Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2021 i Shooting Times

THANKS TO ALLAN JONES FOR THE COLUMN ON THE .300 H&H. THIS IS my favorite “large caliber” rifle cartridge. It went to Africa with me in 2015 and one-shot all of my plains game, including an SCI Gold Medal kudu. I have it in a Remington 700 and would not trade it for love or money. Thanks again for the column. Keep up the great work. Todd Kiger Clarksburg, WV M1 Garand Facts Lane Pearce’s “The Reloader” column about handloading for the M1 Garand repeats a lot of myths and nonsense about what constitutes “proper ammunition” for the M1 Garand rifle. First, the M1 Garand was “designed around” full-power and pressure (MAP of 50,000 CUP/61,000 psi) 1925-specification 174-grain M1 Ball ammunition using IMR 1185 and IMR 1186 powder. M1 Ball…

MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH WINCHESTER’S extraordinary Model 97 pump-action shotgun was at “Winter Range,” the Cowboy Action Shooting championships in Arizona. I’d heard of the 97 before then, of course, but I had no experience with one. I was working on Trader’s Row selling saddles, but one afternoon I wandered over and watched a speed-shooting shotgun side match in which competitors used vintage shotguns to mow down an impressive lineup of steel “popper” targets faster than anyone else. I watched in awe as a fellow with a short-barreled 16-gauge Model 97 pounded through the targets. As I recall, he simply held the trigger back and slam-fired through the first several targets. Introduced in 1897, Winchester’s Model 97 is a tube-fed slide action with an exposed hammer. Designed by John Browning,…

ROUNDING UP JACKETED RIFLE BULLETS for handloading today ranges from extremely difficult to impossible, and this especially holds true for many lever-action rifle cartridges. A recent visit to a favorite gunshop revealed three boxes of bullets for the .30-30 and one box that was not the best choice but could have been used in a pinch for the .444 Marlin. That was it! Even when there isn’t a buying frenzy, which our country has been experiencing for quite some time, locating a supply of bullets for some of those cartridges is not easy. Keeping lever-action rifles active has not been a problem for me for a very long time because I began casting bullets for my father’s Winchester Model 92 in .44-40 during the 1960s. From that point on, bullet…

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: IN OCTOBER 2020, Bob Hayley died of cancer, and his business died with him. He requested there be no funeral, no graveside service, no mourners, and no obituaries. In accordance with those wishes, this is a simple announcement that Hayley’s Custom Ammunition is no longer in business. Bob’s death is a serious blow to anyone who likes to shoot old guns because for years Hayley’s Custom Ammunition was the only source of ammunition, brass, bullets, and the general wherewithal to keep old guns, of all descriptions, shooting rather than merely hanging on the wall. When I first met Bob in 2008, he described his products as “the weird, the wacky, the wonderful,” and that was no exaggeration. He prided himself on being able to get…

THE NEW ROOK GUN SAFE INCORPORATES ALL OF THE RENOWNED features of Pendleton safes in the company’s smallest footprint. Such features include the patented, one-of-a-kind valuables management system; a circular design; 400 LED lights; and a built-in moisture-control system. Constructed of 3/16-inch steel body, 1/4-inch top and bottom, and fully welded seams, the Rook weighs 1,000 pounds. It is 74.5 inches tall, 29.75 inches wide, and 35 inches deep. It has a high-gloss, show-car finish and is offered in an array of colors, and it can hold up to 40 long guns or 200 handguns. Plus, it can be custom configured to the customer’s gun collection. MSRP: $6,995 to $9,995 depending on configuration pendletonsafes.com XS Sights Mag Tube Extension Kit XS Sights has a new +2 Magazine Tube Extension Kit…

I SEE QUESTIONS IN MANY DIFFERENT PLACES asking what makes “match ammo.” The official definition of match ammunition according to the SAAMI glossary is rather short and simple: “Ammunition made specifically for match target shooting. Produced with special controls to assure maximum uniformity of cartridge performance.” We know it is intended to maximize accuracy, but is there more? As a matter of fact, yes. Factory match ammo will be within voluntary safety guidelines applicable to any ammunition, ensuring firearms and ammo are 100 percent compatible. Maximum average pressure limits, function, and cartridge/chamber dimensions are, for all practical purposes, the same as equivalent sporting ammunition. The notable exception is .22 Long Rifle. The sporting and match cartridge dimensions are identical down to their drawings’ tolerances (the “±” part). However, there are…

SAVAGE HAS A LONG HISTORY OF OFFERING value-packed guns, and the time-honored Model 110 bolt action is a prime component of that legacy. The Model 110 was designed in 1956 by Nicholas L. Brewer and has been produced continuously since 1958. The first chamberings were .270 Winchester and .30-06, and in 1959, a short-action version was introduced in .243 Winchester and .308 Winchester. The Model 110 is currently available in an exhilarating array of calibers, barrel lengths, stocks, and finishes. Make a list of the features you want in a rifle, and there’s probably a version of the Savage Model 110 that has them. Continuous innovation has kept the Model 110 fresh over the years. A new version is the Backcountry Extreme Series, which itself is further subdivided into six…

