Innholdsfortegnelse for Buyer's Guide 2021 i Gun Digest

Per my recollection, I’ve printed the phrase “supply chain” and “ammo shortage” during the past 12 months more than any other time in the history of Gun Digest. And from an economic perspective (OK, from nearly every perspective) what a weird 12 months it has been: Manufacturers are pinched somewhere between ramped-up demand and bottlenecked supply chains … there’s that damned phrase again. And for the consumer, well, it seems like the only word we cannot use to describe the current state of things is “guarantee,” and I think getting what we wanted when we wanted it was something we all had previously gotten used to. In your hands right now is Gun Digest’s annual Buyer’s Guide and, despite the severity of the collective weirdness we’re all facing, there are…

Ever need a tool, only to find out there seems not be any for that specific task? Or the manufacturer is temporarily out? Welcome to the club. When it comes to suppressors, and disassembly of the same, you’re pretty much locked in. If you buy the Whiz-Bang suppressor, then the W-B Co. LLC is likely the only company that makes the tools to take them apart. Well, almost. Warren Innovative Technologies makes 3-D printed suppressor tools to fit any suppressor. No, really. By my count, 33 different spanners, sockets, splined or cap-fitting tools. These are all made from injection-mold grade ABS, but 3-D printed. Where there are pins needed, the pins are held in place during the printing process, so they’re firmly held by the finished product. “The two big…

I’ve fired about 25,000 rounds of various calibers into numerous materials over the past five years, oft en acting as a third party or beta tester. My goal was simple in these tests: to see if I could reliably make bullets fail. What I found, in short, was that it was far harder to make them perform as advertised. The information I came away with regarding 9mm, 10mm and .45 ACP bullet performance might surprise you. THE SUBJECTIVITY OF BALLISTIC TESTING The disparities between 9x19mm, 10mm Auto and .45 ACP are actually far less than you might imagine, and the major selling points of each are sometimes based on a single bullet type from a specific barrel length. Take, for instance, that the 10mm’s reputation is based, almost exclusively, on…

If you thought 2020 was a whirlwind year for finding ammunition in a decent quantity and for a decent price, 2021 chuckled and said, “Hold my beer.” Ammunition shortages were to be expected amid a global pandemic, but new circumstances and challenges constantly raised their ugly heads and made life difficult for anyone involved in the shooting sports. I first got wind of this in March of 2020 when a reader from Arizona contacted me and informed me that his local Sportsman’s Warehouse was limiting ammunition purchases to two boxes per day. It seemed to be isolated to his local store, but it spread across the country hitting every retailer and wholesaler along the way. At first, it seemed it was just fallout from the pandemic: Employees calling out sick,…

When the rimfire rifle bug infected my entire life four or five years ago, I couldn’t decide what precision long-gun to buy. So, I bought, begged, borrowed and almost stole nearly all of them. In my safe right now, there are a few Anschütz rimfires, a pair of Bergaras, a half-dozen CZs, a couple Rugers and enough parts to build a couple more, a Tikka, a Sako, a few Savages, plus a Volquartsen, Zermatt RimX and two (down from four) Vudoo Gun Works custom jobs. Not a day goes by that I don’t shoot one of these rifles, and it’s why my new Gun Digest book on smallbore rifles, Rimfire Revolution, has chapters on each of them. Every major precision rimfire rifle system, be it a $300 Savage or a…

01 Trijicon TenMile Trijicon is known for precision, the new 30mm-tubed Ten-Mile 5-25x50mm riflescope taking that to extremes. The TenMile provides exceptionally crisp and repeatable elevation corrections with zero stop and precise hold-over marks, combined with capped windage adjuster. The world-class, fully multi-coated broadband anti-reflective glass offers excellent light transmission and the second focal plane, red MRAD Center Dot reticle allows pinpoint bullet placement at extreme ranges, the elevation turret including a positive zero stop. The optic has a matte black finish and comes with a removable sunshade, Tenebraex Flip Caps, Scopecoat protection, 3mm and 1.5mm hex keys and repositionable magnification knob. One CR2032 battery powers the LED illuminated reticles, an off position located between each brightness setting. Custom turrets are available to match any cartridge, load or conditions. Like…

HISTORICAL NOTES In 1983, Research Armament Co. in the U.S. began development of a new long-range sniper cartridge capable of firing a 250-grain, .338-inch diameter bullet at 3,000 fps. After preliminary experiments, a .416 Rigby case necked down to .338 inch was selected. Brass Extrusion Labs Ltd. (then of Bensenville, Illinois) made the cases, Hornady produced bullets and Research Armament built the gun under contract for the U.S. Navy. Subsequently, Lapua and Norma put this cartridge into production. It’s now a CIP standard chambering, because CIP and SAAMI have reciprocal agreements in place (at least in theory) that make this a standard SAAMI chambering as well. GENERAL COMMENTS You have to burn a lot of powder to launch a 250-grain bullet at 3,000 fps. The .338 Lapua Magnum, as it’s…

The carrying of concealed handguns is becoming more prevalent. Even with a push for more stringent gun control by politicians, we’re seeing more and more support for concealed handgun carry by citizens and state governments. Currently, 21 of 50 states have Constitutional Carry, meaning that the concealed carry of a firearm is allowed without a permit. This also means there are now a lot of folks who can conceal carry legally who may have no training at all. I do not believe in government-mandated firearms training. I do believe anyone intent on carrying a firearm for personal protection should attempt to—on their own accord—obtain as much training as possible. The problem is that basic and more complex instruction on concealed carry and self-defense aren’t provided free of charge. This means…

