Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2018 i Gun Digest

Wow, is the year already gone? Time flies when you’re having fun, and the gear precision rifle shooters are turning to is coming at us even faster. Before writing this article, I put the question to the Sniper’s Hide Forum, asking what gear they would include in a “year in review” column, and they did not disappoint. I could make this a 10-page article, but I just don’t have that kind of space, so I’m going to boil it down to my Top 5. Jumping right in, I want to caveat and say one thing: There’s currently a lot of movement in the precision rifle side of the sport. I selected these pieces of kit based on the feedback from the Sniper’s Hide Members and from my own personal experiences…

‘‘It is the most beautiful gun I have ever seen. I am almost ashamed to take it to Africa and expose it to the rough usage it will receive. But now that I have it, I could not possibly make up my mind to leave it behind.”–Theodore Roosevelt, 1909 Ansley Herman Fox was a bright, charismatic young man and a fine shotgunner. Trap was his game and he was the winner of many events in and around Baltimore and Philadelphia. Fox wanted to get into the gun making business and his ventures into the field had several starts and stops. He received his first patent for a double-barrel gun in 1894, when was 24 years old. In 1896, Fox convinced a few friends and family members to partner with him…

Want an Accurate AK-47? Don’t bother packing your passport to go east to the Red Square. Instead, just pack an appetite for everything corn-flavored and head to Iowa. Yes, Iowa. You see, for more than 2 years I tried to answer the question: Can an AK-47 shoot to 500 yards accurately? A few manufacturers I talked to liked the idea of trying to prove it, but one by one they all backed away. Then, a few months ago, I met Bob Folkestad, owner of Creative Arms headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. I asked him the same question, and his answer was, “Yes.” In fact, I think his verbatim answer was: “Yes, come out to Iowa and we’ll do it in the morning, then I’ll take you to the Iowa State…

We were on the 400-yard line at Camp Perry, on Rodriguez Range, and nearing the end of the first and only National Defense Match. The match had started at 10 yards with the emphasis on speed, but it ended up at the 500-yard line where accuracy and the ability to judge conditions closed the deal. The entire match was fired without the benefit of a spotting scope or flags to read the wind. There was a steady right to left wind and a lot of conversation and speculation about how much windage to use. There were mathematic calculations of wind speed versus directional wind value. Smartphones were being consulted and I suspect there was a wind meter involved on more than one occasion. Chris and Colton Cerino (yes, the “Top…

Many shooters today have never handled an old firearm that’s loaded one chamber at a time with black-powder, a ball and a percussion cap. Yet, when introduced, these guns were state-of-the-art and were a great step forward in weaponry. They were used to put food on the table, for fighting wars, for self-defense and in sporting contests. While old cap-and-ball firearms can still be found, many should not be fired because of their historical value or deterioration due to age and the effects of corrosive blackpowder that was used to propel projectiles. But some modern manufacturers make replicas of the old guns, which today’s shooters enthusiastically use for enjoyment, competition, hunting — and for a taste of how things used to be. I recently had the opportunity to re-examine the…

There are many useful powders available to us hand-loaders, and many that are suitable across a wide selection of cartridges. Good ol’ IMR4064 and Hodgdon’s Varget are two great examples of nearly universal powders, but, as of late, I’ve been reaching for Alliant’s Reloder 15 more often than not. On the burn rate chart, Reloder 15 sits just about perfectly between IMR4064 and Varget, meaning that it is a medium-burning powder that can fill an awful lot of roles. As stated on the can, the powder is perfectly suited to both the .223 Rem./5.56 NATO cartridge and the .308 Win./7.62 NATO — it’s the powder loaded in the military M118LR cartridge — but that’s only the beginning. Yes, I’ve used it in the .308 Winchester with bullets from 150 to…

If you ever wanted to own Bill Wilson’s — the Bill Wilson of Wilson Combat, that is — favorite hunting cartridge, now’s your chance. After a 13-year courtship, the new .300 HAM’R is his ballistic one and only. “It’s absolutely my favorite cartridge,” said Wilson. “On my ranch, I probably won’t use anything else from here on out.” Since Wilson is one of those men who can and does have just about every kind of gun and cartridge combination there is, knowing he’s committed to just one cartridge should have your attention. So, let’s dissect the .300 HAM’R. Another AR Cartridge? The .300 HAM’R is an AR-15-capable cartridge created from the .223 Remington case by necking it up to .30 caliber. It’s designed to handle bullet bulweights from 110 to…