*Shorten case to 2.120 inches for this bullet. **Shorten case to 2.085 inches for this bullet. NOTES: Accuracy is the average of five, five-shot groups fired from a sandbag benchrest. Velocity is the average of 10 rounds measured 15 feet from the guns’ muzzles. Federal 205 and 210 primers were used. All load data should be used with caution. Always start with reduced loads first and make sure they are safe in each of your guns before proceeding to the high test loads listed. Since Shooting Times has no control over your choice of components, guns, or actual loadings, neither Shooting Times nor the various firearms and components manufacturers assume any responsibility for the use of this data.…

Q: I READ WITH GREAT INTEREST THE RECENT ARTICLE ABOUT THE .22 Hornet. I greatly appreciate the technical information and load data. Thank you. The article reawakened a question I have about the bore diameter of my CZ 527 American, which has a 0.223-inch-diameter bore. Most readily available factory .22 Hornet loads are 0.224 inch, and bullets for reloading, such as the Hornady V-Max, are 0.224 inch. Sierra makes two .223-caliber Hornet bullets for reloading, which is all I’ve been loading and shooting, but I would like to increase my choices with .224-caliber Hornet bullets like the V-Max and others. I called CZ-USA and asked the tech people if I can shoot .224-caliber bullets through my 527, and they responded, “Any factory load designated for .22 Hornet is shootable with…

AFTER RELOADING FOR 50 YEARS, I NOW HAND- load for about 100 different rifle and pistol cartridges, and I’ve accumulated many sets of dies, several presses, powder measures, scales, etc. In addition to the “routine” reloading tools required, I’ve also acquired several “special” tools. Some are designed to perform only one specific operation for multiple cartridges. Others, however, perform only one operation associated with a specific round. If you’ve followed my column for any length of time, you know I like to experiment with obsolete factory rounds and various wildcat cartridges. I loaded and fired many different rounds before appreciating the exemplary performance of earlier but no longer popular cartridges like the .250 Savage, 7mm Mauser, .257 Roberts, and the .308 Norma Magnum. Although I independently conceived a couple of…

LONG AGO, AT THE AWKWARD AGE OF 15, I slid my hands reverently along the beams of a massive mule deer buck my old shooting mentor Bill Cox had recently taken. “Just” 28 inches wide, the buck’s antlers were massive, long, and deep-forked. Gnarly Coke-can-size bases added visual impact. Already a ballistic nerd, I had to ask, “What did you shoot him with?” “My old .25-06,” was his response, and he waved toward the customized Mauser 98 leaning in a corner. I had seen the rifle before. It had a long, heavy match-grade barrel free-floated in a nice walnut stock by Reinhart/Fajen (now Macon Gunstocks). Bill had made the rifle many decades before, during a stint of weeding out the crows that were marauding his cornfields. His shooting partner had…

MICRO-SIZED, SUBCOMPACT PISTOLS ARE ALL THE RAGE THESE DAYS— even more so than in years past because most of the new ones are being chambered for the 9mm Luger round. Obviously, these pistols are built for everyday carry, with personal protection their main purpose. Smith & Wesson has the new M&P9 Shield Plus that fits this mold perfectly. The polymer-frame, striker-fired M&P9 Shield Plus (MSRP: $553) has a 3.1-inch barrel and a magazine capacity of 13 rounds. It weighs 20.2 ounces. It is 6 1 inches long overall, 1.1 inches wide, and 4.88 inches tall with the 13 round magazine. A flush-fitting 10-round magazine is also included, and with it inserted, the pistol is 4.44 inches tall. The company also offers a new Performance Center M&P9 Shield Plus with a…

THE NEW MPL1 PISTOL LIGHT FROM AXEON OPTICS HAS THREE LIGHT MODES and ergonomic rear switches. This lightweight, compact light delivers 120 lumens and fits a spectrum of self-defense handguns. The MPL1 has a master on/off switch located just below the rail that is used to prevent accidental power to the light. With the master switch engaged, the shooter can ambidextrously activate the dual instant on/off buttons located on the rear of the light and positioned just forward of the trigger guard when the light is mounted to the pistol. These switches are used to change modes from constant-on to fast-flash to momentary-flash. The MPL1 is powered by a single, front-loading AAA battery, which provides a constant runtime of 30 minutes. MSRP: $44.99 axeonoptics.com…

MORGAN’S SHARPSHOOTERS, ALSO CALLED Morgan’s Riflemen and Morgan’s Rifles, were elite light infantry units commanded by Daniel Morgan during the American Revolutionary War. These riflemen were equipped with cutting-edge long rifles (known as Pennsylvania or Kentucky rifles) instead of typical smoothbore muskets, and that allowed them to double their effective range. Some historians credit them with turning the tide of the war. Morgan was born in July 1736 and started out in 1775 as the captain of a small rifle unit comprising 80 men and 16 officers that was established by the State of Virginia. It was one of 10 such units commissioned by Congress. Captain Morgan and his men marched some 600 miles to Boston, where they gave what sounds like a thrilling shooting exhibition. Accounts of the event…