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Howdy folks! We're a little late on this article, but I think you'll find it to have been worth the wait! In this article, we're going to answer a question I get quite frequently:

"Can a VR Shooting Range Simulator Offer any Real World Skills?"

In my opinion, the easiest way to answer that would be to give you a little taste of one of these VR simulators in video form. Please enjoy the following presentation, and feel free to leave comments on the video, as well as through the usual methods of communication.

-Darryl McHenry II, Chief Ballistics Technician

CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO

Howdy folks! In this week's article, I hope to explain the importance of a piece of equipment that is often overlooked by firearms hobbyists. A piece of equipment that (in my experience) very few shooters use, yet is one of the most invaluable tools in our hobby, ESPECIALLY if you are a reloader. That piece of equipment is: The Chronograph.

Let's start our discussion today by answering three very important questions regarding Chronographs:

1. What is a Chronograph? - A Chronograph is a device that allows us to measure the velocity of a bullet at a given distance from the muzzle.

2. How does a Chronograph Work? - There are several Chronograph designs. The most common Chronograph design works by creating two light beams that detect a bullet as it passes through them. By calculating the time it takes for the bullet to pass through both beams, the Chronograph can determine how fast the bullet is going, typically measured in Feet Per Second (FPS), or Meters Per Second (M/S). Other designs use technology such as Doppler Radar to track bullets throughout their flight path, versus the one point data capture provided by the light beam based designs.

3. Why are Chronographs Important? - Chronographs are important because knowing the velocity of your bullet allows you to make several calculations that can help with target shooting, hunting, and other firearms related sports. Such calculations include bullet drop over distance and actual bullet energy downrange. If you are reloading, a Chronograph is critical if you are pushing the limits of published reloading data, as velocity can oftentimes be the only indicator that your round is over pressure. A substantially higher than expected reading on your Chronograph will indicate that you need to back off on your powder charge or decrease your bullet seating depth (bring the bullet further OUTSIDE of the case). On the other hand, if you wind up with a squib load (the bullet velocity is too low to allow it to clear your firearm's barrel, creating a jam), seeing that your Chronograph did not activate is a good indicator that you should inspect your firearm. Sometimes Chronographs will fail to activate for one reason or another, but quickly inspecting your firearm each time there is a failure to activate could save your life.

Now that we've answered those questions, I'd like to offer my recommendations on Chronographs. Depending on your budget, there are three Chronographs that I typically recommend:

• Caldwell Ballistic Precision Chronograph kit ($149.50): The Caldwell Ballistic Precision Chronograph is one of the most highly rated budget light beam based chronographs on the market, and has been for a long time. It's easy to set up and use, and now even has an option to pair with your phone to track groups and display readings if you've placed the chronograph down range. This unit is capable of tracking bullets up to 9,999FPS (3047.695M/S), which is well beyond the limitations of modern bullet design. It is also capable of giving readings on multi-projectile ammunition, such as Buckshot shotgun shells. Since it's such a common unit, replacement parts are cheap and plentiful. Despite all of these pros, there are a few cons to this unit, such as:

  • • Weather conditions and lighting will affect readings.

    • Everyone on the range will need to cease fire every time you want to set up/move/tear down the Chronograph.

    • There's always a chance that you could shoot the unit.

• Two-Box Chronograph ($249.00): Before I discuss this unit, it should be noted that at the time of writing, it is not in active production. The Two-Box Chronograph is an excellent unit that provides benchrest shooter Chronograph accuracy, no matter the weather and lighting conditions. This Chronograph uses two acoustic sensors instead of light sensors, which activate as the shock cone of your bullet passes over. Using these sound waves, it can track your bullet's speed with accuracy that simply is not touted by any other pass-over or pass-through sensor chronograph. It can also track your bullet up to six feet above the sensors, meaning you have no chance of shooting the Chronograph. It can detect bullets travelling 1,250FPS (381M/S) or faster, meaning ALL of your high velocity rifle rounds can be tracked by it. The cons to this unit are:

  • • Setup is a little more time consuming than other Chronographs.

    • There are no mobile apps or other quality of life features: You must manually record the data from the unit's built in memory.

    • Everyone on the range will need to cease fire every time you want to set up/move/tear down the Chronograph.

