June 2009 Barnes Bullet-N
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Last month we attended the annual NRA convention, which was held this year in Phoenix, Arizona. While the convention is always interesting, I was heavily reminded of the concerns we all are currently faced with. The shooting public is keenly aware of the forces working to limit private firearm ownership in this country.
More than 40,000 people showed up the opening day of the convention. Some had to be turned away to avoid exceeding the building’s capacity. It was reported that more than 65,000 people were in attendance. Many attended for only one or two days.
NRA membership is booming due to the political climate in this country. Well over 600,000 people have joined since the new administration took office. At the convention, NRA staff members wore badges displaying the rapid membership growth, but with 80 million gun owners in this country we’ve still got a long way to go.
Another thing that caught my attention was the number of women in attendance. I don’t recall having before seen that many women at the convention. The fact is, women represent the fastest-growing demographic in our industry. Men should encourage their wives, sweethearts and daughters to engage in the hunting and shooting sports. I also believe strongly that everyone, women in particular, should learn how to properly defend themselves with a firearm if necessary.
When my wife, Coni, and my daughter, Jessica, recently asked me about attending a defensive shooting school, I was all for it. I attended one of these schools several years ago, and was surprised at how much I learned. It made me a more knowledgeable shooter and a more proficient handgunner. I’m much more comfortable about the fact that my girls increased their confidence and skill level should a self defense situation present itself.
As shooters and hunters, we should all be aware of the mid-term elections coming up next year. I urge you to pay close attention to the candidates who support us in our sport and will vigorously defend our freedoms.
If you’re not already a member of the National Rifle Association, be aware the NRA is offering free one-year memberships to everyone who wants to join. To take advantage of this unique offer, click here.
The NRA wants to build up its membership to fight pending legislation from this administration and the current congressional leadership that will impact our 2nd-Amendment right to keep and bear arms. It’s important for anti-gun senators and congressmen to see how many voters they’ll have to fight to get such legislation passed.
If you’re not yet a member of the NRA, I encourage you to click on the membership link above. Joining takes only a few minutes—and right now you can do it free! If you’re already a member, renew your membership now. Or dig a little deeper and buy a lifetime membership. The NRA provides an invaluable service to shooting sportsmen. It needs your ongoing help and support in the legislative battles that lie ahead.
Randy Brooks
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I hope you are all enjoying the warm weather. For us here in Utah, it is very welcome after our long, hard winter.
We at Barnes Bullets are all very happy to be finally settled into our new facility and have become somewhat organized. We are just finishing the parking lots and landscaping, along with a few other items that still need to be taken care of within the plant area. We hope to have everything completed very soon. Our official grand opening is scheduled for June 13th. This will allow us to invite people from the nearby communities to come and see Barnes’ bullets being made and tested. We expect to visit with quite a number of people that day.
We’ve been busy this past month making and shipping bullets. We are still achieving an amazing 98-percent fill rate on orders shipped from our plant to various dealers and distributors. We are very proud of that record, and continue to work very hard to keep that percentage up.
In May, we attended the NRA Convention in Phoenix, AZ. It was amazing to see all the people who came through the doors. At one point, they had to turn people away as the convention center was at full capacity. This was a very successful show, and we were delighted to see so many people. In fact, we exhausted our supply of catalogs and DVDs before the end of the show. We thought we had planned well, but many exhibitors were in the same boat as we were. We simply underestimated the number of people who would be attending. Having so many men and women visiting our booth is certainly nothing to complain about! We were extremely happy to see this kind of support for our industry.
Shortly after the NRA Convention, Jessica and I attended a defensive handgun course at Gunsite in Paulden, Arizona. We both wanted professional instruction to help us feel comfortable with our handguns and defensive shooting skills. It was a two-day course and we pounded it pretty hard. We were fortunate to have Il Ling New as our instructor. She is an amazing individual, and not just because she’s a woman! Il Ling is an extremely competent, organized and thorough firearms instructor. The course focuses on a balance of gun handling, marksmanship and mindset. By the end of the course, we were feeling much more comfortable in these areas. We are now better prepared to protect ourselves and others.
Gunsite offers all types of courses for handgun, carbine, rifle and shotgun shooters. Novice and women shooters are encouraged to attend and made to feel very comfortable, no matter their skill level. In fact, special “women only” classes are also offered. Gunsite trains not only citizens, but police and elite military units as well. If you would like to know more about Gunsite, give the people there a call at 928-636-4565, or visit the website: www.gunsite.com.
