It's Not an Optical Illusion, It's a Punt Gun!

Don't tell PETA, but the Punt Gun was really used for Duck Hunting in the late 1800's and early 1900's.  The Punt Gun, was used to shoot large amounts of water fowl, primarily ducks, with one pull of the trigger. Now worries, this gun was used for commercial harvesting purposes and not necessarily for sport shooting.  Could you image using this guy on your next duck hunting trip? No thanks!

As you can imagine, the use of this enormous shot gun depleted duck populations and was consequently banned.

By now you've got to curious as to what it's like to fire one of these beasts! Check out the video below.

Read more about the punt gun.

The Importance of Body Alignment and your Bipod

We all assume that a bipod helps you shoot more accurately.  But that is not always the case.  How many times do you see a shooter on the range shooting badly with a bipod? It is certainly no guarantee of success in the pursuit of precision.  Although, the Army favors bipods the Marine Corp traditionally have taught their snipers to shoot over a pack.  Achieving sub half MOA precision under field conditions is difficult enough but without correct body alignment it’s IMPOSSIBLE. The all too frequent mistake made when shooting with a bipod is to have the bipod too high.  Your body position in relation to your rifle must be as neutral as possible in order to achieve accuracy. That means that you muscles should not be unduly tense in order to maintain correct alignment of the rifle to the target.  If you’re bipod legs are too high then your arm and chest muscles will have to be unduly tense.  At the moment of firing will be your body will relax slightly, and you will tend to throw your shot high as the butt of the gun will lower fractionally.  The easy way to test alignment form a firing position is to aim at your target take several deep breathes and then close your eyes, all the while keeping your body relaxed.  You should be able to open your eyes, and your cross hairs still be pointed at your target.  If your crosshairs are high, your bipod legs are adjusted too high.  Ensure that your bipod legs are set to the proper height using that simple test and your group sizes will diminish.  

Check out our website at www.tacticalrifles.net

Long Range Tip: Beware of wet suppressors. part 1

Suppressors are a great addition to any precision rifle, or any firearm for that matter.  Hollywood often portrays a suppressor wielding thug assassin,  secret agent, or Special Forces Delta Seal Ranger silently eliminating sentries unbeknownst to others nearby.  In the gun world, we know this to be false, with few exceptions concerning sub-sonic ammunition with .22's, Mp5sd's, 300BLK, etc.. Still, with the latter firearms, they are still comparable to the sound signature of a nail-gun or a door slamming. Even the sound of the bullet impacting the target is quite loud, loud enough to alert nearby enemies. Let's look at the practical uses of suppressors.  They serve as excellent hearing conservation whether you are one of the elite in the mountains of Afghanistan, or elk hunting in Alaska.  People often report getting greater accuracy with a suppressor attached. I have not found a good study indicating why this would be.  However, a couple of theories are:  1) It allows the bullet to travel uninfluenced by as many gasses since they are blocked by baffles. 2) It reduces the concussion of the blast on the shooter which helps him/her focus on the fundamentals without anticipating the recoil.  Either way, once you shoot with a suppressor, you'll never want to shoot without one.

Now let's talk about the environment.  In many places, there can be an extreme array of environmental ups and downs.  It can be 80 degrees by day and drop to 30 or less by night.  It can be sunny and within hours be snowing or raining. The following report is based on an experience I had while hunting in Alaska.

Rifles used: 

LWRC REPR 16" 7.62x51, AAC Mk13-SD, Nightforce 2.5-10, and 168gr Federal Gold Medal Match 308

LWRC M6IC 14.7" 5.56x45, Surefire Socom 556RC, Elcan SpecterDr 1-4x, Hornady 55gr Vmax 223

I live on the southern coast of Alaska, and the annual rainfall is almost always above 200 inches. It is extremely difficult to keep things dry.  On August 12th of 2014, I went to a nearby island to hunt dear.  At this time the season was bucks only, so no doe's. (Suppressor Hunting is legal in Alaska).  My brother and I went to a bay where we have seen many deer before and decided to hike up the steepest part to get to the top without providing our scent to the wind on the less steep part.  At no time were we crossing streams or ponds.

