Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2019 i Guns & Ammo

LEICA IN WORLD WAR II I very much enjoyed Tom Beckstrand’s feature on Leica in the December issue (page 70). I have a fondness for Leica, partially because of their high-quality products. However, I also appreciate their humanitarian efforts, especially their resistance to the Nazis in the years leading up to World War II. In 1933, when the Nazis started their vicious campaign against the Jews in Germany, Ernst Leitz II and his daughter Elsie Kuehn-Leitz organized the Leica Freedom Train. He transferred Jews in Leica to locations outside of Germany, even allowing customers and friends of employees to participate. His efforts accelerated with Kristallnacht and continued until the invasion of Poland when Germany closed its borders. Leica was as much of a hero as a company can be, and…

PARKER VHE .410 SHOTGUN An exceptionally desirable Parker VHE .410 in unaltered condition went for a very respectable $37,500 in a Sportsman’s Legacy sale. Made in 1937, the gun features 26-inch barrels choked M/M, 3-inch chambers, has a 000 scalloped frame and semi-pistol grip stock. Bores sparkle and are full on face. Barrel blue is about 90 percent, receiver colors about 50 percent with some browning and wood is at least 90 percent. The gun matches all original specifics presented in a letter from the Parker Gun Collectors Association. For more information about this and future sales contact Sportsman’s Legacy, 406-212-0344, sportsmanslegacy.com . Sold for $37,500.…

ALL BUT WRITTEN OFF by some of the self-anointed tactical illuminati, the humble metallic sight system isn’t leaving us any time soon. Ask any five shooters what their favorite sights are and you’ll likely get at least four different answers. However, one thing they will have in common is that the sights should be made of iron, or steel, to be more specific. Many companies have toyed with and still use polymer (and some aluminum) for sights, but over time all of those have been found lacking in the durability steel offers. Durability, which is so necessary on a fighting gun, is what’s going to keep irons appearing on new handguns for a long while. As much as I truly believe that mini-red-dot sights (MRDS) are the future, electronics can…

Type: Gas-operated, auto-regulating, semiautomatic Gauge: 12 Capacity: 5+1 (2¾ in.) Chamber: 2¾ in., 3 in. Barrel Length: 13 in. Overall Length: 26.5 in. Weight: 6 lbs., 1 oz. Finish: Black oxide (receiver); blued (barrel) Sights: Bead Grip: Bird’s head; synthetic; black Trigger: 5 lbs. (tested) MSRP: $920 Manufacturer: Remington Arms Co., 800-243-9700, remington.com DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE FUN FACTOR. REMINGTON’S V3 TAC-13 is a unique exception. To start, the V3’s dual-piston gas block is mounted in front of the receiver. According to Remington, positioning the gas block directly ahead of the receiver helps to improve reliability. Gas pressures close to the chamber are consistent and the gas burns cleanly. With the gas block mounted so close to the receiver, shortening the barrel of the V3 didn’t require a complete overhaul of…

Type: Gas-piston operated, semiautomatic Caliber/Gauge: .410 (tested), 12, 20, 28 Capacity: 5+1 Weight: 5 lbs., 10.2 oz. Overall Length: 48.5 inches Barrel Length: 28 in. Length of Pull: 14.75 in. Drop at Heel: 2.13 in. Drop at Comb: 1.75 in. Trigger: 6 lbs., 12 oz. Accessories: Improved Cylinder, Modified and Full choke tubes, choke tube tool, shim kit Price: $800 Manufacturer: Armsan Silah Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S., Istanbul, Turkey Importer: TriStar Arms, Inc., 816-421-1400, tristararms.com…

THE YEAR 2019 IS HERE , which means that it’s time for new beginnings. So, let’s make a few New Year’s resolutions to shoot more. Here’s mine: Shoot a PRS match. Currently, the Precision Rifle Series (PRS) is the hottest shooting sport around. While I’ve covered matches as a journalist, I’ve yet to get behind the gun. This sport involves quick shots on relatively small, long-range targets, under serious time constraints. This is right up my alley. I built a rifle that’s chambered in 6.5x47mm Lapua — ideal for this type of shooting. Lacking the latest equipment is no excuse. One-day club matches are a great entry point into this exciting sport, and there’s likely a PRS match within easy driving distance of you. (precisionrifleseries.com) Go retro in USPSA. Fatherhood…

GROWING UP,, Mom always joined us at the practice range, but she never shot much. With some prodding, she’d take one of Dad’s handguns, aim studiously and proceed to hit her target precisely before setting the gun down, walking away and hiding a grin. Mom had once watched me compete in a collegiate pistol match. Afterwards, she was persuaded by my teammates to try out one of our bullseye pistols. She dryfired the trigger and proceeded to shoot a perfect 10X on the target at 50 feet. She made the pistol safe, placed it on the bench and left the range. After Dad died, Mom wore the burden of moving on alone. From paying monthly bills to downsizing what they spent decades accumulating, she set out to meet new challenges.…

“The Big Trail” Remington New Model Army Though most film aficionados associate John Wayne with the Colt Single Action Army revolver, in fact his first cinema six-gun was a Remington New Model revolver. In fact, he had two of them. Wayne carried them in his first starring role in “The Big Trail” (1930). They were originally part of the Stembridge Gun Rental company’s inventory. Both were nickel-plated and have a distinctive diamond pattern incised into the barrel flats  and down the backstrap. The original percussion cylinders were replaced with ones equipped to fire .38 blanks. The one shown here, according to rental invoices, indicates that the gun was also used by Lorne Greene in the first season (1959) of the Bonanza TV show. The Stembridge verbal history tells of the…

