Innholdsfortegnelse for December/January 2021-22 i Shooting Times

AS AN OLDER GUY WHO JUST ACQUIRED HIS FIRST RED-DOT SIGHT, THE recent article on red dots by Layne Simpson was right on. Well done! Sam Wiede Via email Bob Hayley Auction I read the “Gunsmoke” column about Bob Hayley in my friend’s copy of Shooting Times. For those who are interested, there was a 16-hour auction of Hayley’s reloading stuff and antique cartridges in Vernon, Texas, and another auction at his home in Seymour. Most of the items went cheap; I bought a lot and resold it on eBay. I would’ve liked to have known him. Lonnie Hare Via email .458 Win. Mag. Gets the Job Done I read with interest Layne Simpson’s article on the .458 Winchester Magnum. I began searching for a handload for the .458 Win.…

ONE OF THE LESSER-KNOWN BOLT-ACTION .22 rifles of the last century, Remington’s Model 34 was built for just a few short years, from 1932 through 1935. About 163,000 were made before the Model 34 was replaced by the Model 341. Several unique characteristics distinguish the Model 34. It’s a tube-fed bolt action, which is somewhat unusual, and the two-position, rocker-type safety located at the right rear of the action is backward, meaning you press it forward to engage the safety and pull it rearward to put it in the “Fire” position. However, most unique is the cartridge lifter. It’s worth noting that the lifter keeps the incoming cartridge level, lifts it elevator style, and presents it straight in line with the chamber. Thanks to the lifter’s straight-on, easy-chambering presentation, freshly…

EVERYONE BUT EVERYONE knows a pump-action 12-gauge shotgun is a good home-defense gun. Pump guns are reliable and versatile. Smith & Wesson’s new M&P12 pump-action bullpup is a good example because it has a lot of firepower and a bunch of practical features. Three that come to mind immediately are the ambidextrous, two-position safety; the vertical foregrip; and the optics-ready Picatinny rail on top of the receiver. Attributes The M&P12’s safety is very much like a two-position safety on an AR-style rifle. Again, it’s ambidextrous, and my sample worked smoothly and easily. Note that with the safety engaged, the action will open. The synthetic vertical foregrip is made by Magpul and marked M&P, and it is textured and form-fitted. By that I mean it’s ergonomic and is contoured with slight…

KELTEC HAS A BUNCH OF COOL GUNS, INCLUDING THE P50, P17, AND PMR30 pistols. Another cool gun is the .22 Magnum CMR30 semiautomatic carbine, and I have to say the CMR30 is just plain fun to shoot! The blowback-operated CMR30 has a threaded (1/2-28), 16.1-inch barrel and a telescoping skeleton-type aluminum buttstock. It has an aluminum alloy upper assembly and main frame, with a hard-anodized finish. Weight is just 3.8 pounds, and length is 29 inches with the stock extended (it’s 22.7 inches with the stock collapsed). The buttstock can be locked at several positions, and the release is positioned in front of the trigger guard. The grip (which houses the main frame), magazine catch, safety levers, stock latch, and operating handles are glass-reinforced nylon. The standard finish is matte…

THE YEARS 1770 TO 1850 SAW EXTRAORDINARY advances in gunmaking, not the least influential of which—both technically and socially—was the evolution and perfecting of the duelling pistol. This took place mainly in Britain because, according to firearms historian John Atkinson, author of The British Duelling Pistol, dueling was “almost a national sport” among the Brits. Incidentally, “dueling” is spelled with one ‘l’ unless it precedes “pistol,” in which case there are two. Just one of many curious usages surrounding this fascinating practice. But here we are focused on guns for defense. How does dueling tie in? Simply because these highly specialized pistols were the first firearms regarding which gunmakers really paid attention to what we now call ergonomics—how the gun balanced and fit the man who was to use it—and…

WALTHER’S NEW 9MM PDP (PERFORMANCE DUTY Pistol) is a striker-fired, optics-ready semiautomatic with a polymer frame, interchangeable backstraps, all-new texturing pattern on the grip, and a brand-new PDT safety trigger. It is an outgrowth from Walther’s successful PPQ and Q4/Q5 series of pistols. The PDP is offered with a 4.5-inch barrel or a 4.0-inch barrel. Magazine capacities are 18 rounds for the 4.5-inch gun and 15 rounds for the shorter, compact model. The polymer sights are a three-dot setup. The 4.5-inch-barreled PDP weighs 25.4 ounces. MSRP: $649 waltherusa.com Left-Handed Ruger 10/22 Competition Rifle Ruger has just introduced a left-handed configuration of its Custom Shop 10/22 Competition Rifle. Accordingly, the new version features left-side ejection, a left-handed charging handle, and a left-handed push-button cross-bolt manual safety. The detachable 10-round rotary magazine…

I’VE PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED FORENSIC BULLET and cartridge case comparison, but I want to include some history. First, “firearms identification,” not “ballistics,” is what crime labs do. Firearms identification today is highly evolved. Labs have digital microscopy capabilities and can share images of evidence items with faraway labs via the “send” button. It was not always high tech. True microscopes appeared about 1590 to 1625, but three centuries passed before effective and expedient firearms evidence comparison devices appeared. Rifled firearms were documented between 1493 and 1506, but any forensic usefulness of rifling impressions on bullets had to wait another four centuries to be appreciated. Early firearms evidence was painfully basic. The first civilian firearms were bored in many diameters for round balls and came with a bullet mold to cast the…