I think it's worth noting, before EVERY hunt or field training I do, I take my rifles to the range the day before and ensure they are zeroed and I do NOT clean them until after the hunt or field training.  On the day of this specific hunt, I went to a range at 0600 hours before we left and made a cold bore shot at 630 yards on a 13" steel target, followed by a 3 shot group at 100 yards that was well under 1 MOA and zeroed perfectly.

We hike all day long for as much usable daylight as we had, which was about 6 hours.  It was raining cats and dogs.  We were both wearing "waterproof" gear, the real expensive name brand gear that I won't name. We were soaked in the first 10 minutes.  We both carried suppressed carbines muzzle down. The only exception to this was when we had to sling the rifles on our backs to use both hands for climbing, which was only about 5% of the time.  We saw 6 doe's, no bucks.  During the hiking, neither of us bumped or dropped the rifles, nor did we stick the muzzle in the dirt.  We also kept the ejection port covers closed, we were pretty religious about that.

After returning to town, I went to the local range and attempted to shoot an 8" diameter gong at 300 meters.  My REPR appeared to be impacting about 4 feet right, but was not predictable. The elevation seemed fine, but it was really all over the place.  The suppressor was on tight, and the gas adjustment was on the correct setting.  After firing most of a 20rd magazine, I was finally getting good hits. My last 5 or 6 rounds were within 4 or 5 inches of each other.

Then came the M6IC.  I pretty much got the same results.  I also go blasted in the face with water and powder after the first few shots.  The REPR did the same thing but it wasn't quite as bad because of the receiver design.  It appeared to me that the suppressors got some water in them, but I wouldn't have imagined that it would throw the impact off that much.  I contacted both Surefire and AAC to ask if they had ever received calls about similar issues, and neither one could think of why it happened, and admitted they hadn't heard of it before.  I started scratching my head, thinking maybe water had run down outside of the barrel and got past the suppressor mount and into the can, or perhaps into the gas block and down the bore. Neither one of those really made sense to me. The easiest way would be from the end, which we carried down 95% of the time.

After this I decided to run a little test. Bare with me, it might no be the most scientific test in the world, but with the resources available to me it was the best I could think of at the time.  The temperature was 38 degrees F and Barometric Pressure was 29.82.  Elevation is approximately 10 feet above sea level.

First I set up a test target at 100 yards. On the target there are 1 MOA grid lines with diamonds that are 9 MOA apart from each other in the corners and another diamond in the center.  After cleaning both rifles thoroughly, I attached the Surefire suppressor to the M6IC tightly and shot a 6 round group at the upper left diamond using Hornady 55gr Vmax.  Shooting was done from a bench with bean bags. The group measured barely over 1 MOA, roughly 1.18" center to center.  I then allowed the rifle and suppressor to cool for about 20 minutes. I then removed the suppressor and poured water into it muzzle end down, until it came out the end, then shook it in both directions until no more water poured out of it.  I then reattached the suppressor tightly and fired a 10 round group at the lower left diamond of the same target, using the ammunition from the same lot as previously.  I didn't think to measure the group because it was so bad. My guess is around 7".  Here is a picture of the test target.

Next I followed the same process with the REPR.  I thoroughly cleaned the rifle and shot 5 rounds of 168gr Federal Gold Medal Match on the upper left diamond of a new target.  It was well under 1 MOA center to center, and would have been 1/2 MOA had it not been for a flyer. I allowed the rifle and suppressor to cool for about 20 minutes.  I then removed the suppressor and repeated the same process of filling it with water then shaking it out. After reattaching the suppressor tightly, I fired a 10 round group at the lower left diamond. The group was so bad that I was amazed to find that I did not have a baffle strike on the suppressor.  Here is a picture of the REPR test target. Notice the extremely high shot in the middle, and the extreme far right shot. Only 9 of the 10 shots were accounted for.

After this test, I cleaned both rifles and shot about 1 magazine worth of junk ammunition to evaporate the remaining water, then proceeded to shoot clay pigeons at 300 meters. The zero of the rifles were not changed at any time during the test, nor were the optics removed.

