Sedalia, MO – Sierra Bullets is excited to announce the launch of their line of loaded ammunition. Sierra™ Ammunition™ is currently available in eight popular hunting calibers, all topped with the new GameChanger™ Tipped GameKing bullet.
“This is the next step for Sierra,” says President Pat Daly. “The way we make ammunition is simply an extension of the way we make bullets. We begin with highly engineered loads which utilize the best components on the market. Assembly of these loads is done to the industry’s strictest tolerances and the results are proven before they ever leave our facility. It’s rewarding to know that Sierra shooters now have the option of loaded ammunition.
Sierra™ Ammunition™ is the perfect combination of unparalleled accuracy and bone-punching terminal performance all packed in a precisely-tuned cartridge… ammunition with the same dedication to perfection the Bulletsmiths at Sierra are famous for. For more information, visit www.sierrabullets.com/ammo. Read more
Last week, the .450 Bushmaster cartridge, which is fast becoming a favorite among Michigan deer hunters, was highlighted in terms of bullet design. Two major ammunition manufacturers, Hornady and Federal, have developed loads that claim proprietary bullet technology meant to be tough in weight retention and overall performance. This week, we learn the truth about their claims in a head-to-head test.
The .245-grain Hornady Interlock and the 260-grain Federal Fusion factory ammunition were compared in an unscientific experiment in which both rounds were shot through a whitetail deer’s shoulder blades and into water-soaked bundles of phone books and magazines. The rounds were also chronographed for velocity.
Before beginning, a certain understanding of why the test was conducted is in order. For me, the ideal round will not only be accurate, but the bullet will expand and not disintegrate to any degree. To be clear, a bullet that fragments and sends pieces of its jacket into the animal are not desirable. While explosiveness is desirable in varmint hunting, it’s not necessarily a good thing in big game hunting, because it destroys too much meat, if the bullet placement is not ideal.
When the .450 Bushmaster came onto the deer-hunting scene, Hornady’s Flex Tip bullet offering was about the only factory load available. I found it to be extremely accurate, but its destructiveness was too severe. In a similar test with this bullet last year, weight retention was far less than optimal, and therefore, other options in factory ammo were sought.
By recycling a road-killed deer’s shoulder blades and placing them in front of wet expansion medium, I would be able to recover the bullets and weigh them for comparison. This method of testing was meant to simulate what happens to particular bullets under extreme conditions to offer a relative comparison of toughness. A video of the test is available on YouTube by entering “.450 Bushmaster Bullet Integrity Test #2” in the search bar.
First up was the Hornady 245-grain Interlock ammo. Advertised at 2200 feet-per-second (fps), the bullet passed through the sensors at 2156 fps out of a Ruger American rifle with its relatively short barrel of 16 inches. The bullet created an excessive wound channel that could only be described as overkill. Sorting through the wet pages, pieces of the bullet’s jacket were found along with only 55.1 percent of the bullet’s core.
Damage from Hornady’s 245-Grain Interlock
Next came the Federal Fusion load with a slightly heavier bullet weighing 260 grains. It was clocked at 2029 fps and was found to retain 86.5 percent of its original weight. Of the four bullets tested in this manner to date, it was by far the most intact projectile of the group; both penetration and expansion were substantial, as well. Upon close inspection of the mushroomed bullet, the jacket could be seen totally enveloped by the lead core. It did not blow up!
The Federal Fusion ammo will get the nod this hunting season for me, because it really lives up to the claims of integrity. And, if shots hit bone, as they typically will, the bullet can be relied upon to stand up to even the most demanding conditions, and that’s what I was looking for.
WASHINGTON – July 12, 2019 – The American Red Cross issued an emergency need for eligible individuals of all blood types to give now and help save patient lives following a busy Independence Day week. Currently blood donations are being distributed to hospitals faster than donations are coming in—blood donors are needed to help avoid delays in lifesaving medical care. Schedule your blood donation appointment by visiting RedCrossBlood.org.
Fewer blood donors and blood drives last week have escalated the Red Cross call for all blood and platelet donors to help ensure hospital needs are met. More than 450 fewer blood drives were held than during a typical week the week of July 4 which may have led to as many as 17,000 fewer blood donations. AAA reported that nearly 49 million Americans—the highest recorded number—took trips would take trips to celebrate the Independence Day holiday, potentially making donors less available to give during the busy holiday week. Read more
Sedalia, MO – Lapua, world-renowned for producing the finest rimfire cartridges, is proud to announce our second USA Lapua Rimfire Test Center at the Cardinal Shooting Center in Marengo, Ohio. The new Lapua Rimfire Test Center will offer competitive shooters and consumers alike the opportunity to match individual lots of Lapua ammunition to their match rifles and pistols. The new East Location will officially open in late Fall of 2019. All of the capabilities of the new test center will replicate our current Lapua Rimfire Test Center in Mesa, AZ.
