Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2020 i Shooting Times

IN THE EXCELLENT REVIEW OF THE NEW WALTHER CCP M2 IN THE June issue, Jake Edmondson said he had no way to measure the force required to rack the slide of the pistol. Well, I do, and it’s simple. About 30 years ago, I needed to measure the force required to rack the slides of a number of autoloaders. Having no proper tools, I improvised by using a kitchen/garden scale and a cleaning rod. Simply insert the cleaning rod into the muzzle of the pistol, press it down against the scale, and watch the arrow point to the numbers. The attached photo shows how to do it. This setup is a little shaky and not as accurate as a proper tool, but it is capable of giving reasonable results. No…

INTRODUCED IN 1939, THE WINCHESTER MODEL 74 is an intriguing self-loading rimfire. The receiver is built on an 8.5-inch-long steel tube. An inch in diameter, the tubular receiver houses a simple blowback-operated bolt and is fed by a tubular magazine housed in the buttstock. Unlike most vintage semiautomatic rimfire rifles, the Model 74 allows the bolt to be removed from the rear of the receiver, enabling easy maintenance and allowing the bore to be cleaned from the rear. These rifles can be spotted from a distance because of the squared-off rear of the action, which gives them a look nearly akin to the “humpback” appearance of the classic Browning Auto-5 shotgun. Uniquely, the safety is a flat, knurl-ended crossbolt dovetailed into the top of the receiver. A petite charging handle…

MY FIRST DOVE gun was a Full choke .410. At age 11, I hated it, and my father, in his infinite mercy, got me a 20 gauge. Now, more than a half-century later, I still think that giving a youngster a .410 as his or her first shotgun borders on child abuse. Forget the so-called “light recoil” attributes of a .410. If you want your kids to have a fighting chance at smoking aerial targets, they’re far better off with a cut-down, junior-size 20 gauge. And if recoil’s an issue, preferably a gas-operated auto with an IC choke tube installed. But this article isn’t about kids. It’s about me and why—in my dotage—I now love .410s. And I’m not talking highly collectible Winchester Model 42 pumps, Remington 1100 semiautos, or…

ONE OF BROWNING’S 2020 SHOT SHOW SPECIAL PISTOLS IS THE .22 LR BUCK Mark Plus Vision Red that features a lightweight, alloy-sleeved, 5.9-inch, steel “Vision” suppressor-ready barrel that comes with a removable muzzle brake. The pistol also has a top-mounted optics rail; UFX overmolded rubber grips; a TRUGLO/Marbles Arms fiber-optic front sight; and a 16-click, adjustable Pro-Target rear sight with white outline that is recessed into the top of the optics rail. The lateral cuts in the barrel sleeve reduce weight and give the gun its distinctive look. The frame and barrel sleeve are anodized red; the trigger is gold; and the slide, grips, top rail, sights, and muzzle brake are matte black. The pistol comes with two 10-round magazines and a pistol rug. Browning also offers the Buck Mark…

TRY AS ONE MIGHT, IT’S AWFULLY HARD TO MAKE a case for any small-game cartridge other than the .22 Long Rifle. It’s cheap and readily available in loads to suit any occasion. More effort has gone into perfecting it, worldwide, than any other cartridge in history. As a result, you can buy target and game loads of superlative quality. If the object of the game is a passel of fat squirrels to make a stew, and head shots are the ticket, standard match solids work well out to 50 yards or even beyond, depending on the rifle. If you want to take out pesky possums, or woodchucks in the back garden where noise is an issue, .22 LR hollowpoints will knock ’em dead if placed in the right spot. In…

THE NEW 9MM TRS COMP 1911 FROM NIGHTHAWK CUSTOM FEA- tures a double-stack frame with a full-length dustcover, a monolithic slide, a match-grade 5.0-inch barrel, and an integrated compensator. The solid trigger has a striated flat face. The front sight is an 18-kt. gold bead, and the rear sight is an all-black Heinie Ledge. Magazine capacity is 17 rounds, and the finish is black nitride. Instead of traditional grasping grooves, the slide has a unique dimple pattern, and the same dimple pattern is repeated on the grip. TRS stands for Tactical Ready Series. MSRP: $4,599 nighthawkcustom.com XS Sights Second Generation Offset Iron Sights XS Sights has unveiled its new second generation XTI2 DXS Ember Standard Dot 45-Degree Offset Iron Sights for AR-15 rifles. These sights comprise a close-quarters, secondary sighting…

