Below is a blog post from Paul Markel of Student of the Gun, in regards to the smear campaign launched against TR revolving around a video that completely misrepresents our rifles, and was created and posted in an attempt to extort money from us.
"Believe
it or not, I truly do try to stay away from Internet arguments or debates. Not
that I'm always successful, but I do try. Opinions offered on various blogs and
forums are akin to a rectal orifice, everyone has one and they vary
tremendously in olfactory quality. For that reason, when an acquaintance
forwarded a video link that slammed a product built by Tactical Rifles of
Zephyrhills, Florida I dismissed it and moved on with my life.
The
fecal storm surrounding this video, promoted vehemently on a certain gun form,
has taken on a life of its own. Therefore, I cannot with good conscience stand
at the sidelines without comment.
First
Experience
My
first experience with Tactical Rifles was approximately ten years
ago. At the time, in addition to my work as a police officer, I was writing
actively for a number of firearms and LE journals. David Rooney,
President/Founder, of Tactical Rifles called me up one day and asked if I had
time to chat. David had recently started advertising with one of the many
publishing houses for whom I wrote. The publishers had asked Mr. Rooney to send
a rifle to one of their writers for a review, but David didn't want to send it
off blindly to a stranger. We spoke for a half-hour or so, David asked me about
my background, training, and experience with precision rifles. Essentially,
Rooney was concerned with sending a custom built precision rifle to someone
that might not be able to appreciate such an item. This was before I had
graduated from LE Sniper School, so I related my Marine Corps training and
experience and put his fears to rest. A Tactical Rifles custom M40 arrived at
my FFL dealer a week later.
The
rifle in question was a .308 Winchester built on a Remington 700 action. A
twenty-inch barrel was free-floated into a woodland camouflage McMillan stock.
Although I don't have the specs in front of me I can safely say that trigger
was tuned somewhere in the 2.5 to 3 pound range. I installed a Leupold Mark IV 10x variable riflescope on
the gun and headed to the range with a variety of .308 Winchester ammunition.
My
plan was to zero the rifle at 100 yards and that is what I did. The target was
a Birchwood Casey "Dirty Bird" bulls eye. I truly
appreciate these targets as they provide an easy to view shot hole, even at
distance. After perhaps a dozen rounds, I was getting very comfortable with the
Tactical Rifles gun. I decided to shoot some groups for record at 100 yard.
With a clean target and a 168 grain match load from Black
Hills Ammunition I settle in behind the stock. I could see
through the Leupold optic that my first shot was in the center ring. I fired
the second round and was disappointed that I could not find a new shot hole.
Clearing my head and taking several deep breaths, I pressed off the third shot.
Peering through the scope it appeared that the first shot hole was a bit
larger.
I
cleared the rifle and took a stroll down range to get a closer view of my
handiwork. When I arrived at the target I was stuck by a sense of awe. The
first shot hole was now a ragged cloverleaf. All three rounds had passed
through the target within one-quarter of an inch from the others. That was the
first time I'd ever fired a 0.25 inch three shot group and I remember it
vividly to this day. Needless to say I was excited about my testing
opportunity with the TR M40.
A
Decade of Experience
During the next ten years I had the
opportunity to test out numerous Tactical Rifles custom built guns in
bolt-action and semi-auto. Many were chambered in .308 Winchester, but other
calibers included the .204 Ruger, 6.5x47 Lapua, 5.56mm, and even the big .338
Lapua Magnum. With the 6.5x47 Lapua rifle I cut a three shot group at 350 yard
that measured less than 1.5 inches. The group calculated to be sub-quarter
M.O.A. I've never had a Tactical Rifle gun that did not post half-M.O.A. groups
with the right ammunition.
While reviewing a 6.5 Grendel rifle
built by TR, both David and I learned a hard lesson. Not all ammunition stamped
6.5 Grendel was made to the same specification. Savvy reader may already
realize that this is the reason Les Baer developed the .264 LBC AR cartridge.
By the way, that round is insanely accurate from the AR-15 rifle.
A few years ago I had the chance to
get out on the range with David. We used his guns to engage targets all the way
out to 1000 yards. I made my first 1000 yard hit on an eight inch steel plate
using a TR .338 Lapua Magnum rifle while David spotted and called the wind for
me. I can readily testify that not only is David Rooney the President of
Tactical Rifles, the man can shoot as well.
Don’t
Take My Word Alone
In 2011 I was introduced to Jim
Gilliland, US Army. History Channel fans may know his name as he is credited
with the longest confirmed kill with a .308 Winchester sniper rifle. The record
breaking shot was over 1200 yards. Jim could shoot any rifle he wanted to, but
his choice for sniper competitions and training is a Tactical Rifles custom
.308. Jim showed me his personal rifle and I asked if it held up to the "
Tactical Rifles Half-M.O.A. Guarantee". "This rifle's never
shot that bad." Jim joked, "I don't think I've ever shot a group that
big with it.
Fans of Major John Plaster's series
"Ultimate Sniper" will recognize Jim Gilliland from the book and
video material. As an interesting aside, Jim needed a .308 bolt-action rifle
with SureFire 7.62 suppressor adapter on it for the "Ultimate
Sniper III" video. I loaned Jim my personal Tactical Rifles gun
to use during the taping of that video. After the material was compiled I spoke
with Jim and Major Plaster, both were pleased with the performance of the TR
rifle. The only issue Jim had with the gun was the cutout in the Manners stock
for the bolt. He took a Dremel tool to the channel and widened it a bit.
More recently, Jarrad and I took a
trip down to Rifles Only in
Kingsville, Texas. Jarrad had never been through a long range rifle program and
this was his chance. Jacob Bynum, owner/lead instructor, took Jarrad from 100
yards all the way out to 1000 yards during two-day course. The rifle used was
the very same Tactical Rifles .308 featured in Ultimate Sniper III. At the end
of the weekend I asked Mr. Bynum, an accomplished rifleman who has trained
thousands, for his thoughts on the TR Gun. Jacob commented that due to it's
short barrel (18 inches with a muzzle brake) it was a good sub-1000 yard gun
(for the 1000 yard shot Jarrad used a .300 Win. Mag. rifle). During the weekend
course Jarrad fired hundreds of rounds of Black Hills match ammunition. He ran
the gun hard, rapidly working the bolt for multiple target engagements as well
as moving targets at 400 yards.
Parting Shots
Are firearms manufacturers
infallible? Certainly they are not. I cannot testify to rifles that I have not
had personal experience with, but I can tell you this; I've used enough
Tactical Rifle products over the last ten years to appreciate their wares. TR
builds custom guns from the ground up. I know waiting six to twelve months can
seem like a long time but go to Wilson Combat's site and put in an order for a
custom M1911 then tell me what the deliver quote is. Order a custom Harley
Davidson motorcycle. Then you'll really know what it's like to wait.
I didn't write this piece to address
all petulance and whining coming from Internet forums and blogs I did feel the
need to relate my experience and by extension the experience of others. Don't
believe me? That's fine too. I know what I've done and I know what I've seen.
If you are basing your opinions on rumors and gossip you might consider
treading lightly."
View Paul's Blog below:
http://www.studentofthegun.com/sotg-blog/blog-archives/entry/tactical-rifles-my-view-from-behind-the-stock.html