...end part1

*Gregory Rubio is a former USMC infantry rifleman and current law enforcement officer. He is an LE Colt AR-15/M16 armorer and Rangemaster/Firearms Instructor in Alaska with over 20 years of experience with practical firearms usage.

Click here for more information in Tactical Rifles.net 

The Dangers of Acid and Ammonia Based Cleaners Explained.

continued from last months post.....

In the past the removal of these types of barrel fouling (carbon and metal fouling from bullet material) has required highly aggressive chemicals such as acid and ammonia. These chemicals have been applied in the past on a patch or with a bore brush dipped in the solution. Then with large amounts of elbow-grease the brush was stroked back and forth through the barrel to scrub the fouling residues out. Then a patch was pushed through the bore, and it was checked for evidence of fouling or the lack thereof. This process is repeated until all evidence of fouling is no longer present on a patch. The standard practice has been to dunk a copper or bronze brush into the cleaner and stroke the cleaning rod the length of the bore. Worse to scrub the brush back and forth several times. Without a bore guide and a coated cleaning rod, this is a good way to damage the bore, the throat (where most barrels wear out), and the crown. A good deal of the evidence of fouling removal comes from the bristles in the bore brush itself.

This isn’t the best way to increase barrel life.

Many shooters have never been aware that anything more than a few quick passes with some solvent and a few patches were required to properly clean a fouled barrel. Barrels left in this condition will only continue to lose accuracy. We have seen rifles on the used rack which the owners assumed were “shot-out,” which when properly cleaned performed like they were new. When we examined some of these guns with a bore-scope, we could see fouling built up in layers like a black forest cake. Each of these would be a layer of powder fouling and carbon, usually with a layer of copper on top. I have seen firearms with six or seven of these layers built up. In every case when these guns were cleaned properly, the accuracy returned. A more recent approach has been to product products with heavy amounts of acid and ammonia. Acid and Ammonia will remove metal fouling and carbon. But Acid and Ammonia are dangerous to you and your firearm. Products containing large amounts of acids and ammonia still require large amounts of brushing. The major problem they have is that they contain chemicals which have a horrible smell, and are very dangerous to the steel used in gun barrels. It is quite easy using these products to permanently damage the interior of the barrel with pitting. They also can remove stock finishes. Sounds dangerous for a precision rifle, right? It is.  That’s why Tactical Rifles recommends Wipe-Out™ to clean your precision rifles.  We carry it in stock for your convenience. Give us a call!

1-877-811-GUNS (4867)

www.tacticalrifles.net

http://www.sharpshootr.com/wipe-out/

Tactical Rifles.net: Wipe Out is a must!

                                                                                                                        WIPE-OUT ™ is a revolutionary new product that solves all the problems encountered with conventional bore cleaners.

The primary reason for using any type of cleaning preparation in the barrel of a firearm is to remove those agents left behind which would adversely affect the accuracy of the particular firearm and its use life. 

If this were not the case we could shoot endlessly with no recourse but to bring on more ammunition. Unfortunately, firearms have a fatal flaw. The products of combustion and metal fouling from bullet materials, and carbon which is a product of burning powder, produce a deteriorating effect on the accuracy of a given firearm. As these residues build up inside the barrel; accuracy decreases conversely. 

It is the removal of these four types of fouling: 1. Powder fouling (smokeless or blackpowder) 2. Metal fouling (copper or lead alloy) 3. Carbon , 4. Molybdenum (usually introduced by the use of Molybdenum coated bullets), which will restore accuracy in a barrel whose usable life is still viable. Most traditional products were never meant to remove anything other than powder fouling. 

They were given a pleasant smell, but were totally in-effective for most problems that cause the loss of accuracy. 

Loss of accuracy is normal in all firearms after they have been used in a prolonged shooting session. 

The barrel will become fouled with gunpowder residue as a result of combustion, additionally: two other materials are deposited internally to the barrel,....... carbon and metal fouling from bullet material . Most of the shooters today are aware of metal fouling caused by lead alloy bullets, and copper jackets. They are also aware that powder fouling will cause the barrel to become dirty and fouled causing inaccuracy.  

These two are the most difficult to remove and are the greatest cause for the loss of accuracy in a firearm. However, many are not aware that carbon is probably the most difficult product of the firing cycle to remove from the barrel.