    • Some low velocity rounds cannot be recorded due to a lower velocity limit of 1,250FPS (381M/S)

• LabRadar Doppler Chronograph ($559.95): One of the most advanced Chronographs on the market, and the one I personally use as my general purpose Chronograph. The LabRadar uses Doppler Radar to accurately track a projectile throughout its flight path, giving you accurate velocity data from the muzzle, and up to 100 yards (91.44 meters) down range. This Chronograph is almost perfect in my personal opinion (whatever value that may hold to you), with several quality of life features such as a mobile app, ability to be plugged directly into your computer, ability to calculate bullet energy within the entire 100 yard (91.44 meter) flight path, as well being incredibly easy to set up and use. It has two modes for velocity capture: pistol mode, which captures projectiles in the range of 246FPS (74.9808M/S) to 1722FPS (524.8656M/S) , and a rifle mode, which captures projectiles in the range of 984FPS (299.923M/S) to 3899FPS (1188.415M/S). This excludes some of the hyper-velocity rounds such as .220 Swift, but overall will work for the vast majority of firearms hobbyists. The big pro for me is the ability to set this unit up at the bench and capture data down range, meaning no cease fires to set up/move/tear down this unit. Another nice feature is that the muzzle of the firearm sits in front of the unit, meaning absolutely no chance to shoot it. All of this said, there are still a few cons:

  • • Some countries/Jurisdictions may not allow the use of personal Doppler Radars.

    • The cost of this unit makes it one of the most expensive personal Chronographs on the market.

    • The inability to capture velocities on rounds over 3,899FPS will render it useless for some hobbyists.

    • First time setup and use can be difficult, especially if the manual is not read.

    • This unit will NOT work with multi-projectile ammunition, such as buckshot shotgun shells.

So, what are the major take-aways from all of this information?

One: Chronographs are incredibly useful tools, and should be part of every firearms hobbyist's tool bag.

Two: There are many Chronographs on the market that exist within a variety of budget ranges. There's something out there for most anyone, even if they aren't on this list: The units I have listed above are simply ones that I have a great deal of positive experience with.

I hope this article was able to shed some light on Chronographs, and convince you to try one out if you haven't already done so. Not only are they an incredibly valuable tool, but they are also great fun to use. One of my favorite parts of the reloading hobby is seeing how fast I can (SAFELY!) drive a bullet while maintaining adequate accuracy!

-Darryl McHenry II, Chief Ballistics Technician

A topic that I've been very outspoken on (and as such is worthy of an article) is the misconception of bullet energy. Before we get into this discussion, let's have a look at just exactly what "bullet Energy" is.

"bullet Energy" is the amount of kinetic energy (most commonly referenced in foot pounds or Joules) a bullet has at a specific distance after clearing the barrel of a firearm. There are two common formulas used for calculating the kinetic energy of a bullet: The English formula, and the SI (Metric) formula. Those formulas are:

• English: M*V^2/450,282 (Mass of the bullet multiplied by the velocity squared, divided by 2 multiplied by the dimensional constant of 32.163, multiplied by 7,000)

• SI: .5*M*V^2/1000 (.5 multiplied by the mass of the bullet, multiplied by the velocity squared, divided by 1000)

I know, quite a bit of math involved, right? In reality, it's very easy to calculate bullet energy. Just plug the bullet mass and velocity into the equation and run it on a calculator. If you still can't be bothered, there are a multitude of bullet energy calculators online that work great. I personally like to use the one at ShootersCalculator.com. Thanks to the handy bar graph generated by the calculator, you can easily compare the energy of several rounds.

Now that we have all of THAT out of the way, it's time to talk about the misconception of bullet energy. Colonel Townsend Whelen, a prolific hunter and writer from the late 1890s until his death in 1961, hypothesized that 1,000 foot pounds of bullet energy was required to reliably kill North American Whitetail Deer. As Colonel Whelen had an incredibly decorated career, which included creating his own line of rifle cartridges (.25 to .400 Whelen), many hunters began to quote this figure shortly after he wrote about it. Even to this day, you will encounter hunters that live and die by the "1,000 foot pounds to kill a deer" creed. While I certainly make no assertion that I am in any way more informed, educated, or experienced than the legendary Colonel Whelen (nor should you listen to anybody that does make such claims), a simple look at both old and modern cartridge history will prove that this 1,000 foot pounds of energy number has no real basis in fact.