“The double rifle is, primarily, a close-quarter rifle, though there are means and methods that can be employed to stretch things out a bit farther.” More likely than not, you’ve seen the images or read the stories: a broad-shouldered African professional hunter standing on the grassy plain, with a large-caliber double rifle over his shoulder, held just shy of the muzzle. It’s most definitely an iconic image, evoking a link to the Golden Era of Safari, and it’s an image that inspired me as a young hunter. Double rifles certainly have a romantic appeal; they’re usually chambered for the larger Nitro Express calibers, they have clean lines and they offer a fast second shot for stopping dangerous game. While all of this may be true, there are some caveats that…

When we left off in Part 1, Randy Lee — gunsmith, founder and co-owner of Apex Tactical — had just received “Bradley’s” (code name to preserve anonymity) pistol and started the cursory inspection of the recovered 1911. Lee figured that only minor changes needed to be done to the pistol because the damage done was largely cosmetic, but a complete strip-down was in order. Any internal integrity threats would need to be identified and remedied. Piece By Piece After performing the basic field stripping of the pistol, Randy’s first course of action was to remove the pistol’s grip bushings. Given that the thieves applied a tape-measure clip to the grip bushings in order to achieve a makeshift concealed-carry “option,” Lee didn’t have much confidence in the slim-line grip bushings he…

Reading wind is truly as much art as it is science. While a wind meter can’t always give you the correct windage for a long-range shot, a short time spent reading mirage in conjunction with a wind meter can do as much to teach you how to read wind as years of shooting experience. Learning to read mirage normally requires spending time with someone who can read mirage and is willing to share it, or you can spend a lot of experimental shooting time. Reading mirage involves observing light waves as they’re disturbed by heat, and using the amplitude and frequency of those light waves to determine the required amount of windage to hit center. The great thing about using mirage is that it shows wind value as it shows…

Those who consider themselves practitioners of the defensive handgun are always looking for drills that will improve their skill level, and for drills that are fun. The fun part is important; it’s something that pushes us to the range. The getting better part is important, too, because ultimately you are the one responsible for the protection and defense of your life. Here are six of my most often used defensive handgun drills. Single Head Shots Drill I once asked this of Gunsite Instructor Il Ling New: “If you could only practice one defensive handgun drill, what would it be?” Her answer might surprise many, but this is it: single shots to the head — from the holster. Pragmatically, it makes sense: It focuses on what, in reality, is the most…

Each year brings about an assortment of new products and supplemental gear that’s released for the AR platform — even different configurations of rifles, carbines and “new” calibers. Everyone likes procuring new gear. Sometimes it’s something we really need — it fits a specific application — or it’s a new piece of gear we simply want. And then there are training classes we want to schedule and attend. Few of us have the ability to buy everything we need or desire, which means we have to choose. So, when it comes to budgeting your “AR dollars,” there are main “clusters” I like to organize all this into: essentials, entertainment and education. AR Essentials The “essentials” include everything necessary to clean, maintain and operate the AR. Every AR owner should know…

When it comes to guns, it seems there’s always something on the horizon newer, lighter, faster, made from an exotic metal — or even just a different color. Sometimes the changes are innovative, and sometimes it’s just marketing hype. Either way, new features and their new price tags often mean more money that might be better spent on practice ammo or killing a credit card bill. But for those of us who take our personal safety seriously and are mindful of the importance of a well-maintained firearm, a few simple checks and a change-out of inexpensive replacement parts in your bolt can keep your AR running reliably — and prevent one of the most common stoppage issues experienced by AR shooters: a failure to extract. Just so we’re on the…

‘‘I couldn’t get running water built into the stock, but everything else seen here fits neatly and deliberately inside the gun.” Editor’s Note: Every once in a while, a gun comes along that’s so unique it would be a major disservice to the gun — and anyone who loves guns — to not push it into the spotlight. This is one of those guns, and the brief description of how it came to be, directly from the man who designed and built it. –L.H. My name is Richard Clauss, and I am a senior gunsmith in northern Indiana. The idea for this survival rifle came into my mind after a fishing trip into northern Canada with some friends. We went clear up to Hudson Bay, and it was the farthest…

‘‘When it comes to a .44 Magnum rifle, the 77/44 is enhanced by a very wide choice of factory ammunition.” It’s hard to explain what makes a rifle so appealing, but there can be no doubt that esthetics are an important consideration when selections are made. To me, the quintessential favorites are the lever-action Winchester Model 94 and the bolt-action Model 70. However, any classic bolt-action model that is complete with sights mounted on the barrel is appealing. I have scopes on most of my rifles, but even so iron sights are a real plus for any rifle that I have to depend on in remote areas. Not long ago, I read an article written by one of my favorite authors on selecting the walkabout rifle. After giving the general…