The range bag is a tool kit for the shooter. Ideally, it should be filled with stuff that’ll help you conduct your range session and allow you to stay on the range as long as is necessary. The contents can range from stuff as simple as a target stapler to more training dedicated tools like a shot timer. To some extent, the contents will vary depending on the guns you commonly shoot. However, there are some universal items. The following list contains some obvious items, as well as some you might not have considered to include in your range bag. To help compile the list, I emptied my range bag and listed the contents, but I also reached out to a couple firearms instructors at Gunsite Academy. They deal with…

Suppressors are a very hot item in today’s gun scene, which should come as no surprise since they offer so many advantages to shooters … and those standing around while they conduct said shooting. The suppressor influx started more than 10 years ago: Many states began to loosen restrictions and, as a result, the market began to grow. Today, we see a massive—but poorly understood—industry sector making some very advanced products. The National Firearms Act (NFA) regulations haven’t changed much since they were put in place. The $200 tax placed upon these items back in the day was extortion plain and simple, and it was meant to keep people away from these items without outright banning them. However, $200 is much less money today than it was back then, and…

So, you’ve decided that enough is enough with the ammunition crunch, and you’re ready to take the plunge into reloading your own ammunition. Yes, it’s absolutely true that reloading components are as rare as ammunition itself right now, but this too shall pass. Reloading gear is like any other gear-intensive hobby; you can go right down the rabbit hole and get into a five-figure sum quicker than you’d imagine, or you can go minimalistic and set yourself up on the cheap. I’ve done both ways, and while I can say that the best tools will certainly make life easier, you can make fantastic ammo with inexpensive gear if you’re diligent about technique and pay attention to detail. SHORTENING THE PURSE STRINGS Let’s assume your budget is tight—whose isn’t?—and you want…

Mindset—the mental attitude or inclination of someone as it relates to self-defense—is discussed a lot, and rightly so. As Col. Jeff Cooper so astutely observed, “Man fights with his mind.” One aspect of this that doesn’t receive enough attention is mindset as it relates to attending firearms training schools. Having spent a good part of my life in firearms training classes provided by the military, law enforcement and private schools, I’ve found that some students who attend these courses are more interested in showing off than learning. They treat courses as an opportunity to exhibit their skills. In some cases, maybe these arrogant students actually do know more and even have more experience than the instructor. But that doesn’t matter; the goal of participating in a training course is to…

01 Henry Single-Shot Shotgun Don’t discount the single-shot shotgun—there’s no better trainer for youth hunters, nor a more affordable and solid option for the field. While Henry’s Single-Shot scatterguns aren’t brand new for 2021, they certainly deserve mention in any buyer’s guide. Available in 12- and 20-gauge, as well as .410 bore, the smoothbore features a rebounding hammer, ambidextrous release lever, brass-bead front sight, extractor and plenty of walnut. Henry offers its 12-gauge models with 3½-inch chambers, and 20-gauge and .410 with 3-inch chambers. All models come with the choice of 26- or 28-inch barrels. Additionally, Henry offers a rifled model, completely drilled and tapped receiver—if you need a deer season option. Also, yes, you can get the smoothbores with blued or brass receivers. MSRP: Starting at $525 02 Stoeger…

Most are familiar with Franchi. The Affinity is the acme of affordable, inertia-drive, semiauto shotguns, and their host of over/unders leave nothing to want. So, it was a bit mindboggling when the Italian gunmaker, in 2018, took a crack at the budget hunting rifle market. Might as well jump in the deep end and turn out a polymer-frame, striker-fired pistol while you’re at it. Both are cutthroat niches—the rifle end maybe even more so. Not only are they a dime a dozen, but they also pit newcomers against powerhouses such as Winchester, Ruger, Savage, Browning and Remington, just to name a few. Might as well ask a Ford or Chevy guy to give a Fiat a whirl. Tough sell. However, the Momentum has shown incredible impetus against the old guard.…

Listings are FREE! Simply go online to create or manage your Gun Show Listing. Login or Register to create an account-GunShows.GunDigestMedia.com WARNING CALL BEFORE YOU DRIVE TO ANY SHOW PROMOTERS CANCEL SHOWS AND FREQUENTLY CHANGE DATES AND LOCATIONS CONFIRM BEFORE YOU TRAVEL SHOWDEX Listings are grouped according to state. Bold headlines show the name of all states in which gun shows have been reported to us. These headlines are arranged according to the full spelling of state names. Under each headline, shows scheduled for a particular state are listed by date, postal abbreviation, city, and site. For more information, see our regular SHOW LISTINGS section. FLORIDA Nov 20-21 FL, Bonita Springs. Ft. Myers Antique Gun, Knife, Civil War & Military Shows. Elks Lodge Bonita, 3231 Coconut Rd. INDIANA Oct 2-3…

Any old scope will suffice for varmint shooting—unless you actually want to hit something. For what’s to follow to make any sense, you must first have some small interest in serious burrowing rodent shooting. I’m not talking about causal dabbling with your favorite deer rifle, or sniping the occasional prairie dog, ground squirrel or farmland woodchuck out of pure boredom, but sure enough serious small-varmint shooting. Serious typically translates into serious money spent on serious varmint rifles, something chambered in a fast, reach-out-there small bore and holding a chunky tactical-style stock and bull barrel. Something chambered in, say, .204 Ruger, .223 Remington or .22-250 Remington. Something weighing 10 or 12 pounds out of the box. Something capable of at least ½-MOA five-shot groups at 100 yards on a very consistent…