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As time moves forward, there seems to be an ever increasing number of great new shooting products coming to the marketplace. Here’s a sampling of some of them. Bartlein Barrels - Single Point Cut Rifled Barrels
As an active competition shooter, I am always on the lookout for great barrels, ones that are of premium quality, accurate, and are perfectly tailored to the needs of the cartridge and bullet I am shooting, as well as the particular shooting that is involved. In late 2005, Bartlein Barrels, Inc. (www.bartleinbarrels.com) began making their new line of premium single point cut rifled barrels that are not only exceptional in quality, but can be made to meet the specific needs of the shooter in terms of barrel twist, length, contour, the type of and number of lands, etc. While there are certainly some great barrel makers out in the market place, when you have specific requirements or needs, some barrel makers cannot accommodate these needs, and you are stuck working with choices you would prefer not to make. For instance, for 6.5 mm bullets in the 139-142 gr. range many barrel makers only have 6.5 mm barrels in 1:8” twist or 1:9” twist, but for shooting the Sierra 142 gr. MatchKing’s out of a 6.5 x 284, I prefer the popular 1:8.5” twist. Correspondingly, in the 6mm bore size, for shooting a bullet like the 115 gr. DTAC, many barrel makers only make barrels in 1:7” twist or 1:8” twist, with nothing in between. In the 6mm bore size this can be an issue with a bullet like the 115 gr. DTAC. I once bought a 1:8” twist 6mm barrel, had it chambered up with a cartridge to shoot the 115’s, only to find out that it was not a true 1:8” twist, and the bullets would not stabilize properly. Thereafter, I bought the 1:7” twist, and had the barrel chambered up, only to find out that with the extra twist, pressures spiked up quickly in a way that severely restricted the usable velocity I could obtain out of the barrel. With Bartlein barrels, a shooter now has the ability to specify and obtain whatever twist is “just right”. While Bartlein Barrels, Inc. is a relatively new company, it is owned and operated by some well-known and experienced hands. The main principals of the company are Frank Green and Tracy Bartlein, who were both with Krieger Barrels for a number of years.
Frank and Tracy ultimately started Bartlein Barrels, and along with the assistance of the experienced Andy Kihn, who also previously worked with Krieger, they created and made a new fully automated CNC barrel making machine that is state of the art in all respects, and it not only offers infinite flexibility in terms of barrel making, but it has easy to use touch screen controls as well. Various aspects of the new machine are currently in the process of being patented. With this new barrel making machine, they can produce barrels that are from two grooves (and lands) up to about twenty five grooves (and lands). In addition, because the machine is a CNC machine, the twists of the barrels produced are not limited by the gear driven mechanisms of traditional barrel machines, and a customer can select whatever twist is desired. For instance, one of the first barrels I ordered was a 6mm four groove barrel in 1:7.8” twist. I wanted a barrel with a twist that was definitely fast enough to stabilize the 115 gr. DTAC, but not so fast as to elevate pressures. In speaking with Frank Green, he indicated with the touch screen controls, he could quickly and easily program the machine to make any twist I desired down to more decimal places than anyone could ever need (for instance, like a 1:7.8752” twist). To round out their core people, Frank and Tracy also brought on John Tacke, who also previously worked for Krieger.
Make no mistake about it, this new “high tech” machinery Bartlein brings to barrel making is brought to the table for one purpose – to make the very best possible single point cut rifled barrels! Frank described the steps they use to make Bartlein barrels, and he first noted that the raw material they use for barrel making is double stress relieved. A rough blank is first drilled and then contoured to the desired contour. After contouring, the blank is then reamed, and then pre-lapped before rifling to remove virtually all tool marks. After pre-lapping, the barrel is then rifled, and then finish lapped. In addition, the finished barrel blank has a polished exterior finish which leaves the finished barrel blank with a beautiful and smooth exterior finish. At this point, I have taken delivery of eight Bartlein barrels and their performance and accuracy is a non-issue, and not only do they look great on the outside, but the bore and inside of the barrels show their quality and the attention to detail. When I bore scoped each barrel, they all looked perfect on the inside as well.