Going back into the days of the Old West, cartridges still used Black Powder. Black Powder is an explosive. When it ignites, it explodes, which does not give it a lot of time to build pressure. With the pressure buildup from ignition being the force driving the bullet out of the casing and down the barrel, this naturally means that Black Powder cartridges produce less velocity than identical cartridges loaded with modern smokeless powders (with exceptions of course). Now, if you recall our equations above, bullet energy is calculated using the SQUARE of bullet velocity times the mass of the bullet. This makes velocity the primary "driving force" per se behind high bullet energy numbers. With oftentimes substantially lower velocity numbers than rounds loaded with modern smokeless powders, Black Powder rounds typically have much lower bullet energy. With that information, let's look at some data on two Black Powder rounds that were popular for hunting back in the 1800s:

• .44-40 (.44 Winchester Centerfire) - 200 grain bullet at 1,245 Feet Per Second, 688 Foot Pounds of Energy at the muzzle. Typically used on deer and similarly sized game with great effect out to 100 yards, where energy drops to 475 Foot Pounds.

• .50 Sharps 2 1/2" Straight (.50-90 Sharps) - 550 grain bullet at 1,448 Feet Per Second, 2,560 Foot Pounds of Energy at the muzzle. Typically used to knock down Bison at ranges exceeding 300 yards, where energy drops to 1406 Foot Pounds.

Surely these numbers can be described as nothing less than "Paltry", especially when we compare them against two of America's most popular modern rifle cartridges:

• .243 Winchester - 95 grain bullet at 2,950 Feet Per Second, 1,835 Foot Pounds of Energy at the muzzle. At 100 yards, energy drops to 1,524 Foot Pounds. Typically the smallest size rifle cartridge used on deer and similar game in America today.

• .300 Winchester Magnum - 150 grain bullet at 3,275 Feet Per Second, 3,572 Foot Pounds of Energy at the muzzle. At 300 yards, energy drops to 2,225 Foot Pounds. Arguably the most popular long range hunting cartridge in America today, it's used for a wide variety of animals, including deer, elk, and bear. Adequate for Bison out to 100 yards, but considered by many to be too light for the task past that range.

If we use our "1,000 Foot Pounds of Energy for Deer" hypothesis against the four example cartridges above, it must be IMPOSSIBLE for the two Black Powder rounds to ethically kill the animals they were used against. .44-40 has under HALF of the "required" energy for deer at 100 yards, and at 300 yards the .50-90 Sharps only has 40% more energy than our "required" energy to ethically kill a deer, yet we're shooting animals that weigh over ten times more than the average White Tail. So, how is this even remotely possible?

The answer is: SHOT PLACEMENT AND BULLET DESIGN ARE THE TRUE CRITICAL FACTORS IN ETHICALLY KILLING AN ANIMAL.

While slower, our two Black Powder examples use bullets that are not only substantially heavier than our two modern examples, but are designed to expand less and retain more of their weight upon impact. If you know anything about Newton's Laws of Physics, you know that the heavier an object is, the harder it is to move. consequently, a heavier object is also harder to stop. While slower moving than the bullets from our modern examples, the bullets from our Black Powder examples have so much extra weight that as they penetrate the animal, they will maintain more momentum. Especially when hitting dense bone. On top of this, the bullets are designed to hold themselves together as they hit tissue and bone, retaining more mass and therefore more momentum. This is why our substantially more powerful .300 Winchester Magnum is not recommended for long range shots on Bison, but our .50-90 Sharps can oftentimes bounce a bullet clean through the same animal, with the bullet being just stopped by the hide on the far side.

Aside from this, SHOT PLACEMENT is the absolute most critical factor in an ethical kill. African Bull Elephants have been killed by cartridges that are absolutely unacceptable for animals even half that size, such as .44 Remington Magnum from a revolver (taken by the famous Larry Kelly of Mag-na-port), and even the wildly anemic .22 Long Rifle (IF you believe the writings of famous Professional Hunter Peter Capstick). It doesn't matter how big or how small the caliber of your firearm is, as long as the shot manages to strike the animal in a critical vitals area (brain, heart, lungs), it is going to die. A larger bullet might speed up the process, certainly is not necessary.

A final thought: Everything I've written above has been for the sole purpose of dispelling the "1,000 Foot Pounds for Deer" misconception. When it comes to hunting, respecting the animal that is about to give its life to feed you and your family should be your NUMBER ONE priority. Check your state and local hunting regulations, select a caliber that is both legal AND something you can competently use in YOUR hunting conditions, and take the animal with a shot that will dispatch it as quickly as possible. No animal deserves to suffer because you decided to experiment with a caliber or firearm that you could not adequately use.

