Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2019 i Shooting Times

THANK YOU FOR A FINE February issue. As an old retired federal lawman and longtime reader of Shooting Times, I will save this issue in my files. In 1962 my parents complied with my begging and bought me a Webley .455-caliber revolver for $14.88 plus $4 Railway Express shipping in lieu of a class ring. My Webley is in Very Good condition with New Zealand marks—and it cost less than a class ring in 1962. I like old Colt semiautomatic pistols and old S&W revolvers. I attended S&W’s armorer’s school in the early 1980s, built five Model 65 3.0-inch-barreled revolvers, and bought one that was my duty gun for a time as an agent. I won two state pistol championships in the 1970s with an S&W Model 19 and liked…

RIGHT UP FRONT, THE RIFLE PICTURED HERE IS a replica of the legendary M1903A4. However, it is built on an original M1903A3 action, giving it at least some legitimacy as a vintage rifle. Its action markings and serialization differ from the originals. World War II was the first conflict that saw widespread use of dedicated sniper rifles. Early versions were M1903 National Match rifles that were pressed into service. Later, large quantities of M1903A3s were built specifically for precision work and given the A4 designation. Iron sights were left off, although the muzzle was milled for the standard front sight base. One-piece Redfield optic bases attached to the rear peep sight mount and were screwed to the front receiver ring. Original M1903A4 sniper actions were—confusingly—still stamped M1903A3 but differed from…

HANDGUNNERS HAVE PLENTY OF INTERESTING NEW models and variations to whet their appetites this year. With everything from new bolt-action center-fire pistols through .22 LR rimfire semiautomatics to big-bore single-action revolvers and AR-style pistols, there’s something for just about everyone, including new double-action snubnose revolvers and plenty of new Model 1911s in .380 ACP, 9mm Luger, and 10mm Auto. Here’s a quick look at over two dozen new models. A Auto-Ordnance The new I Stand 1911 from Auto-Ordnance honors all who have sacrificed their lives in service to our country. The pistol features a 5.0-inch barrel, GI-pattern sights, and custom American Flag grips. The words “I Stand” are engraved on the right-hand side of the slide, “Freedom Is Not Free” on the left-hand side of the slide, and “All Gave…

T WO YEARS AGO, I WROTE about two then-new versions of Kahr’s Value Series CW9 and CM9 pistols. Now I have the pleasure of working with one of Kahr’s premium models: the K9. Kahr is celebrating the K9 turning 25 years old this year, and the company will offer a commemorative model to acknowledge that milestone. Shooting Times got an advance look at the special K9. The Kahr K9 is a double-action-only (DAO), striker-fired 9mm autoloader. In my experience, the K9 has a smooth trigger stroke that is stage-free. When the trigger is squeezed fully, the stroke rotates a cam that unlocks the spring-loaded striker safety, withdraws and moves the striker to the fullcock position, and then releases the striker to fire a cartridge. There are no external safeties on…

CHAMPION’S NEW-FOR-2019 VANQUISH ELECTRONIC Hearing Protection was designed from the ground up specifically for shooters. The company says each muff was acoustically modeled on gunshot reports to achieve the optimal balance of all-day comfort and noise reduction. Available in six models and offering 3X, 5X, or 6X amplification, the new Vanquish muffs feature acoustic foam for all-day comfort and Safe Level Sound Compression Technology with an ultra-fast sound refresh time (less than 1 millisecond). Three omnidirectional microphones pick up everything around you, giving a natural sound while minimizing wind noises. Two full dynamic range HD speakers ensure sounds are crystal clear. Four of the new Vanquish models are Bluetooth-enabled and have the ability to receive phone calls. Most models are powered by AAA batteries (included), providing 150 hours of runtime…

AS TERRY WIELAND MENTIONED IN HIS “GUN- smoke” column this month, C.W. Rowland produced an amazing 0.721-inch, 10-shot group at 200 yards with a Ballard-Pope Schützen rifle chambered for .32-40. That shooting feat was accomplished in 1901, and the name Pope in reference to that rifle belonged to Harry M. Pope. He was known for producing accurate rifle barrels. In fact, he was driven to make the best barrels in the world. Harry Melville Pope was born on August 15, 1861, in Walpole, New Hampshire, and moved with his family to Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1862. By age six, his mother, his father, and his sister had died, and he was being raised by an aunt. He learned about mechanical things by working in his uncle’s bicycle shop. It was there…

WALTHER HAS INTRODUCED AN innovative program for PPQ handguns called “Shoot It. Love It. Buy It.” For a limited time, when you buy a new Walther PPQ, if you don’t love it, you can get your money back. Whether you buy your new PPQ online or in-store, it is covered with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you don’t love it within 30 days, go to ShootItLoveItBuyIt. com and follow the “return your gun” process. Walther will provide the shipping label, and once it is received and inspected, the company will issue a check for a full reimbursement of what the buyer paid for the PPQ, including tax. As part of the special program, at select dealers across the United States (listed on the website), you can take home a PPQ…

