NEWS
The Shooting Wire staff has received several emails in the
last couple of days from readers who have stopped receiving their
daily copy of the newsletter. We are aware of the problem and are in
the midst of fixing it. Meanwhile, you can visit our archives to catch
up on any shooting news that you've missed. We apologize for the
inconvenience.
Recruiting new members is a major focus for the United States
Practical Shooting Association (USPSA). Fortunately, USPSA has strong
industry support and along with one of the leading gun makers, Smith &
Wesson, the organization rewarded the recruiting efforts of Richard
Guise of Kingman, Arizona with a brand new M&P pistol.
Soldiers of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit have scored some
major victories recently from the International Shooting Sport
Federation World Cup to the NRA Indoor Pistol Championships.
The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit will host the final 2008 U.S.
Olympic Shooting Team Trials May 12 to 22. Hundreds of America's best
rifle and pistol shooters will descend on the post starting this
weekend for their chance to make this year's Olympic Team.
Sightron, Inc.'s new SII multi-purpose spotting scope kit
contains the essentials for a day of long distance viewing or shooting
at the range, including the SII 20-60x63 spotting scope, a 20-60 zoom
eyepiece for long distance viewing or when higher magnification is
needed, a wide angle 25X eyepiece i for situations that require a wide
field of view, and a retractable sun shade and lanyard style dust
cover.
Smith & Wesson has begun shipping four new models of the
popular Military & Police (M&P) pistol series: the M&P45 midsize,
M&P45 compact, M&P9 Pro Series and the M&P9L pistol, all of which were
introduced at the 2008 SHOT Show. The new models were created to offer
choices for concealed carry and competition.
Winchester Ammunition invites shooters to join the Red W
Club, bringing them the latest news and products offered by
Winchester. The free club offers members priority customer service,
advanced notice of promotions and new product information, hunting
tips, industry news, discounted premiums and the opportunity to help
Winchester guide the continued evolution of its brand.
Schoolchildren in Kentucky will soon learn the lifesaving
message of the National Rifle Association’s Eddie Eagle GunSafeâ
Program. The Eddie Eagle staff, in conjunction with the Jefferson
County Sheriffs’ Office, will be presenting the award-winning program
to children in several elementary schools in the Louisville area from
Monday, May 12 through Wednesday, May 14.
For 2008 Browning will introduce the new Citori 625, the next
in a legendary line of high-performance shotguns. Performance is
improved with the addition of the all new Vector Pro™ extended forcing
cones that are designed to improve ballistic performance. A new
modified trigger offers a lighter, crisper pull.
The National Rifle Association has announced the selection
of Captain Philip Hemphill of the Mississippi Highway Patrol as its
2007 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. Captain Hemphill boasts an
impressive record of dedication to firearm training and marksmanship
as well as a legacy as a nine-time winner of the National Police
Shooting Championships (NPSC).
A special session, “NRA and the Media: It’s not The Critic
Who Counts,” will be held on Sunday, May 18, at 11 AM in Room B 104 of
the Kentucky Exposition Center, at the NRA Annual Meetings, in
Louisville, Kentucky.
Beginning this evening, Louisville, Kentucky will be hosting
the largest archery tournament in US history. Nearly 3,000 entrants
from twenty two states, representing 175 schools will be competing in
the National Archery In the Schools Program (NASP) championships. The
national champs will be crowned tomorrow night, with the top four boys
and top four girls competing in a "Scholarship Shoot Off"
for $14,000 in college scholarships.
In Open Pistol, Saul Kirsch of the Netherlands took first
place with a time of 63.87 seconds.
Jan ter Borg of the Netherlands captured the Rimfire title
and led Dutch shooters in a sweep of the top five spots in the
division.
It was Marian Loch über alles as the German shooter captured
the standard Pistol Steel Challenge title at the 2008 European Speed
Shooting Championships at the Steel Challenge ranges in Winterswijk,
Netherlands. Loch won the Standard Pistol title with a score of 78.22
seconds. Denmark’s Ralf Jensen finished second with 78.97. Saul
Kirsch, winner of the Open Pistol title, claimed third shooting a
standard pistol for a score of 80.64
And finally, Mario Siemeling of the Netherlands had a busy
weekend at the 2008 European Speed Shooting Championships where he
captured both the Steel Challenge Open and Standard Revolver titles.
FEATURE
Seeing Adds to Believing Having hunted once with Extreme
Shock’s ammunition, I already knew the company’s somewhat exotic
ammunition performed as promised on game. The powdered metal (they
call it Nytrillium) from which their ammo is made travels like a
normal bullet, staying inside the ballistics expected from the
selected round. When it makes contact with a fluid container (like a
hog, for example) it penetrates the skin, then literally
disintegrates, delivering an awesome amount of energy into the target.
Without getting into gruesome detail, it delivered awesome
single-shot stops. In hunting, quick and humane harvesting are the
ultimate goals.