AS MUCH AS I LIKE to see new products enter the market, it sure can make things confusing for the consumer. Nowhere is this principle more displayed than in the world of riflescopes. Disassembling a scope to see how it’s made isn’t an option, so we’re mostly left to deciphering whatever the manufacturer chooses to put in front of us. Some of the terms such as “multi-banded coatings” sound awesome, but it’s difficult to understand what it really means without being an optical engineer. Fortunately, Bushnell’s three new product lines — Prime, Nitro and Forge — are pretty straightforward and easy to understand. The Cliff’s Notes version is that there is something for everybody. Prime This line is the least expensive. Bushnell manages to keep costs down by offering only…

Type: Revolver; single action (SA), double action (DA) Cartridge: .357 Magnum Capacity: 6 rds. Barrel: 3 in., stainless steel Overall Length: 8 in. Height: 5.75 in. Weight: 2 lbs., 2.1 oz. Material: Carbon steel; stainless steel Grip: Laminate hardwood, checkered; synthetic (included) Trigger: 12 lbs. (DA); 3 lbs., 12 oz. (SA) Safety: Transfer bar; internal lock Finish: Matte blue Sights: Serrated, tritium ramp (front); adjustable notch (rear) MSRP: $1,100 Manufacturer: Smith & Wesson, 800-331-0852, smith-wesson.com…

AFTER VISITING the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and witnessing the changing of the guard, Beretta patriarch, Giuseppe Beretta, said, “We have to do something better for these men.” Consequently, presentation-grade M9s were built and carried by Tomb Guard sentinels beginning February 17, 1988, until October 11, 2018, for a total of 11,194 days. The Beretta M9 served well alongside American servicemen and provided a great legacy, indeed. The time has come for another change. October 11th was a day that the men and women of SIG Sauer won’t soon forget. Four ceremonial M17s were presented to the sentinels of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and replaced the M9s in their holsters. Each is a work of art that was specially created by SIG Sauer for this duty. The…

WHEN I FIRST LEARNED Hornady was coming out with a long-action, .30-caliber magnum cartridge, the question that first came to mind was, Why? It was a good question since the .300 Winchester Magnum (WM) is America’s top-selling, long-action cartridge. Then there’s the .30 Nosler, another great design for a very-low-drag (VLD) bullet. And we can’t forget the .300 Norma Magnum (NM) and .300 Remington Ultra Magnum (RUM) for those who want as much powder behind a .30-caliber bullet as possible. Surely, those cover all the demands from a .30-caliber. The one glaring weakness in the .30-caliber magnum lineup is best highlighted by examining the requirement around which Hornady designed its new .300 Precision Rifle Cartridge (PRC). The requirement came from the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) which asked the industry…

BUY-BACK COLT SAA Q: I recently acquired a vintage SAA (S/N 31XXX) chambered in .45 Colt with a 5-inch barrel. I am waiting on a letter from Colt archives and it is my understanding that Colt only provides information on the original manufacturing date and shipping destination. I would like some information concerning the markings on the frame above the serial number. My initial research indicates this Colt was manufactured in 1876. The previous owner stated that the “C” over the serial number indicates the firearm was originally shipped to the U.S. Army and, upon inspection, was “condemned” and returned to Colt for repair. Also, according to the previous owner, the initials “J.T.C” are those of the Army inspector. While this sounds reasonable, my research also indicates that most Army…

UNTIL 2006, halogen or xenon bulbs were the industry standard in firearm mounted lights. Usually placed in lamp assemblies or a shock-resistant housing, early ones produced 60 lumens of light for nearly an hour or 120 lumens for almost 20 minutes when backed by a pair of CR123 lithium batteries. The downside to these bulbs was that they could break when taking hard bumps or enduring shock when attached to a machine gun. Or they’d burn out at the most inopportune time, and without warning. In 2006, Surefire introduced a new light that was designed for use on firearms: the Scout Light. The M600A was smaller, sleeker and lighter than models before it. It also incorporated a light emitting diode (LED), then-new technology for a gun light. The primary advantage…

AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER we have all been disappointed with the performance of factory ammunition, an off-the-shelf rifle or both. The two most common complaints heard are that the ammunition does not produce the velocities advertised or the ammo and rifle combination is not very accurate. The typical answer to these comments usually is, “You shouldn’t believe what you read in marketing materials or catalogs.” But are there technical issues at play here? Let’s take a closer look. As we explore both ammunition and firearms’ mass production techniques and tolerances, we need to understand that when millions of anything are being manufactured, it is impossible to make them all the same. That’s why there are tolerance ranges used around a specification or standard. Applying this to ammunition, say you…

Type: Bolt action, handgun Cartridge: .223 Rem., .300 BLK (tested), .308 Win. Capacity: 10+1 rds. Barrel: 10.5 in. (.223 Rem. and .300 BLK); 12.5 in. (.308 Win.) Overall Length: 20.81 in. (.223 Rem. and .300 BLK); 21.75 in. (.308 Win.) Weight: 5 lbs., 13 oz. Stock: None; pistol chassis; QD cup Grip: Magpul MIAD; M-Lok forend Finish: Black oxide (steel); black anodized or Veil camouflage (aluminum) Trigger: Rem. X Mark Pro, adj.; 5 lbs. (tested) Sights: None Safety: Lever, two position MSRP: $1,020 (black); $1,100 (Veil) Manufacturer: Remington Arms 800-243-9700, remington.com DON’T DISCOUNT THE VALUE OF ACCURACY. ONE CAN’T HELP but to think back to the Remington XP-100 when seeing the new Remington 700 CP, but this new “chassis pistol” isn’t intended to be a second act for varminters or…