Coni and Jessica used these 357 caliber Smith & Wesson revolvers with 38 Special 110 grain Frangible ICC Ammunition for most of the training.
Jessica and I would like to offer a special thanks to Owen “Buzz” Mills, owner of Gunsite Academy, Il Ling New, Ed Head, Elin Ray, Jane Ann Shimizu, and all of the Gunsite staff for an excellent experience. Gunsite is a strong supporter of the NRA. In fact, after working behind the scenes for many years now, Buzz was recently elected to the NRA Board of Directors. We would also like to thank Jared Sellers and Mike Barham of Galco for supplying us with belts, holsters, and carriers. Thanks as well to James Dawson from Safariland for the great speedloaders and to ICC Ammunition for supplying the ammunition. Quality, functional equipment is imperative. And finally, last but not least, our deepest appreciation to Ann Harrington at the Little Thumb Butte Bed & Breakfast in Paulden for taking such excellent care of us after those long, hard days. Ann is a graduate of Gunsite Academy herself.
The first day of our instruction was filmed for the NRA’s “American Guardian Television” show, hosted by American Rifleman field editor Chad Adams. It airs on the Outdoor Channel every Wednesday evening. Look for the broadcast time in your local area and check it out – I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. It’s a very informative and interesting show that can be viewed by the entire family. Topics covered are tactical and survival skills, personal protection, guns and gear, and training tips. They’re even working on a predator defense episode.
As always, we appreciate your great support for Barnes Bullets. We will continue working hard to introduce new, innovative products for our customers.
Thanks so much,
Coni Brooks
Q.
I am not familiar with the powders you refer to as ‘Magnum” and “MagPro.” The Barnes Reloading Manual Number 4 lists these powders for .300 Ultra loads. Please advise the correct name and producer or distributor.
A.
Although these powders are not well known because they are relatively new, in many cases they work very well. Magnum is made by Ramshot and Mag Pro is an Accurate Arms powder. Both are divisions of Western Powder located in Miles City, Montana. The toll-free phone number is 800-497-1007, or you can call 406-232-0422.
You may also find these powders available through your local sporting goods stores or mail order from Midway USA (800-243-3220) or Cabela’s (800-237-4444).
Q.
Hi there,
I am wondering if Barnes can provide me with a reduced-load recipe for a .300 WSM using 150-grain TSX bullets. I would like to create a whitetail load for my daughter using this bullet at velocities and recoil levels mimicking those produce by a .30-30 or .308 Winchester.
Thank you, in advance, for any help or suggestions you can provide.
A.
Reduced loads can potentially cause a dangerous situation. We don’t recommend reducing loads below the minimum charges listed in our reloading manual. However, the new 2009 Hodgdon Annual Manual has a very nice article by Ken Kempa entitled “The Right Start”. It goes into depth about reloading MELS – or Moderate Effective Loads. I highly recommend it to you as good reading material for reduced recoil loadings for younger hunters or those that are sensitive to recoil.
Alternatively, you might consider switching to a lighter bullet like our 110-grain TSX or 130-grain TSX. Both are great choices for whitetail deer. Typically, they will completely penetrate, even if a shoulder shot is taken or bone is encountered.
These lightweight bullets can mimic the reduced recoil of less powerful cartridges. For instance, a .308 Winchester factory load firing a 165-grain bullet at 2650 feet per second (fps) develops 19 foot-pounds (ft.-lbs.) of recoil. A .300 WSM launching a 110-grain TSX at 3450 fps creates 20 ft.-lbs. of recoil, while a 130-grain TSX leaving the muzzle of a .300 WSM at 3150 fps produces 21 ft.-lbs. of recoil. All these figures are based upon a 7-pound rifle.
Please feel free to call or email if you have any other questions.
Thanks, Ty
Here’s a picture of a great Cape buffalo bull I killed in Maswa, Tanzania. The bull’s horns measured 48 inches, tip to tip. He went down with one shot and never got up. I used a .416 Rigby firing a 400-grain TSX. I killed two other buffalo, also with one shot apiece. I was hunting with Ian Batchelor of Tanzania Game Trackers safaris. I also took numerous plains game with one shot at distances of up to 350 yards using a .338 Ultra Mag and 250-grain TSXs. These bullets gave awesome performance. Thanks for the great products and the technical help.