But that performance made me somewhat skeptical at claims of the same
basic ingredients being combined to create a round that could deliver
that sort of damage with no danger to anything behind the target.
In my experience, anything with that sort of stopping power comes
with the inherent danger of over-penetration.
That in mind, I was pretty interested in a demonstration Extreme
Shock’s Jeff Mullins put on for a group of writers recently. In that
demonstration, Mullins set out to show us that he could deliver what
he promised in tactical situations. Those promises included rounds
with the capability to eliminate a target yet not spraying an area
with ricochets, glances and spatter and devastating damage without
richochet dangers in the heavy home defense weapon – the shotgun.
In each case, it’s easy to understand the benefit of eliminating
stray rounds for any reason. If you’re an EMT, you understand the idea
of having a round that eliminates the nasty shards most bullets
scatter through a victim.
In his demonstration, Mullins said he would confidently demonstrate
the frangibility of his rounds.
When he showed us what he had in mind, I thought, frankly, he’d lost
his mind.
Point Blank Shooting
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Carrying a full-auto M4 Carbine loaded with
frangibles, Mullins walked up to a metal silhouette target. Read “up
to” as point-blank range. From there, he simply cut loose with single
rounds, then short bursts into a steel. Piles of powder hit the floor,
but nothing came back from the rounds.
OK, that’s one impressive demo.
But he wasn’t done. From there, he demonstrated the awesome power of
a 12-gauge shotgun slug –minus the danger of that slug delivering
that same awesome power to a collateral target. Again at point blank
range, Mullins proceeded to fire a 12-gauge slug into a gel block.
Non Penetrating
side-by-side |
As the image shows, the gel
block suffered what might be called “massive damage”. The the sheet
rock bolted only inches behind it was covered with gel chunks, but
otherwise undamaged. Lots of energy went into the target, literally
pushing gel out the other side. The slug, however, turned into a
powder inside a huge wound.
Case made.
Finally, Mullins demonstrated the stopping power of the handgun
rounds – again without the over-penetration concerns common to normal
issue-ammo. The shot into the gel block wasn’t unimpressive, but it
was nothing like as impressive as seeing a .40 cal handgun round pass
through one sheet of sheet rock without damaging the second. Again,
evidence of the technology that might eliminate one of the primary
fears of a police officer in a shooting situation – the pass through
round taking out an innocent on the other side of a wall.
Wallboard Shot
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As you can see from this photo, the impact on the
first piece of wallboard was obvious. The second piece, although
spattered with fragments, was intact.
So what does all this mean? To most of us, it’s a demonstration of
the absolutely amazing advances being made in today’s ammunition
technology. As a homeowner concerned with endangering my own family or
neighbors should I be forced to fire in a defensive situation, it
means I can be assured that danger is minimized as much as
possible.
If you’re a law enforcement officer, that same assurance means the
ability to shoot more confidently in an emergency situation.
The advances in today’s ammunition, as exhibited so graphically by
Jeff Mullins and Extreme Shock, go a long way toward making me more
confident about recommending a firearm for home defense to my friends,
family and neighbors.
All those are good things.
---Jim Shepherd
You can learn more about Extreme Shock by visiting their website: www.extremeshockusa.com
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CALENDAR
May 16 2008 Mississippi USPSA Classic Jackson,
MS. Info: John Heiter john@teammagnolia.com (601) 925-5372, Level
III
May 17 Eastern Lakes Sectional Championships
May 16-20 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits NRA's
"Celebration of American Values"
May 22 USPSA Area 8
Championship East Huntingdon Sportsmen's, Scottsdale, PA.
Contacts: Ron Rodgers (724) 309-7568 or rodgers.ron@comcast.net or
Dennis Kriek EPHSAMatch@gmail.com
May 22 2008 Area 8
Championships
May 21-24 30th Annual NRA Bianchi
Cup (National Action Pistol Championship) Green Valley Rifle &
Pistol Club, Columbia, MO. Contact: Tom Hughes thughes@nrahq.org
(703) 267.1478 or 800.672.3888 #1478
May 30 Kentucky
USPSA Multi-Gun State Championship 2008 USPSA Level
II
May 30 2008 Wyoming State Championship USPSA
Level II Event
May 30-June 1 Byron Ferguson Bare Bone
Shooting School
May 27-June 1 US Open Sporting
Clays Championship
June 5 4th Annual High Desert
Classic at Albuquerque
June 6 Indiana Section
and State Championship
June 6 2008 Area 7
Championships
June 6 Virginia-Maryland Section
Championship
June 6-8 17th SMITH & WESSON
INTERNATIONAL REVOLVER CHAMPIONSHIP The Hogue Action Pistol Range,
Morro Bay, CA. Info: Nelson Dymond MD www.ICORE.org
nelsondymond@yahoo.com
$150 Early Bird Registration -$200 After April 1st
Juniors (under 18 years of age) NO CHARGE
June 6-8 NRA Regional HP Rifle Championship
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