Ballistic August/September 2021

Here we are with Ballistic’s fourth “Precision” edition, and the discipline of long-range precision shooting hasn’t even hit its peak. It simply continues to grow in popularity. As you’ll notice from our main cover (our subscribers cover got the gear-only treatment), we spent some quality time with former SEAL sniper and trainer Charlie Melton, who trained some of our most elite snipers in the War on Terror. Beginning on page 36, Charlie walks us through an abbreviated training session, helps us to shoot a mile and master moving targets, then sits down with us and chops it up in a revealing exclusive interview. Be sure to visit ballisticmag.com for companion video content. There is still much to unpack from the precision trunk of knowledge, and you’ll find out just how much you…

KADRETM GLOVE $49* Built from a lightweight and breathable mesh and outfitted with a high-dexterity Ax Laredo palm, the Kadre gloves are fit for rough duty. The backhand features an integrated bump knuckle, while the uniquely patterned palm provides an unrivaled grip for pistol and rifle use. *INCLUDES MORALPHABETTM HOOK & LOOP LETTER PACK WARTORNTM VENTED GLOVE $35 The Wartorn Vented glove features a full perforated Coolskin™ material engineered for both durability and breathability. The stretch polyester backhand provides excellent fit, while an armored TPR knuckle provides coverage from things that go bump in the night. LEOTM VENTED DUTY GLOVE $35-39 Built for going hot, the LEO Vented Duty glove uses engineered laser perforation to reduce heat. In addition, a reinforced thumb valley reduces potential slide bite from pistols. The palm consists of our unique synthetic leather for a…

1. Fix It Sticks Long Range Kit: You won’t get much accomplished on or off the range without a good set of tools, and Fix It Sticks may be the single best item you can have in your range bag after your rifle and ammo. The Long Range Kit has everything you need to work on your long-range stick with a solid variety of attachments and drivers. You’ll be able to tighten down (or remove) your action, level and set your optic in rings, and add and remove attached accessories to the correct torque spec. This kit has saved my butt many times. (fixitsticks.com) 2. Eberlestock Lodrag II: Featuring several bag/packs with rifle retention, Eberlestock is a friend to the precision rifle shooter. We opted for the X31 Lodrag II pack.…

NEWBOLD TARGETS While steel targets deliver the satisfying “PING” when struck, it is a little hard to ignore the elephant in the room that is known as spall. For those who are not familiar with the term, it is the combination of copper and lead bullet fragments that splatter off of a steel target when struck. I wish I could say that I am not familiar, but unfortunately a piece of spall left me in the hospital a few years back. In my defense, the person that set the target up did so improperly, but nonetheless I found myself digging through my range bag for combat gauze nearly 30 miles from the closest hospital. Afterward, I sought out an idiot-proof solution to reactive targets. That solution came from a small company called…

Tin America isn’t really as long as one might think, especially when couched in terms of its popularity as a hunting rifle. Since we have to start somewhere, I don’t think I’d get much argument when I say it started with the U. S. Army’s adoption of the M1903 Springfield. While it’s true that the Krag-Jorgensen chambered in .30-40 Krag had served as the U. S. martial arm since 1893 and was indeed a bolt action centerfire rifle, its magazine system was too weird to be representative of what we came to envision as the archetypal bolt-action rifle. THE EARLY DAYS To say the ’03 Springfield was heavily influenced by the Mauser would be an understatement, so much so that our government paid about $3 million to the Mauser people for copying…

IN any business, people are the greatest asset. It matters not how good your product is, for without the right human asset you’ll go nowhere. In this case, the product is less tangible than tangible. Or is it? What constitutes a “product”? Is highly useful information such? Before we venture down that rabbit hole, let’s get back to people, specifically Phillip Velayo and Caylen Wojik. If you’re meandering through the precision landscape and you haven’t heard of them, you will—especially if you spend any time on social media. Velayo was featured on the cover of last year’s Ballistic Precision magazine. At that time he was the lead instructor at the Gunwerks Long Range University. Ballistic mag attended one of their classes and learned a ton while getting to hang with Velayo.…