FOLLOWING MY RECENT COLUMN ON THE .35 REM- ington cartridge, I received an astute inquiry from a reader about the safety of centerfire cartridges and tubular-magazine rifles. His thoughts were triggered by my mention of the old 150-grain pointed softpoint factory loads. I’ve read the cautions about pointed bullets and tubular magazines since I was a pup. The concern is that the recoil of normal firing can bounce the cartridges against each other end to end. In theory at least, a pointed bullet acts as a firing pin for the cartridge in front when recoil rattles the cartridges together. Today, having worked as a firearms professional for nearly 50 years, including investigating many alleged accidents, I can put this in context. I never worked a case that was suspected of…

TETRA’S COMPANY MOTTO IS “HEAR THE HUNT,” AND IT PROVIDES HEAR- ing protection and enhancement in the form of electronic ear pieces. One of its most popular products is the AlphaShield 60 Waterfowl series ($699). I’ve been using a pair and have found them to be effective and comfortable. The founders of TETRA are audiologists, working in a clinic that specializes in hearing loss, and they are avid duck hunters, too. They developed the AlphaShield devices to enhance and amplify the common sounds of a duck blind while protecting the ears from the sudden blast of a shotgun and the ear-splitting squeals from a duck call. The AlphaShield devices even pick up the sounds of wings overhead and the distant quacks of passing ducks. The development process was very involved…

Franchi 20-Gauge Instinct L Patterns? Q: I ENJOYED THE RECENT REPORT ON FRANCHI’S FLAGSHIP INSTINCT L 20-gauge over-under shotgun written by Layne Simpson. It looks like a fine gun, and I’d like a little more detail on how it patterned. What can you tell me? Willie Washington Via email A: Yes, the Franchi Instinct L is a very nice over-under. I was so impressed with Layne’s report that I decided to buy the gun he used for that article. He kindly put together the following chart showing how the gun patterned with five different Remington loads. Joel J. Hutchcroft Two-Tone Colt Vest Pocket Model 1908? Q: I read with great interest Joel Hutch-croft’s reply to Mr. Black’s inquiry about his Colt .25-caliber Vest Pocket Model 1908 pistol in the June…

LIKE CURRENT TV ADS THAT PORTRAY A COM- petitor’s services as “just good enough” while the advertiser’s services are superior, safe handloads are much better than “just good enough.” Reloading is relatively simple to accomplish, but a properly planned and executed handloading process is required. The process begins with assessing whether a fired case should be reloaded, and that requires careful observation and evaluation. Questions to ask include: Was the fired case difficult to extract from the gun’s chamber after it was fired? Is the primer in place? Is it pierced, cratered, or flattened? Is the case head partially or fully cracked above the rim? Is the neck split? Is the shoulder dented? I’ve seen every one of those conditions too many times to count in nearly 50 years of…

PRECISION HAND - loading as we know it today started during the late 1940s when a group of varmint shooters got together to see who could place five bullets into the smallest group at 100 yards and 200 yards. In the beginning standard handloading tools made by Lyman, Belding & Mull, and HollyWood Gun Shop were used to reload the .220 Swift along with wildcat cartridges like .22-250, .220 Wilson Arrow, and .219 Donaldson Wasp. Two organizations, the National Benchrest Shooters Association (NBRSA) and the International Benchrest Shooters (IBS), were eventually formed, and the sport was off and running. The Backstory Continued efforts to shrink group size by improving the quality and consistency of ammunition resulted in the development of precision-made handloading tools. Some were made by individual shooters for…

THE LEUPOLD VX-5HD 3-15X 44MM CDS-ZL2 RIFLESCOPE IS PACKED WITH great features, including a 30mm tube, a fast-focus eyepiece, and a zoom ratio of 5:1. The lenses wear a Guard-Ion lens coating that sheds dirt and water to provide clear, crisp images. The scope has ergonomically enhanced controls with tactile, audible click adjustments; large numbers; and a “high-speed” throw lever. The scope’s CDS (Custom Dial System) elevation dial provides fast elevation adjustments to different ranges with a custom dial matched to the user’s specific ballistic information. The scope comes with an MOA-scale dial to get you on target while you wait for your free custom laser-marked dial from Leupold’s Custom Shop with your exact ballistics information. The ZL2 push-button ZeroLock system provides two revolutions of adjustment. This scope also has…

YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED THAT WE HAVE A LOT of rimfire material in this issue. One of the greatest rimfire rifles of all time has to be the classic Ruger 10/22 semiautomatic rifle. One of the greatest rimfire shooting feats of all time was accomplished by John “Chief AJ” Huffer in 1987. He was 50 years old, and he used 10/22 rifles for the deed. John Huffer was born on Christmas Day 1937 in the Florence Crittenton Home for Unwed Mothers in Peoria, Illinois, and given the name Clarence Moore. He was the child of a Cherokee father and a Menominee mother. Six months later, he was adopted by Charles and Dorothy Huffer of Urbana, Illinois, and renamed John Huffer. He graduated from Urbana High School and attended the University…