“We’re excited to partner with Lapua and bring this facility and test capabilities to our current and potential customers,” stated Jim Henderson, Director of Competitions at the Cardinal Shooting Facility, “We feel this will help many consumers, as well as junior and collegiate teams elevate their competitive advantage.”
The new location will feature testing at 100 meters, with electronic target readouts at both 50 meters and 100 meters for each test conducted. Customers have the option to send their rifles in for testing or schedule an onsite appointment to participate and view the test process. Read more
Ashburn, Virginia —Heckler & Koch Defense Inc. is gearing up to deliver between 5,000 and 6,000 complete rifle weapon systems to the US Amy, which plans to deploy them as M110A1 Squad Designated Marksman Rifles (SDMR).
The new HK rifle is a variant of the 7.62 mm G28/HK417. Under terms of the agreement, the rifles, which are manufactured by HK in Oberndorf, Germany will begin to arrive in the HK-USA facility in Columbus, GA early next year. There, HK-USA workers will install scopes and mounts purchased by the Army under a separate agreement. Additionally, HK-USA staff will kit the scoped rifles with additional accessories from 12 other US-based manufacturers to round out the complete SDMR weapon system delivered to the Army. Heckler & Koch will also provide spare parts, support, and training. Read more
GENESEO, ILL. – Springfield Armory® is pleased to announce new M-LOK compatible SAINT rifles chambered in 5.56mm NATO. These SAINT rifles now feature slim M-LOK compatible handguards from Bravo Company, with an internal aluminum heat shield.
The SAINT rifles now come in two configurations – one model features a pinned, picatinny railed gas block and includes an SA low-profile flip-up front sight, and the other has an A2-style front sight and pinned gas block. Each M-LOK compatible SAINT model includes a low-profile, dual aperture flip-up rear sight with ½ minute of angle windage adjustments. Read more
NEWINGTON, N.H. – SIG SAUER, Inc. is pleased to announce the expansion of the Small Parts Shopper to the SIG SAUER P320 and P226 pistols on the SIG SAUER Web Store at sigsauer.com. The SIG SAUER Small Parts Shopper allows end users to quickly and easily purchase small parts for select SIG SAUER Firearms exclusively at the SIG SAUER Web Store, and is now available for the P365, P320, and P226 pistols and the MCX. Read more
Yonkers, NY—Kimber Mfg., Inc. is pleased to announce the Kimber Rewards promotion. Now through September 30th, 2019, eligible consumers will receive a $100 rebate check with the purchase of any EVO SP model: Custom Shop, CDP, TLE, Stainless Raptor, and Two Tone.
This offer is valid only on the retail purchase by eligible consumers of any new Kimber EVO SP firearm from a valid federal firearms license
holder that is purchased between July 1, 2019 and September 30, 2019. After purchasing Kimber’s EVO SP firearm, eligible customers are able to submit their rebate at www.kimberamerica.com/promotions until October 31st, 2019. Once the promotion redemption has been processed, Kimber will mail the rebate in the form of a $100 check. Read more
TRUGLO, Inc. introduces a new family of tactical red dot sights; the IGNiTE™ series satisfies shooters’ needs for a robust and reliable red dot optic for close-quarter, fast sight acquisition scenarios. IGNiTE series optics are aimed at shooters looking for an easy-to-use red dot sight that provides reliability and accuracy at a reasonable price. The IGNiTE series launches with two all-new models:
The IGNiTE 30mm (TG8335BN) boasts a large objective lens that provides a wide field of view protected by molded flip-up lens caps. Designed primarily for tactical carbine applications, the IGNiTE 30mm includes a machined cantilever Picatinny rail mount that provides an absolute co-witness with standard-height backup iron sights. Read more
Destin, FL – If ever an angler truly required high-level hand protection, Northern Minnesota ice fishing guide, Brian “Bro” Brosdahl would be that man. During a frozen-water fishing season that spans nearly five sub-freezing months, Bro does his best to keep his hands under wraps. But after decades of frostbite and numb fingertips on the frozen tundra, the legendary ice angler has finally sworn off a mountain of insufficient ice-gloves for good.
Last year, Bro found the perfect fit and a glove design worthy of a Northcountry winter—Fish Monkey’s Yeti Premium Ice Fishing Glove.
“What convinced me go all in on Fish Monkey was wearing a pair of their Pro 365 Guide Glove all last summer and falling in love with their fit, hand-protection and freedom-of-movement. The gloves perform like they were designed by an angler, which they were. I suspected their ice fishing gloves might be equally special, and I was right.”
Few phone calls later, Bro connected with Fish Monkey president and owner, Tim Mossberg. Before long, the two fishermen became friends, engaging in detailed confabs about the minutiae of ice glove design—and heady concepts like ergonomics, thermo-conductivity and selective permeability.
“I’ve worked with a lot of talented glove and ice apparel engineers over the years,” Bro admits. “It would be hard to image anyone more passionate or knowledgeable about fishing gloves as Tim. Safe to say, Fish Monkey is fishing gloves.” Read more