I recently spoke to Alan Warner of Warner Tool Co., Inc. to obtain his comments and opinions on Bartlein barrels. Alan said straight out “they’re beautiful”. He then went on to say with Bartlein barrels “it’s like old home days” where you order a barrel and don’t worry about it because when you get it, it will be right. Alan recently chambered up a Bartlein barrel for his wife’s (Vanessa’s) 6.5 x 284 F Class rifle. He indicated that right after he chambered it and mounted it to the rifle, he took it out (with no load development) and shot four ten shot groups at 600 yards, and they all came in around 1.5” (around .25 MOA). He also indicated that it cleaned up quickly and easily and had “no copper”. It’s a “beautiful barrel and it shoots well”. He also indicated that of the 20 or so Bartlein barrels that he and Dan have mounted on customer guns, there have been no issues, problems or complaints, and that’s a “good thing”, especially since he and Dan build rifles for customers who are not only considered some of the best shooters in the world, but who also demand the best from their rifles. In this author’s opinion, Bartlein Barrels, Inc. gets an eager “thumbs up” for it’s great new offering. The Sierra 6.5mm 123 gr. MatchKing Bullet (#1727) With the influx of the new 6.5 x 47 Lapua brass into U.S. in 2006, this author just could not resist chambering up a barrel to try out the new 6.5mm cartridge. Coming from the perspective of an “across the course” high power shooter, the question became what bullets would be optimum to use with the cartridge, and after trying out a number of bullets, mainly between 120-142 gr., Sierra’s new 123 gr. 6.5mm MatchKing seems to be a perfectly balanced bullet for use with the 6.5 x 47 Lapua, at all yard lines (i.e. between 200-600 yards).
Sierra released the 6.5 mm 123 gr. MatchKing in 2006, and the bullet was designed to “fill the gap” for a mid-weight, high B.C. bullet for long-range target and silhouette shooters. According to Sierra, the 123 gr. 6.5 mm MatchKing has an impressive B.C. of .510 when driven over 1635 fps, which makes it an ideal bullet for 200 – 600 yards, and just the ticket for “across the course” competition shooting. In addition, the Sierra B.C. numbers are generally viewed as conservative, which makes it even better. When one compares the new 123 gr. 6.5mm projectile next to Sierra’s existing 120 gr. 6.5mm MatchKing, some differences are immediately apparent. The new 123 gr. projectile was made with a more long-range design, and it has a longer ogive in the front, a smaller meplat at the tip, and a longer boat tail in the back. These design features were all incorporated into the bullet to preserve downrange efficiency, enhance accuracy, and reduce wind drift. What this author found is that when teamed up with the 6.5 x 47 Lapua cartridge, this bullet can easily be accurately driven up in the 2950 – 3000 fps range, yielding essentially the same “long line” performance as many of the “hot” 6mm cartridges (6XC, 6mm/22-250, 243 Win, etc.). In addition, the bigger bore size of the 6.5 mm with such a cartridge will undoubtedly yield a longer barrel life over the 6mm’s as well.
This bullet is a great offering, and definitely “fills the gap” for a mid-weight long-range bullet that has long been desired in the 6.5mm match bullet offerings. In addition, while not specifically tried in the 6.5 Grendel, this bullet is also, without question, a perfect “long-range” bullet for the 6.5 Grendel cartridge. Sabreco’s Parkerized Steel AR-15/AR-10 Rear Sight Base There’s not a whole lot more to say about the AR-15/AR-10 rear sight base offered by Sabreco, Inc., because once you use it, it’s one of those great silent products you can forget about. Therein lies the reason why the sight base is so good, there’s no continuing issues, no maintenance needed, and nothing to worry about. The rear sight base was designed by Fred Szablewski, the owner of Sabreco, Inc. in Skippack, PA (610-584-8228). Fred is a skilled gunsmith and also an accomplished high power rifle competitor. The sight base was designed to accommodate the needs and demands of Fred’s AR-15 and AR-10 customers for a rear sight base to allow one to mount iron “match rifle” sights directly onto an AR-15 or AR-10 flat top upper receiver.
The sight base is steel, and it has a parkerized finish that is virtually impervious to rust and corrosion. The base is designed to easily clamp on to a flat top upper receiver and to permit a number of popular rear sights to mount directly to it without anything other than the mounting screw that comes with the sight (i.e. Warner, PNW, Redfield, Phoenix Precision, Zelenak, etc.). In addition, the height of the base also works out to be ideal as well. The base sells for $75.00. If you are setting up a space gun and you need to mount iron sights to a flat top upper receiver, you owe it to yourself to give this sight base a try. You buy the base once and use it forever with no hassles and no issues, and what more can you ask for? Troxell’s AR-15 Bolt Carrier Carbon Removal Brush Anyone who has ever shot an AR-15 and field stripped the bolt carrier knows what a hassle it can be to remove the carbon that always builds up inside the bolt carrier. Now there’s a quick easy-to-use tool to get the carbon out and do it fast, thanks to Joseph Troxell, a shooter from Eastern Pennsylvania. Joe is an active high power rifle competition shooter who is regularly seen on the firing line of Eastern PA high power rifle matches with his AR-15 space gun. Joe decided to make up a special tool to remove the bolt carrier carbon in his rifles, and when he showed the tool to other shooters, there was an immediate interest in it. Joe pursued the interest and recently made an arrangement with Evolution Gun Works, Inc. in Quakertown, PA (215-538-1012) to produce and sell his “AR-15 Bolt Carrier Carbon Removal Brush”. The tool has a beautiful knurled aluminum handle that holds a replaceable stainless steel brush. Once the carrier is apart, you insert the brush into the front end of the bolt carrier and twirl it around to remove the carbon build up inside the carrier. The tool makes short work of a job that has traditionally been a nuisance for many. The tool itself and replacement stainless steel brushes are readily available from Evolution Gun Works, Inc. (www.EGW-guns.com). The tool currently sells for $19.99. If you like to shoot, and cleaning your rifle is not one of your favorite chores, this is one of those simple products that can help take the “nuisance” out of nuisance work. First Strike Products – T2K Extended 20 MOA Top Rail & Stock Assembly First Strike Products in Alpharetta, Georgia, recently released some great after market products for the Tubb 2000 rifle. These products are exceptionally well thought out and made, and address some of the issues confronting shooters using the Tubb 2000 rifle.