—Michael Park
Venison Stroganoff
2 lbs. venison roast marinated in 2 cups buttermilk to tenderize
3 tbsp. flour to coat meat
2 tbsp. bacon fat
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Stroganoff Sauce
4 tbsp. flour
3 tbsp. butter
one cup of milk
one cup sour cream
Salt, pepper to taste
Drain venison from buttermilk. Cut venison into bite-size chunks. Salt and pepper to taste
Place in zip lock bag with flour and salt & pepper. Shake to coat.
Heat bacon fat and stir fry venison quickly, remove from pan.
Add pepper and onions to pan and cook until tender.
Drain off any remaining fat and return the venison to pan and allow to simmer.
Mix butter and flour in a sauce pan. Slowly add milk, sour cream and seasonings, stirring to blend .
Add Stroganoff sauce to the venison. Stir to mix thoroughly; cover with a lid and simmer until tender.
Serve over egg noodles.
Barnes Bullets has now moved into its brand-new facility in Mona, Utah. The plant includes a large, state-of-the art ballistics lab, complete with five roomy workstations for technicians. Each station is equipped with a computer—all data is transferred and stored electronically, contributing to a paper-free environment for quick access and ease of storage.
Bullets to be tested are sent from the production floor directly to the lab via pneumatic tubes—a time-saving expedient that adds to efficiency. Guns and test barrels are housed in a massive walk-in vault, while prepared blocks of ballistic gelatin are stored nearby in a large, commercial-grade refrigerator.
Major highlights of the ballistics lab are three fully equipped shooting ranges. These indoor ranges allow testing at 25, 100 and 300 yards. Each well-illuminate range offers two separate concrete shooting stations. The 25- and 100-yard ranges feature mechanized target retrieval. Bullet traps at the far end of each range are filled with shredded recycled tire material. A large, specially designed water tank is used to regularly test bullet expansion.
Designed for accurate testing and efficiency, Barnes’ new ballistic lab is a major asset to the Mona facility.
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I’ve lived in Utah most of my life. I graduated from Lehi High School in 1989 and received an Associate degree from Utah Valley State College in Automotive Technology. I have worked as a mechanic for much of my life. Even when I was doing something else, I always seemed to “mechanic along” with whatever it was I was doing.
I love most anything that has to do with the outdoors—camping, hunting, motorcycling, hiking, and four-wheeling. I love to shoot, and handload almost all of my ammunition. If it’s an adventure, I will give it a try. My last big adventure was driving from Costa Rica to the United States in a 1976 Land Cruiser that I’d purchased there.
Two years ago I moved to southern Arizona, where I got a job as a federal law enforcement officer. I get to spend much of my time outside, so it suits me fine.
—Jeff Hollingsworth
Wheeler Engineering’s Professional Scope Mounting Kit
This combo kit joins the popular family of scope-mounting kits from Wheeler Engineering. The combo kit features scope ring lapping rods and alignment bars in both 30mm and 1-inch sizes, along with a supply of lapping compound. Lapping the rings insure an ideal, tension-free fit and prevents marring the surface of your scope. A lapping bar handle is included.
The combo kit also contains an easy-to-use Level-Level-Level scope leveling tool to make sure your crosshairs are perfectly level and aligned once the scope is mounted. In addition, there’s a FAT Wrench torque screwdriver with 10 gunsmith-quality bits to make sure you’ve applied exactly the right amount of tension when tightening screws. This prevents stripped threads, burred heads and sheared-off screws. You also get thread-locking compound and an instructional DVD that takes you through each step required to professionally mount your scope.
“Wheeler Engineering has consistently delivered the top gunsmithing products on the market today,” said Battenfeld president Russ Potterfield. “The new scope mounting combo kit contains everything anyone would need to professionally mount any scope with precision.”
The Wheeler Engineering Professional Scope Mounting Combo retails for $129.99.
For more information, visit the Wheeler website: www.wheelerengineering.com or www.battenfeldtechnologies.com.
Coni Brooks pictured with a 650-pound feral hog she killed in May of this year with a 45/70 Marlin Guide Gun and the new 400 grain Barnes Buster. The bullet entered the chest, penetrated the length of the body, and exited a hind leg. Outstanding performance! Busters in 44, 45 and 50 caliber handgun calibers are coming soon.