"It doesn't matter if you have a .22 or a .600 Nitro Express: If you shoot a bear in the foot, you're just gonna make him mad."
-Darryl McHenry II, Chief Ballistics Technician

With the ammunition shortage, I've been asked by many folks for recommendations on good budget reloading equipment. As with all other avocations, "good" and "Budget" do NOT fit into the same sentence when discussing reloading tools. There is a remarkable difference in the quality of your final product when jumping from a press like a Lee Precision Breech Lock, to even a mid tier press like a Frankford Arsenal M-Press. With that said, many of you may just be looking for a way to get by until the shortage is over, which is easily possible with the bottom barrel equipment. Below is a list of everything you'll need to have a complete reloading station, with pricing included.

Do bear in mind that if you intend to continue reloading your own ammunition even after this shortage is over, I do not recommend most of the equipment in the list below. "Buy Once, Cry Once".

• Reloading Press - Lee Precision Breech Lock ($50): This tool right here is the primary unit in any reloading kit. This is used in conjunction with reloading dies to resize cases, remove spent primers, expand case mouths to accept new bullets, and seat new bullets. These can typically be had for $50 or less used on eBay, but the shortage has increased the price. Crude, sloppy, tough for sizing larger rifle cases such as .30-06, but it will definitely work in a pinch. I even still have one in my workshop for odd jobs that don't require real precision, such as removing primer crimps.

• Powder Measure - Lee Precision Perfect Powder Measure ($30): This is a quality of life tool. After setting, it will throw a powder charge that is very close in weight to the last, allowing you to charge cases with powder much faster. $30 is the standard going retail on these things, and even with the shortage they seem to be readily available on sites like eBay, even brand new. They work, as long as you aren't aiming for incredibly accurate powder charge weights. One thing to note: with fine powders, such as Ramshot Big Game, this measure has a tendency to leak when throwing charges. stick with less fine powders and this won't be an issue.

• Reloading Dies - Hornady Custom Grade (Price Varies): The dies are what actually does the work to your cases, used in conjunction with the Reloading Press. The Pricing here all depends on what you plan to reload. Finding a good used set on eBay would be a great way to save a few bucks, just inspect the pictures carefully for rust or signs of neglect. There are cheaper dies available, but proper case sizing and bullet seating are crucial for the ammo to function correctly. I personally use ALL Hornady Custom Grade dies, and have nothing but incredibly consistent results with all of my ammunition.

• Scale - Lyman Pocket Touch 1500 Scale Kit ($21.99): This tool is necessary to ensure your powder charges are within safe limits. $21.99 and available on Amazon. I started out on one of these scales way back when. They are as accurate as a beginning reloader will need, but be warned: Eventually, this scale WILL start drifting. If you are even considering the thought of reloading after the shortage is over, invest in a better scale, like the Frankford Arsenal Platinum Series ($88.19 on Amazon). I do NOT recommend purchasing a used scale due to drift that inevitably occurs over time.

• Calipers - Frankford Arsenal Electronic Caliper ($23.74): This tool is necessary for verifying correct case trim length, as well as overall cartridge length after seating bullets. This is another tool that I do not recommend purchasing used. This caliper will work for the majority of entry level reloaders, and is $23.74 brand new on Amazon. Take care of your calipers, keep them clean and in the correct case when not in use, and they will serve you well for years.

• Reloading Manual - Lyman 50th Edition ($23.99): In my opinion, this is one of the best reloading manuals for entry level reloaders. I still purchase a Lyman manual every time an update is published. The 50th edition is current as of the writing of this article, and can be had on Amazon for $23.99. A quality reloading manual is quite literally THE most important tool you can purchase. Not only do they provide data on several different powders that are optimal for each cartridge, the front section of the manual explains, right down to the last detail, how to properly and safely set up and use all of your other equipment. Literally read this manual front to back twice before you get started. If you can find an older edition for a better price, feel free to grab one of those instead.

• Priming Tool - Lyman E-ZEE Universal Priming Tool ($39.79): After you size your brass, you need a tool to put a fresh primer back in the case. While very rudimentary, and fatiguing to use if processing large quantities of brass, this Lyman hand priming tool is one of the cheapest out there that actually works pretty O.K. Feel free to find a used one if you can.