WHEN I WAS A KID, WE ALL WANTED A .30-30 rifle, but we also knew it was the one we’d replace when we had money. It was clearly “entry level.” Pundits have predicted the demise of the .30-30 as a hunting cartridge for years, but I bluntly ask them, “So how’s that turned out?” The .30-30 Winchester cartridge dates to 1895. Although “.30-30” sounds like it was once a black-powder cartridge, it was a smokeless cartridge from Day One. The second “30” in its name denoted 30 grains of smokeless propellant. Original specs listed a 160-grain bullet at a muzzle velocity of 1,970 fps, but by 1902 the velocity spec was reduced to 1,885 fps. Eventually, availability of more evolved and stable smokeless propellants permitted better velocities. The original 160-grain…

SHOTGUNS OF ALL KINDS ARE AVAILABLE THIS YEAR IN VARIOUS PRICE AND AESTHETIC RANGES, FROM tactical bullpups to .410 Bore turkey guns. We dedicated scattergunners shall not be deterred from our appointed rounds at skeet, sporting clays, and birds of a feather. Here are brief synopses of some of the most interesting new shotguns that caught my eye at this year’s SHOT Show. A Benelli The feature-packed Benelli Model 828U Sport is designed for sporting clays. Its 30-inch barrels come with five extended choke tubes, an anti-glare matte-finish, and a channeled top rib. The anatomically shaped stock is AA walnut, and the Model 828U Sport comes with weights, a trigger tool, and a shim kit to adjust drop and cast, all in a sturdy hard case. MSRP: $4,399 The M2…

WHEN CONTEMPLATING A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF A defensive firearm, most think of a complete jam-up of moving parts, a broken pin, or a spring weakened from time. Few pay attention to the simple stuff….things like sights. At least I never did—not until I heard that little “clink” of metal striking metal. I had been standing waist deep in a quickly moving stream that emptied into Lake Iliamna in Alaska. My fishing partner motored over in a high-sided, heavy-duty aluminum boat (the Alaskan Uber) to pick me up. I placed hands on the gunwale and heaved my body on board. Over my waders rode a Smith & Wesson double-action magnum revolver in a Galco Great Alaskan shoulder holster. That clink was my gun striking the aluminum gunwale. It wasn’t loud enough…

Q: I’VE BEEN READING STEVE GASH’S ARTICLES IN SHOOTING TIMES FOR quite a while now, and he has often mentioned—and frequently has shown in photos—his shooting setup. It sounds and looks interesting. Can he tell me more about the arrangement? Joseph P. Stafford Via email A: I do a lot of the shooting for my articles from my air-conditioned shooting building, using a Caldwell Lead Sled and an Oehler M35P chronograph. I use a power converter that plugs into the battery terminals in the chronograph to change 120 VAC to 9V DC so I can run the unit off of line power. My converter is from Radio Shack, but such items are available from other vendors. I use Oehler Skyscreen IIIs with incandescent lights over the diffusers. The lights and…

A FEW ISSUES BACK, TWO SHOOTING TIMES READ- ers expressed interest in reading about wildcat cartridges and the adventurous experimenters who created them. Coincidentally, I had just embarked on my most recent handloading project with the interesting .257 Roberts Ackley Improved wildcat. According to P.O. Ackley, the modified .257 Roberts was likely the best improved round compared with the couple dozen or so factory cartridges he’d experimented with. Ackley’s signature case modifications included reducing the body taper and increasing the shoulder angle—both significantly! However, an even more important feature of the typical Ackley Improved (AI) wildcat is that he maintained the shoulder headspace datum of the parent factory round. That allows you to safely fire factory cartridges in the modified chamber. It also means you can easily fireform .257 Roberts…

DESPITE THE SOLID ECONOMY AND EXCELLENT JOB GROWTH, THE FIREARMS market has been soft and sales have been slow. But when sales are slow, gun companies often lower prices and come up with innovative new gun designs. Precision long-range rifles continue to burgeon; rifles chambered for straight-wall cartridges are on the rise; and lightweight mountain rifles in cool camo patterns are popular. A Bergara Riding a surging reputation for building super-accurate, production-grade rifles at blue-collar prices, Bergara just introduced the Premier Ridgeback. It’s built using a premier series action Cerakoted and fitted with a TriggerTech adjustable trigger that is bedded into a fiberglass Grayboe stock with configurable length of pull, adjustable cheekrest, built-in anti-cant bubble, and flush-fitting M-LOK rails in the fore-end. The muzzle is threaded for easy installation of…

UBERTI USA CURRENTLY OFFERS MORE THAN 20 VERSIONS OF THE CLASSIC Model 1873 Winchester lever-action rifle, comprising trapper, carbine, short rifle, sporting rifle, special sporting, and competition versions. Barrel lengths range from 16.13 inches to 24.25 inches, and chamberings include .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, .44-40 Winchester, and .45 Colt. One of the newest Uberti Model 1873s is the fancy version called the Model 1873 Limited Edition Rifle Deluxe. It’s eye-catching to say the least, and it grabbed my attention immediately upon first learning about it. I quickly ordered one and put it through a thorough examination and shooting test. The rifle is chambered in .45 Colt, and it is in the short rifle configuration with a 20-inch, polished blue, octagon barrel (twist rate is 1:16, standard for the .45 Colt).…