Anna Kinney, the owner of First Strike Products, is an avid highpower rifle competition shooter. She also shoots a Tubb 2000 rifle (along with other rifles), and she designed a 20 MOA extended scope rail and a T2K stock assembly (and related items) to address some of the issues she (and others) experienced while shooting the rifle. One of the complaints from shooters is that the flat factory rail is too short in the front, and does not have any forward lean. Anna uses a Nightforce scope for 1000 yard shooting, and not only did she have a problem mounting the scope far enough forward (because of the 3”+ eye relief of the scope), but she also did not have enough elevation to acquire a 1000 yard zero with it. The solution for her was to make an after market T2K extended rail with 20 MOA of forward lean. This extended scope rail is premium in all respects and sells for $200.00. She also expects to follow up by offering two other rails, an extended flat rail, as well as a stepped rail that is flat in the rear for irons and has 20 MOA in the front for a scope.
The second group of items currently being offered is a very rigid but fully adjustable after market T2K stock assembly, as well as solid aluminum or weighted stainless steel butt plate shafts. Anna explained that many T2K shooters have found the factory T2K butt stock assembly is hard to adjust, especially during a match, for positions that go from offhand, to sitting, to prone. Another complaint is the “spongy” shock absorber shaft that comes with the factory stock. She noticed that some shooters have wanted additional stock assemblies so that between stages they could merely switch out (pre-adjusted) stocks, avoiding the need to fuss with trying to adjust the stock at the match. In addition, many shooters wanted to get away from the factory “spongy” shock absorber butt plate shaft. The offerings of First Strike Products address all these concerns. If you have an existing T2K and want to replace the factory shock absorber butt plate shaft with a solid one, you can purchase a solid aluminum replacement for $32.50 or a weighted stainless steel one for $45.00. The entire additional stock assembly sells for $500.00 and is offered for right and left hand rifles. For more information, Anna Kinney at First Strike Products (www.First-Strike-Products.com) can be reached at (770) 663-0009. Pacific Tool - 6.5 x 47 Lapua Reamer With the influx of the new 6.5 x 47 Lapua brass into the United States, many shooters are eager to give the cartridge a try. Dave Kiff at Pacific Tool has “stepped up to the plate” and made an offering of reamers designed around the 6.5 x 47 Lapua case. Some of the more popular reamer designs, based off the case include the 6mm version (i.e. a necked down 6.5 x 47 Lapua) as well as a straight up 6.5 x 47 Lapua, and the 7mm and 30 cal. versions (i.e. necked up 6.5 x 47 Lapua cartridges). Additionally, a host of shooters have made orders for “improved” versions of the cartridge as well. As an across the course highpower rifle competition shooter, I worked with Dave to make up a number of such reamers that would be suitable for across the course shooting. These reamers are pictured and can be viewed on the website www.6mmHOT.com
Before submitting this article, I had a fairly limited opportunity to test out both the 6.5mm and 6mm versions of the 6.5 x 47 Lapua (made with the Pacific Tool Reamers), and I was definitely impressed. At a 3x600 yard match, my first match was shot with the 6.5 x 47 Lapua shooting Lapua 123 gr. Scenars at right around 3000 fps and the cartridge delivered up a winning 200/16x 600 yard score. The second match was shot with the 6mm version (i.e. a 6.5 x 47 Lapua necked down to 6mm) shooting 6mm Berger 105 VLD’s right around 3000 fps, in more windy conditions. This cartridge also delivered up a winning 200/10x 600 yard score. The third match was shot with the 6.5 x 47 Lapua again in more windy conditions, but this time shooting the Sierra 123 gr. MatchKings (mentioned earlier in this article) at right around 3000 fps. One point was lost to the wind, and otherwise a 199/9x was the score, with a total aggregate on the day of 599/35x – great job, Dave!
If you are interested in shooting the 6.5 x 47 Lapua or any of its progeny, Dave Kiff at Pacific Tool (www.PacificToolandGauge.com) has a bevy of suitable reamers and reamer designs, and can be reached at (541) 826-5808. The contact information relating to the above products is as follows: Bartlein Barrels, Inc. Sierra Bullets Sabreco, Inc. EGW, Inc. First Strike Products Dave Kiff
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