RifleShooter, the magazine dedicated to advanced rifle enthusiasts. All rifle sports are covered including hunting, target shooting and collecting, while focusing on fine custom rifles, great classics, and new high-tech designs.
Not So Boring After All I just finished reading Jeff John’s excellent article on the “boring” Martini-Henry rifle (November/December). I have three Martini-Henrys, including an original in .577/450 and one in .303. The third one was in such horrible shape when acquired that the action/receiver was all that could be salvaged. The only discernible marking on the receiver was a faint crest indicating the rifle had been manufactured by Turner. One day I happened upon a Douglas/Supreme air-gauged barrel with .458 bore, and I had an epiphany. Why not put the Martini-Henry and the .458 barrel together? That’s exactly what I did, and I had the barrel chambered in .45-90. There were some bumps along the way, but I now have a very unique rifle. Scott Moody Complete Miss I…
LANDS & GROOVES Taller than the 6.5 PRC and shorter than the .300 PRC, the new 7mm PRC is the Mama Bear of Hornady’s extremely successful Precision Rifle Cartridge family. Maximum cartridge lengths are 3.090 inches for the 7mm PRC, 2.955 inches for the 6.5 PRC and 3.700 inches for the .300 PRC. Respective maximum case lengths are 2.280 inches, 2.030 inches and 2.580 inches. All are descendents of the .375 Ruger case which, as you may recall, was a joint-venture design development between Hornady and Ruger. Going with the same rim diameter as the .300 Win. Mag. and other members of the Holland & Holland belted magnum family simplified rifle production. Hornady is loading 7mm PRC Precision Hunter ammunition with the 175-grain ELD-X at 3,000 fps and match ammo…
The .450/400 Nitro Express 3-inch was released in 1902. As the name suggests, it is based on the .450 Nitro Express case with a bottleneck design that allows it to hold .410-inch bullets weighing 400 grains. In the blackpowder era both the .450/400 2⅜-inch and .450/400 3¼-inch were in use, but today the three-inch version is the top choice, and we’ll refer to the cartridge from here on out without the length designation. The .450/400 Nitro Express features a rim that measures .625 inch in diameter and was designed for use in single-shot and double rifles. It pushed its 400-grain bullet at muzzle velocities between 2,050 and 2,150 fps, which made it suitable for game from lions to elephants. Jim Corbett, who rose to fame by settling scores with some…
Ruger LC Carbine Why should pistol shooters have all the 5.7x28 fun? Ruger’s new LC Carbine has an over-bolt design with the magazine in the grip for balance and shootability, and it has both a folding stock and Rapid Deploy folding sights for easy transport and storage. The 16.25-inch barrel is fluted, and it’s threaded 1/2x28 for muzzle devices (except for the state-compliant model). It features an ambidextrous 1911-style safety and accepts the same magazines as the Ruger 5.7 pistol. The fore-end is M-Lok compatible. >>$979, RUGER.COM Zeiss LRP S3 Designed for long-range shooting, it’s a first-focal plane scope built on a 34mm tube that promises best-in-class elevation travel: 160 m.o.a./46.5 mils in the 4-25x50mm and 110 m.o.a./32 mils in the 6-36x56. The ZF reticle, available in m.o.a. or mils,…
Monometal bullets, meaning all one piece and type of metal, require slightly different load tuning to get the best out of them. Colloquially known as “copper” bullets or sometimes as monolithic bullets, these are generally made of a copper alloy. Copper being much harder than lead, they are not nearly as compressible or malleable as traditional copper-jacketed, lead-core bullets. Also, being lighter than lead, same-weight projectiles are longer and have more bearing surface. As a result, when fired into the rifling leade, monometal bullets pose more resistance. When loaded without regard to this characteristic, pressure spikes can occur. Accuracy usually degrades, too. To get the most out of these bullets, handloaders need to know some of the specialized loading techniques that can help achieve the best possible accuracy. There are…
“The .30-30 has become the classic deer-hunting cartridge of all time, and the Model 94—the classic deer rifle—has continued without interruption with that chambering.” Winchester: An American Legend by R.L Wilson No knock on Marlin, but say “deer rifle” and most folks will envision Winchester’s ubiquitous straight-gripped carbine Model 94. After a couple of years with a 336 Marlin, I finally laid hold of a Model 94 and fell instantly in love with its slimmer, sexier lines. The Model 94’s credentials need nothing in the way of embellishment. Designed by John Browning, it was the first smokeless “high powered” American sporting rifle, with more than 7.5 million made. Most of us are familiar with the carbine version—20-inch barrel, full-length magazine, 6.5-pound weight. But it’s easy to forget there were different…
