hes@ccvr1.cc.ncsu.edu (Henry E. Schaffer) (07/01/91)
A book which can speak to a wide variety of needs and interests may go on to sell very well, and I think that this one might. While it appears to be mostly about benchrest shooting, it has a lot in it which would be useful to any shooter interested in rifle accuracy. [Comments in square brackets are mine.] The Ultimate in Rifle Accuracy by Glenn Newick Getting the Most Out of Your Equipment and Yourself [This is the subtitle on the cover.] A handbook for those who seek the ultimate in rifle accuracy; whether it be for competition, testing or hunting. [This is the subtitle on the title page.] Stoeger Publishing Co., South Hackensack, NJ, 1989 ISBN: 0-88317-159-7 6" x 9" paperbound 210 pages Table of Contents Forward [by Bob White, three term president of the International Benchrest Shooters Association] Preface [giving a little of the author's motivation and philosophy] 1. Safety [a bit of a sermon plus some practical tips and principles] 2. History [starting with the invention of gunpowder, but quickly getting into the history and development of modern high accuracy rifles - note that rifles at the turn of the century could already shoot sub-MOA groups. A blackpowder 10-shot group of .725" at 200 yards was shot from a bench with a 32/40 in 1901.] 3. The Rifle a. Stocks b. Actions C. Barrels d. Scopes [mostly descriptions and information] 4. The 6PPC [this is *the* modern benchrest caliber - the development by Dr. Louis Palmisano and Ferris Pindell is discussed - hence the name from Palmisano Pindell Cartrige - and some discussion of its use] 5. Benchrest Bullets [description of the configuration and manufacture of these little jacketed jewels - one very informative sentence was "... benchrest bullets have a hollow point, the hollow point design was chose for target bullets to keep as much weight as possible at the maximum bullet diameter." I've been wondering why a hollow point was chosen for target use, with the effect of moving the center of gravity somewhat backwards] 6. The Bench and Bench Technique [this gets into some equipment and techniques which are central to this sport - the differences between such positions as hard hold and free recoil are discussed - my shoulder aches just at the thought of shooting my .308 Win. as a free recoil rifle :-)] 7. What is a Match [details of how it is arranged, plus some practical aspects as traveling economically] 8. Wind Shooting [while understanding the wind is essential to doing well in benchrest shooting, it also is important in other shooting sports and hunting - here is some information which may have wide applicability] 9. Advanced Wind Shooting [shooting strategy when conditions change] 10. Wind flags [discussion of several design] 11. Mirage [a short chapter, with sugestion that the mirage chapter in "The Accurage Rifle" be read] 12. Practics and Competition [strategy and mental preparation] 13. Light Varmint [a discussion of this class, its use and records] 14. Heavy Varmint [ditto for this class] 15. Unlimited/Heavy Bench [a discussion of this class which includes a lot of experimentation and things which barely look like rifles] 16. Hunter Rifles [a class in which the rifles have to be at least something close to a hunting-type of rifle. Max weight is 10 lbs, the cartridge must have at least the powder capacity of the .30-30, caliber is at least 6mm, a working safety is required as is a magazine which holds at least two rounds. Scopes are limited to 6X. Scoring is via the traditional X, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 rings.] 17. Case Preparation [sections of safety, segregation, expansion, neck turning, and neck dimensions] 18. Loading Technique and Load Selection [lots of detailed information, including how to test shot, and how to trouble-shoot] 19. Cleaning Technique [discussion of why benchrest shooters spend more time cleaning than shooting, how well a modern benchrest barrel responds to being clean, and suggestions of brands of cleaning equipment and chemicals, and the importance of using a bore guide] 20. Benchrest Techniques for Hunting Rifles [discussion of using these to improve accuracy] 21. Troubleshooting [general discussion of categories of problems] 22. Current Record Lists Glossary [a *long* (13 page) list of terms along with definitions - this will be of help generally in the shooting sports because so many terms are really general gun-related terms] Appendix A: Addresses - Organizations, Suppliers, Gunsmiths, Benchrest Clubs [12 pages - probably pretty useful for a while] Appendix B: Books on Accuracy [4 pages - one of the books for which a very high recommendation is given is The Accurate Rifle by Warren Page (1973, paperback ed. by Stoeger). While its equipment discussions are dated, it still has a very good reputation. Index This is a well written and informative book. It should be equally interesting to bench rest shooters and others who want to get the maximum accuracy for other types of rifles. This book should be a good complement to Sinclair's "Precision Shooting Handbook" which covers much of the same ground but from much more of an equipment and accessory oriented point of view - which is understandable since Sinclair sells equipment and accessories. --henry schaffer n c state univ