Most of our Dads and Grand Dads didn't tell us about these problems because they probably were unaware of them, and they thought the product they used, was effective. Learn more about Wipe Out at:
http://www.sharpshootr.com/wipeout.htm

Tactical Rifles.net: To Brake, or Not to Brake. That is the Question

TR Tri-Port Break

For many, the old wives’ tales surrounding brakes are overwhelming, yet like most political campaigns, they are based on much rumor and little fact. So, let’s work quickly to clarify this subject.

How many times have we hear those macho words, “Well I’m not recoil sensitive…”? Really, at 25 that may be macho enough to impress your friends, but pass 40yrs of age and it’s just not true anymore.  The desire to impress the guys surrounding you at the range with how you can shoot the ‘6lb Magnum Ass-Kicker That Makes Your Nose Bleed and Your Fillings Fall Out’ rifle, definitely reduces.  Then there’s the other factor, a rarely thought of consideration called ‘technique’!  Simply put, you can’t hit crap if your flinching every shot and anticipating recoil.  If you don’t believe me, next time you’re at the range, pan your spotting scope left and right away from your target and scan the targets around you, then look at the guys shooting the decent groups.  You can see technique on the target without even watching them shoot!  The 6” group on the silhouette zombie target at 100yds is going to belong to the guy who yanks the trigger, has bad body alignment, and never heard the phrase, “breathe, breathe, squeeze…’ Now what the 1” group guys shoot, and you’ll see a marked improvement in technique.  If you’re lucky enough to have a consistent sub 1/4-1/2MOA shooter on the line next to you, stop, stand behind him, watch, learn and listen to what he says… you will learn!

So where does a brake fall into this?
Simple – it’s a shortcut to turn a decent shooter into an exceptional shooter.  The 1MOA Shooter who can largely remove the recoil of the rifle from the equation can focus more on the consistency of his technique. The movement of the rifle during recoil masks indiscretions in our technique.  If we don’t maintain a neutral position, recoil hides it, but remove the recoil and you can see/feel the difference.

How does a brake work?
Jet propulsion is the simple answer. Laws of physics state that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.  In other words, the recoil energy is directly proportionate to the weight of the rifle, that’s why a heavier rifle recoils less.  A 175gr .308 can kill at 1000yds but the same physical energy won’t even bruise your shoulder when you shoot it.  It’s because the rifle is 500 times, or more, heavier than the bullet.  Now, add a brake and you use the gases exiting the muzzle to force the rifle against the rearward direction of the physical recoil energy.  If you could see gases exiting the muzzle of an un-braked rifle, they would move forward in a cone at approximately 45 degree angle on each side of the center-line of the bullet path.  Add a brake and you change the angle of the exiting gases, forcing them outwards to 180 degrees or even slightly further. 

What types of brakes should I avoid?
A brake is a brake, surely?  No, not really.  Some are truly horrible and cause a bad reputation for the decent ones out there…
Anything that has ports all the way around 360 degrees should be avoided as every time you shoot from the prone position, you’ll shower yourself in sand and dirt.  That same dirt is kicked up around the muzzle and with the right wind conditions, small particles can be blown back into the end of the barrel.  Your next round will remove it, but will also have the effect of sandpapering the inside of your crown!  Not good for barrel life! 

Avoid small ports at all costs.  
The varmint style brakes with 30+ little ports may cut recoil, but the smaller port increases the frequency of the sound.  That’s where the “brakes are noisy” comment originates.  Well last time I checked, shooting a 7 Mag without hearing protection, was pretty hard on your hearing, brake of no brake!  The best way to understand the ‘small ports are bad’ concept is to whistle.  Then try to whistle with your mouth wide open – not happening is it?  There you have the small port versus large port argument pretty much put to bed.  Large ports alter direction, they don’t increase frequency of the sound, but shrink the port size and you’ll create an earsplitting report.  This is why the design of the brake makes all the difference.

Learn more about our Tactical Rifles at www.tacticalrifle.net,
or call us TOLL FREE 1-877-811-GUNS (4867)

Paul Markel Comments About Tactical Rifles.net

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