SPRINGFIELD ARMORY SAYS its new 1911 Emissary has a special mission: to blend form and function in a defensive pistol loaded with custom-grade features. As such, it has the bells and whistles discerning defensive shooters demand with an air of custom refinement. All at a suggested retail price of $1,279. This new .45 ACP Model 1911 embodies the great versatility of John M. Browning’s crowning achievement. I can see it being used for duty and defense, action shooting, hunting, and plinking. You really can do just about anything with a good, solid, accurate Model 1911 like the new Emissary. Features The 1911 Emissary weighs 40 ounces without a magazine and is 8.4 inches long, 5.25 inches tall (again without a magazine), and 1.26 inches thick at the thumb safety. By…

TERRY WIELAND’S “GUNSMOKE” COLUMN THIS month on duelling pistols inspired me to look at some of the more interesting duels in American history. Some of you may recall I’ve been a student of dueling in America for some time and have written about it a few times during my almost 30 years with Shooting Times. Technically, dueling in America was outlawed by the 1880s, but prior to that, the practice was fairly common. Probably the most famous duel in America was between Vice President Aaron Burr and rival Alexander Hamilton in 1804. Hamilton later died from injuries he incurred. Second to that famous duel was the one between Andrew Jackson, who later became President of the United States, and Charles Dickinson in 1806. I wrote about that duel in a…

Q: I HAVE A PRE-’64 WINCHESTER MODEL 70 BUILT IN 1949, SERIAL NUMBER 123279. Is it safe to shoot .257 Roberts +P ammunition in the gun? It’s the only ammo I can find. J. Daily Via email A: That’s an excellent question. Were it my rifle and in decent condition mechanically, I would shoot modern +P ammo without hesitation. The Pre-’64 Model 70s were chambered for .30-06 that has a maximum average pressure (MAP) of 60,000 psi; the .257 Roberts +P has an MAP of 58,000 psi. The only caution I offer is if the rifle has seen a lot of rounds in its life. If that is the case, consider having a gunsmith confirm the headspace with a no-go gauge. I believe the lower initial limit of 51,000 psi…

A RIFLE CARTRIDGE IS MADE UP OF ONLY FOUR components—two energetic and two benign. The energetic ones are the primer and the propellant. The case and the bullet are only benign until the firing pin strikes the primer. At that point, they both obturate almost instantaneously. The case seals the chamber to ensure the extremely hot primer and propellant gases exit the muzzle and don’t flow back through the action into the shooter’s face. The bullet jumps forward and is engraved into the spiral rifling, sealing the hot gases behind it as it accelerates down the bore. If all goes according to plan, the spinning bullet exits at the desired velocity on the way to the intended target, and the expended cartridge case and rifle are still intact. Hopefully, you’ve…

DOMINANT POPULARITY OF PRS-TYPE competitive shooting has brought bolt-action .22 rimfires back into favor. Like other manufacturers, Bergara has a .22 Long Rifle model designed specifically as a training rifle. Named the B-14R, its dimensions, weight, and operation mirror full-size centerfire competition rifles, right down to AICS-size magazines. While invaluable for crossover training, the full-size nature of these rifles can be off-putting to hunters and recreational plinkers. Bergara has proven adept at listening to consumers and responding with appropriate products that admirably fit demand, and the BMR (Bergara Micro Rimfire) is a classic example. While it has centerfire quality and ergonomics, it’s sized properly for diminutive rimfire cartridges. Not Your Granddaddy’s .22 This is not, however, your grandfather’s bolt-action .22. It’s positively dripping with modern features. Better yet, it’s available…

THROUGH THE DECADES, numerous centerfire rifle cartridges have been here today, gone tomorrow flashes in the pan. The fact that the .35 Whelen has proven to possess an abundance of lasting power is a bit of a mystery considering it does not shoot as flat as a banjo string, pulverize large boulders at 1,000 yards, place bullets inside a quarter inch, or leap tall buildings in a single bound. What the .35 Whelen does do is reliably drop game ranging in size from whitetail deer to Alaska-Yukon moose at a level of recoil tolerated by the majority of hunters. I am never surprised to see rifles chambered for the old cartridge in hunting camps all across America and in a few other countries as well. Then Townsend Whelen mentioned the…

1) Publication Title Shooting Times 2) Publication Number 0038-8084 3) Filing Date 10/01/21 4) Issue Frequency Monthly with a Bi-Monthly Issue in Dec/Jan 5) Number of Issues Published Annually 11 6) Annual Subscription Price $23.98 7) Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication Outdoor Sportsman Group David Madrid 1040 6th Avenue, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10018-3703 Phone: 212-852-6600 8) Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher Outdoor Sportsman Group 1040 6th Avenue, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10018-3703 9) Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor Publisher: Christopher Agnes 2 News Plaza, 2nd Floor, Peoria, IL 61614 Editor: Joel J. Hutchcroft 2 News Plaza, 2nd Floor, Peoria, IL 61614 Production Manager: Terry Boyer 2 News Plaza, 2nd Floor, Peoria,…