigger pull of the rifle must be at least 4 1/2 pounds.
Match rifles are defined essentially as a center fire rifle with a
magazine capacity of 5 (five) rounds. What many competitors view as a
significant advantage to the match rifle is the better sights and
longer sight radius, which together make the rifle easier to shoot
well. A few years ago, the bolt action rifle was the primary Match
Rifle. Consequently, the rapid fire stages used to allow the match
rifle shooter an additional 10 seconds as a handicap for the longer
time it took the competitor to manipulate the bolt. Today, all
competitors shoot the rapid fire stages in the time which was formerly
allocated to match rifle competitors.
While the bolt action match rifle is still prevalent, today, however,
the competitor has available to him many good semi automatic match
rifles built on the SR25, AR10, or AR15 series of semi automatic
rifles, often referred to as "space guns". With a space gun the
competitor has the advantage of the better sights, and yet gives
nothing up in speed to the service rifle today if he purchases one of
these excellent, and very accurate, rifles.
EQUIPMENT
As with any competitive sport, equipment is important to the high
power rifleman. One should understand that the initial price to get in
the door with good equipment in this sport may seem steep, but, as the
adage goes, "the quality of an item is remembered long after the price
has been forgotten".
The most expensive single item in most cases will be the rifle. Often
one can get started in the sport for less money by purchasing a M1
rifle from the DCM program. The second most expensive item will be the
spotting scope.
The competitor will need the following equipment:
1. A rifle, with magazines or clips.
2. A shooting jacket. (At first you can get by with a Past Recoil Pad
and a jacket but you will want to get a shooting jacket eventually).
3. A sling.
4. A spotting scope with tripod.
5. A cartridge holder for standing. (Again, you can get by placing
your cartridges in your jacket pocket, but a cartridge holder will
eliminate fumbling about in your pocket for loose rounds).
6. A shooting mat. (A 3'x6' carpet remnant can be used at first)
7. A glove. (You can get by with an old leather ski mitten at first,
left hand mitten for right handed shooters).
8. Ammunition.
9. Ear and eye protection (mandatory at Colorado Rifle Club).
Other useful accessories include:
Sight black, cleaning accessories, scorebook, pen, hat, sunblock,
canteen, sweatshirt, poncho, instructional materials, rulebook,
cleaning equipment, stopwatch.
The specifically enumerated items are pretty much de rigeur,
or
necessary items. The others are nice to have, and many will tell you
that they too are necessary items. It has been the experience of the
author that one can make do without the others, but will probably want
them forthwith.
In the next issue, Gregory will outline shooting positions.
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THIS MONTHS PRODUCT REVIEW
Load From A Disk For Windows
Calculations alone make this software program worth the investment. If
you have ever struggled with any of the mind boggling equations in
ballistics, then you know what a pain they are.
This software performs the calculations for you, in addition to many
other great features.
The program is simple and clean to operate with handy icons for the
procedures. Basically, it is set up with icons for Internal Ballistics
and External Ballistics.
As you perform calculations, the results can be transferred to the next
stage of load development.
A new version is in the works and will be available on CD-ROM and 3.5
floppy in a few weeks.
Enhancements in the new version include stronger integration, expanded
graphing capabilities, and a solution to the only negative I had found
with the previous version, bullet input.
The version that I am currently working with only allows the user to
select from the database of bullets, 2000 of them, that came with the
software. The new version will allow the user to input his/her
own
bullet information.
Because I am not using the new version yet, I will hit the highlights
that I am certain will carry over from the previous version.
As I mentioned, there are two sides of the program: Internal and
External Ballistics.
First we will look at the internal ballistics.
Starting with case capacity, the system will tell you the full case
capacity of the cartridge you select. Wildcatting measurements can also
be used.
Given the case capacity, you then enter the following:
Bullet Weight
Bullet Type
Bullet Length
Overall Cartridge Length
Barrel Length to Bolt Face
Based on the entries, the program calculates the following:
Bullet Seating Depth
Displaced Water
Effective Case Capacity
Effective Barrel Length
Simply click a button to transfer this information to the load
development screen. Press the Calculate button and the program
generates load data.
I say generates; this software is not an overgrown database. The output
is based on calculations, and of course you and I know that any minor
change in reloading can have dramatic effects. By generating results
based on user input, you get accurate, reliable output.
In a nutshell, the program will tell you suitable powders, estimated
pressures, load density and charges, and estimated velocity.
This information can then be transferred to the external ballistics
side of the system.
A full array of functions will tell you everything you want to know
about how your bullet should perform.
For years, I have enjoyed the
ammunition guides. They are wonderful tools and fascinating to study.
Of course while you are working with them, in the back of your mind
should be a plethora of "What Ifs?"
Now you can plug in "What Ifs?" until the wee hours of the morning.
You
can even graph them, side by side.
In the May issue of this Ezine, I discussed Recoil
and mentioned this
software had been used to determine the numbers. That too is a
fascinating segment of the software. We all know the bigger calibers
can stomp you, but when you plug in real numbers and get pounds
of energy, and can compare it to other rifles in your rack, or rifles
that you want in your rack, it is a very en"lightening"
journey.
Load From a Disk for Windows has a very informative
website that you
can visit for more information and some screen shots of the software.
http://www.loadammo.com/
This is one tool that should be on every reloaders
bench.
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OTHER RESOURCES
Dave's Guns http://www.davesguns.com
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Copyright 1998 by CenterFire Central
All Rights Reserved