• Shell Holders - Lyman Shell Holder Set ($44.67) When using the press, you need a shell holder to properly grip your cases. This kit has twelve of the most commonly used shell holders, and will cover cases from .223 Remington, to .44 Remington Magnum, to obscure cartridges such as .50 Sharps 2 1/2" Straight. You may only need one holder from this set, you may need several. It all depends on how many different cartridges you intend to reload. Shell holders are typically $10 per unit, so if you have four cartridges to reload, you've already made up the cost. Sell the ones you don't need to recoup some of your losses.

• Case Trimmer - RCBS Rotary Case Trimmer (varies): Ah yes, the case trimmer. Without a doubt the WORST part of the reloading process is trimming cases. Fortunately, you really only need to trim cases if you are shooting bottleneck cartridges, such as typical rifle calibers like .30-06 Springfield and .223 Remington, and some less common pistol cartridges like .357 SIG. Unfortunately, if you ARE reloading bottleneck cartridges, congratulations! You need to trim EVERY single piece of once fired brass back within factory spec after resizing, with few exceptions. You can sometimes find one of the old style RCBS trimmers for $50-$75 used with the pilots, which is what I recommend. Happy trimming!

• Bullet Puller - Frankford Arsenal Quick-N-EZ Impact Bullet Puller ($15.19): This hammer-like tool is used to remove bullets from cases. Necessary if you have reloads with signs of over-pressure, so you can recover all of the bullets and powder for reuse. Also necessary to remove your test bullet after you get your seating die set where you want it. VERY useful for when you inevitably get the case trimmer pilots stuck in a case during the trimming process. Can be found on Amazon for $15.19.

• Case Prep Tool - McJ Tools Chamfer and Deburring Tool ($17.09): The Chamfer and Deburring tool is used to chamfer and deburr brass after trimming, allowing the bullet to seat much easier. $17.09 on Amazon.

• Case Lube Kit - RCBS Case Lube Kit ($21.99): If you are reloading bottleneck cartridges, it is necessary to lube the outside of the cases so that they do not get stuck inside of your reloading dies. For straight wall cases, lube is not necessary as long as your dies are CARBIDE. $21.99 on Amazon.

• Stuck Case Remover - Hornady Stuck Case Remover Kit ($17.89): Eventually, it will happen: You will get a case stuck in your sizing die. This easy to use kit will help you remove the casing so you can continue your operation. NOTE: The casing WILL be destroyed upon removing it. $17.89 on Amazon.

• (OPTIONAL BUT HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) Case Tumbler - Frankford Arsenal Quick-N-EZ 110V Case Tumbler Kit ($88.34): This kit will allow you to clean your brass before reusing. While not exactly necessary, it is highly recommended that you clean your brass, both to extend the life of your reloading dies, and ensure smooth extraction in your firearm. This is a dry tumbler that uses walnut shell to clean the cases. $88.34 on Amazon.

• (OPTIONAL UNLESS RELOADING MILITARY BRASS) Primer Crimp Remover - RCBS Primer Pocket Swaging Kit ($36.99): When reloading military calibers, such as 5.56x45mm NATO, 7.62x51mm NATO, and .30 Carbine, you will find that the new primers will not go into the cases. This is due to military cases having a "crimp" around the primers so that they cannot back out of the pockets upon firing. This Swaging kit attaches to your reloading press just like your reloading dies, and presses out the military crimp. Good for both small and large primer pockets. This kit, coupled with the Lee Precision Breech Lock press, is exactly how I remove primer pocket crimps.

At the end of the day, there is a LOT of necessary equipment to get into reloading your own ammunition, and even a cheap kit will add up to a lot of money (the total of our kit here is $531.67, assuming $40 for one die kit and $60 for a case trimmer kit). Ideally, if you intend to stick with reloading as a hobby, much of this equipment will need upgraded, both for increased ammunition quality, and quality of life. Reloading is not a cheap hobby to get into, but over time it can save you a substantial amount of money in ammunition costs, especially if you reload for more expensive calibers such as .44 Remington Magnum. Don't let this discourage you however. Reloading is a fun and worthwhile hobby when done safely. I personally get as much joy from loading the ammunition as I do shooting it.

-Darryl McHenry II, Chief Ballistics Technician