Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2020 i Guns & Ammo

WRITE US! “Letters,” Guns & Ammo, 2 News Plaza, 3rd Floor, Peoria, IL 61614, or email us at gaeditor@outdoorsg.com. Please include your city and state of residence. Letters may be edited for brevity and clarity. MY FIRST .22 Reading Eric Poole’s editorial “A Boy & His Rifle” brought back memories of my first .22 rifle, a Winchester Model 72A that my dad got for me when I was early in grade school. It was the firearm Dad used to teach me about firearm safety, shooting skills and the respect a responsible gun owner should acquire. Although I never hunted a ’coon or opossum with it, it did bring down my first squirrel, a memory from 60 years ago as if it were yesterday. That old Winchester also hunted countless groundhogs…

Though often unrealized by firearms historians and collectors in the 19th and 20th centuries, France was one of the most innovative countries in the area of firearms development. To the average military enthusiast, the most obvious development was the introduction of the first general-issue smokeless-powder military rifle: The Lebel Model 1886, also known as the Fusil Mle 1886 M93. But Gallic inventiveness went much further than that. Fortunately, they all can now be easily referenced in the handsome “Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles, 1866-2016.” Author Ian McCollum produced this superbly-mounted, full-color 532-page book, covering just about every French military longarm from just prior to the Franco-Prussian War to date. Information is easily accessible, photography superb and it covers all aspects of the arms completely and meticulously. Each subject undergoes…

Type: Striker fired, recoil operated, semiautomatic Cartridge: 9mm Capacity: 17+1 rds. Barrel: 4.7 in., carbon steel Overall Length: 8.25 in. Width: 1.5 in. Height: 5.5 in. Weight: 1 lbs., 13.2 oz. Finish: Black DLC, chromoly, tungsten (steel) Frame: Polymer module, black or tan Sights: Wilson Battlesights; red fiber optic (front); U-notch (rear) Trigger: Grayguns Competition; 3 lbs., 3 oz. (initial test) MSRP: $1,350 (tested) Manufacturer: Wilson Combat, 800-955-4856, wilsoncombat.com…

Type: Bolt action Cartridge: .223 Rem., 6mm Creedmoor, .308 Win., 6.5 Creedmoor (tested), .300 Win. Mag., .338 Lapua Mag. Capacity: 10 rounds Barrel: 26 in.; 1:8-in. twist Overall Length: 43 in. (collapsed); 44.5 in. (extended) Weight: 12 lbs., 6 oz. Stock: MDT ACC chassis Grip: MDT vertical grip Sights: None Finish: Flash nitride (stainless steel), Cerakote (aluminum), titanium nitride (bolt body) Safety: Two-position selector Trigger: Savage AccuTrigger; 1.5 lbs. to 4 lbs. (adj.) MSRP: $2,000 Manufacturer: Savage Arms, 800-370-0708, savagearms.com…

FIVE YEARS AGO, Guns & Ammo marked the 40th anniversary of the CZ 75 by reaching out beyond the magazine’s writer pool. Remembering a fondness that the late Shotgun News’ Senior Editor Peter Kokalis had for this Czech pistol, I invited him to pen an overview of the legendary pistol with his personal anecdotes. He was enthusiastic about the opportunity. “I frequently carried a CZ 75 in a Galco vertical shoulder rig during the war in El Salvador,” Kokalis recalled. “I was serving at the time with the famed Atlacatl Immediate Reaction Battalion, the elite special forces unit of the Salvadoran army. The pistol was well known and always highly regarded in the international mercenary circles, especially in Africa where it was easy to obtain and was reasonably priced.” In…

WE NEED TO REMEMBER the difference between the terms “accuracy” and “precision.” Accuracy refers to the closeness of a measured value to a known standard. Precision refers to accuracy as it relates to the distance from the intended point of aim. To evaluate handguns, Guns & Ammo’s standards require testers to shoot five, five-shot groups. If the groups hover near the center, but impacts are spread far apart, the groups may be precise but not very accurate. If the groups are tightly clustered but offset of center, they may be accurate, but not precise. Therefore, precision is independent of accuracy. However, the combination of accuracy and precision is always our desired outcome. When speaking of a gunfight, speed needs to be a consideration. Marshal Wyatt Earp is often credited for…

IF WE GO TO THE RANGE with both types of firearms, many of us tend to shoot significantly more handgun ammunition than rifle ammunition. If this statement describes you, I can make a good case for reloading your handgun ammunition. There are several advantages of handloading over purchasing factory ammunition. The first is cost. Most handgun cartridges use a fraction of the powder at an average of $22 per pound, while a rifle cartridge averages $26 per pound. A pound of powder will load a lot of handgun ammunition. This can save a substantial amount of money for practice or plinking. Let’s say you shoot a lot of 9mm. A 50-count box of Federal American Eagle 9mm 124-grain full-metal jacket (FMJ) bullets will cost you between $12 and $14, or,…

A FRIEND GIFTED ME the October 1960 issue of Guns & Ammo a few weeks ago. I thumbed through the pages and was intrigued by an advertisement for Klein’s Sporting Goods in Chicago, Illinois. Klein’s list would make any gun collector want to invent a time machine. An M1 Garand costed $79.95. A Webley Mk. VI revolver was only $14.95, and an Enfield No. 4 Mk. T sniper rifle, with the original 4X scope, was $49.95! My personal favorite — the Smith & Wesson M1917 — could be bought for just $29.95. Today, knowing that many can’t afford to purchase a new self-defense gun in such uncertain times, I began my own search for surplus bargains. After surveying the market, these are my top three used-handgun choices, in-stock and at…

“I remember seeing similar items in shops on a trip to Granada in 1968.” UNUSUAL ARISAKA MARKING Q: First, let me compliment you on your popular “I&V” column within a likewise fine magazine. My family and I absolutely love reading your comments. Second, I hope you’ll be able to identify a vintage military service rifle given to me recently by a dear friend. His grandfather was a Marine in the Pacific during World War II and brought this gun back to the U.S. with him. The rifle is long at 52 inches. There are no recognizable armorers or proofmarks other than the twin oak leaves (or eagle?) imprinted on the stock. The patina and overall condition certainly appear vintage. The bolt functions and the barrel is clean with little pitting.…

Type: Striker fired, recoil operated, semiautomatic Cartridge: 9mm Capacity: 10 rds. or 12 rds. Barrel: 3.2 in., stainless steel Overall Length: 6.3 in. Height: 5.1 in. Width: 1.2 in. Weight: 1 lb., 6 oz. Finish: Tenifer (slide), Teflon (controls) Slide: Carbon steel (tested) or stainless steel Frame: Polymer, textured Sights: Fixed, white dot, steel (front); U-notch, serrated, drift adj. (rear) Trigger: 5 lbs., 15 oz. (single action, tested); 6 lbs., 9 oz. (double action, tested) Safeties: Striker block plunger; manual safety lever; trigger safety lever MSRP: $306 Manufacturer: Taurus International, 800-327-3776, taurususa.com…