Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2019 i Guns & Ammo

ARTICLE IDEA How about assigning a feature on desporterizing a military rifle from the 1960s? There is a lot of fun and satisfaction in bringing a chop-job deer rifle back to original spec. This is my 1903 Springfield that I’ve been collecting parts for a couple years now, as I waited for a good core. The metal had not been tampered with except for the rear sight having been removed and replaced with a Lyman receiver sight. I sourced an 03A3 walnut stock and collected hardware from gun shows and yard sales to give it a Camp Perry vibe. Next, I have almost everything I need to rebuild a 98 Mauser. Butch Gordo Winnemucca, Nevada AN HONOR Thank you, Dave Emary, for the incredibly interesting and informative column, “About My…

A rare and fine 1912 Winchester calendar sold at the February 7, 2019, Morphy Auctions for an impressive $5,625, including premiums. Measuring 50¼ inches wide by 30½ inches high, the image of a hunter confronted by an irate grizzly was painted by noted artist N.C. Wyeth. This is among the scarcest of early 20th century Winchester calendars and has a complete pad of months. The unfaded colors are vibrant, and overall condition of the piece is excellent. For more information about this and future sales, contact Morphy Auctions, morphyauctions.com, 877-968-8880.…

UNLESS YOU’VE BEEN LIVING under a rock these last 15 years, you’ve had to have noticed that there’s been a lot of new cartridges introduced. They all seem to be similar in shape with no belt, minimum body taper and a sharp shoulder. A lot of them have moderate cartridge case capacity. Good examples are the .224 Valkyrie, 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5mm Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, .300 PRC, the entire Nosler line and the Winchester Short Magnum (WSM) cartridges, just to name a few. When was the last time a belted magnum was introduced? When was the last time we saw a cartridge with taper on the body or a shoulder angle of 20 degrees or less? It’s been a long time. What has changed in cartridge design philosophy? And why? I…

ENGLISH GUNMAKING is a marvel. Of the many brands that once manufactured firearms in London, only a handful remain: Boss & Co., established in 1812; William Evans, established in 1883; Holland & Holland, established in 1835; John Rigby & Co., established in 1775 in Dublin, 1865 in London; and James Purdey & Sons, established in 1814. Though they are competitors, a recent visit revealed a more familial relationship between them. Until November 2017, Rigby’s Andrew Ambrose, head of sales, was a former employee of Holland & Holland. One afternoon he drove me to Holland & Holland’s flagship shop in the heart of Mayfair, which has the curb appeal of a high-end department store. Just off the sidewalk, mannequins pose behind glass advertising chic garments for men and women. If you…

“Boss Level” Hitler Walther PP Due to be released later this year, the science fiction film, “Boss Level,” starring Mel Gibson, features an engraved, suppressed and gold-plated Walther PP as one of its major props that originally belonged to Adolph Hitler, supposedly. It’s used by an assassin who, according to the storyline, purchased the piece for a half-million dollars. The actual pistol is really a 1970s-era blanked .32 ACP Walther PP engraved by Kenny Meyers of Hat Brand Engraving. The ivory grips were also embellished by Meyers. It was furnished by Cinema Weaponry of Burbank, California, and is currently on display at the National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, Virginia.…

TRIJICON’S Ruggedized Miniature Reflex (RMR) burst onto the scene in 2009 and introduced the benefits of a red-dot sight on a pistol to those not already using them on a competition pistol. The RMR sped up the aiming process while offering customers the best tactile touch pads to quickly adjust the dot’s intensity levels. The RMR earned a reputation for being nearly indestructible when used on pistols and rifles carried by military and law enforcement personnel. While not seeking to replace the latest RMR Type 2, Trijicon introduced another red-dot sight at the 2019 NRA Annual Meetings: the Specialized Reflex Optic (SRO). The SRO is a response to customer requests for an optic with a larger window than the RMR and easier battery access. As a result, the SRO also…

I WAS TEACHING A CLASS on a range in Germany with some of America’s finest Special Forces soldiers. They were engaging steel with frangible ammunition from their M4s and to their credit, burning it down. I heard one soldier, “Ryan D.,” say, “Throttle management and dot discipline.” This really stuck with me. His description is a great way to get the point across when trying to push soldiers past their self-perceived limits. I wanted to break this down using his mantra and the description that I would give on a normal range day of training. Throttle Management Students get sick of hearing the description I use over and over, “Do everything as fast as you can except for squeezing the trigger.” This parlays nicely with throttle management. Doing everything with…

S&W SAFETY HAMMERLESS Q: I enjoy the “Gun Room” section of the magazine and always go to read it first. I acquired a revolver a few years ago from a friend who was divesting herself of some of her items. She stated that her father gifted it to her for her high school graduation. I believe it to be a Smith & Wesson .32-caliber, Safety Hammerless revolver. For a revolver that is well over 100 years old, I think it is in amazing condition. It is tight and functions flawlessly. I believe it’s nickel plated and has the original plastic grips. The entire gun has almost no noticeable wear. It wears serial number 95XX, which is matched on the cylinder, as well as the underside of the top strap. Under…

THERE’S AN OLD QUESTION that I think applies here: “Is the juice worth the squeeze?” I took a hard look at several modern pistol magazine options and you might be surprised by my conclusion. I’ve been a shooter for a long time and one of the greatest improvements in the industry is, without a doubt, the availability of quality aftermarket magazines. Prior to the 2004 sunset of the Assault Weapons Ban (AWB), military-issued Beretta M9 magazines were sold at gun shows like some sort of rare treasure, commanding impressive premiums. Shooters in those days were either stuck with poorly made aftermarket magazines — garbage — or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) magazines that have always been pricey. The number of aftermarket magazines available for pistols beyond the M1911, M9 and Glock…

THERE ARE SO MANY RETICLE CHOICES these days that it can be difficult navigating through all the options. Not only must a shooter contend with choosing between first-focal-plane (FFP) reticles and second-focal-plane (SFP) reticles, they also have to choose between traditional crosshair and so-called “Christmas tree” or “holdover” models. The first question any of us must ask ourselves when choosing a reticle is which end of the scope’s magnification range we expect to use the most. This is by far the most overlooked aspect of reticle selection, yet it drives the choice between FFP or SFP reticles. The best guidelines when selecting a reticle are to identify what magnification range you want and where you’ll expect to spend most of your time in it. Most competitive precision rifle and recreational…

I’VE BEEN FORTUNATE since joining Guns & Ammo to have been able to evaluate a number of revolvers made by Colt, Ruger and Smith & Wesson (S&W). All are iconic American brands that, thankfully, are still in the business of making sixguns. Shooting revolvers takes me back to my beginnings as a shooter, when a few particular guns helped build the skills that continue to serve my passion. My first revolver was a stainless-steel Smith & Wesson Model 686 featuring a 4-inch barrel and adjustable rear sights. When I came into owning the Smith, most of the local sheriff’s deputies still carried something similar. In 1993, it cost me $357.50 with tax and a background check fee, and I couldn’t pick it up until after a waiting period. It was…