Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2022 i Shooting Times

I APPRECIATE THE EXCELLENT COLUMN BY ALLAN JONES ON RECOIL AND sighting-in of big-bore revolvers in the November 2021 issue. It was the most lucid, informative, and easy-to-understand piece I’ve ever read on recoil and what factors it consists of. I must also say that I started wincing when he talked about the friend resting the butt of his Model 29 with target grips on the shooting bench—I just knew what was gonna happen! Now let’s see how much of this I can put into practice! Thank you so much. Don Mowzoon Via email .25-20 Is a Great Cast-Bullet Cartridge You may have read all you wanted on the .25-20, but here goes anyway. I’m probably significantly younger than most who admire the .25-20. I have four guns chambered for…

AS HORNADY’S SETH SWERCZEK STATED TO ME, “All bullets are tied to velocity for their performance and none more than a monolithic.” The company was about to introduce a refined, updated version of its excellent monometal GMX bullet, and I was getting the lowdown. Long, low-drag versions featuring Doppler radar-tested and refined aerodynamics and best-possible accuracy were Hornady’s goal. Let’s dive right into why this is a big deal. Monometal bullets have very real performance advantages and, in areas restricted to so-called “non-toxic” projectiles, a legal advantage, too. However, monometal projectiles are also handicapped by the very material of which they’re made. Because copper and copper alloys have less inherent density than lead, monometal bullets made entirely of a copper/copper alloy cannot have the same level of ballistic coefficient (BC)…

IF YOU ARE LIKE ME (AND COUNTLESS others who have been working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic), then maybe you’ve gotten used to wearing comfortable athletic pants (e.g., sweatpants) for everyday wear. I’ve even been known to occasionally go to the office in my “dressy” sweatpants. Well, now Springfield Armory has partnered with Alexo Athletica to bring out a line of really nice-looking “readywear,” all with the capability to carry a concealed personal-defense handgun efficiently and comfortably. The line includes joggers, lounge pants, leggings, and a variety of complementary lifestyle pieces. My pick of the litter is the Springfield Performance CC Jogger. The CC Jogger is designed to be comfortable and convenient, and it features a patent-pending double pocket carry system, with multiple ambidextrous pocket locations (right appendix, left…

HORNADY’S RAPID SAFE KEYPAD VAULT’S 16-GAUGE STEEL housing provides maximum security, and the improved keypad eases code programming. Measuring 13.1x11x3.9 inches, the vault is ideal for use in drawers, and an internal light provides easy identification of valuables. It is predrilled for permanent installation, and the contents can be accessed via patented RFID reader, access code, and mechanical key. The weight is 15 pounds. MSRP: $148.99 hornady.com Blackhawk Knoxx AR Polymer Handguards Blackhawk has announced new carbine and mid-length Knoxx AR Polymer Handguards that feature integrated front hand stops with light texturing, aluminum heat shields, and ambidextrous quick-detach sling mounts. The strong and durable polymer handguards also have M-LOK mounting points at the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions. They are made in the USA. MSRP: $39.95 blackhawk.com CZ-USA Scorpion…

I CAN’T MAKE FORENSIC EVIDENCE “PRETTY.” PRO- ceed if you are not squeamish, but I’ll cut to the conclusion: Never fire a bullet high up into the air! This clearly falls under a broader rule we’ve all read: Be sure of your backstop and what is beyond. Why? There is no backstop in the sky! I’ve heard people suggest that aerodynamic drag limits the terminal velocity of falling bullets to less-than-harmful levels. That is true only to a point and, based on century-old testing, understates the hazard. Falling bullets are dangerous and can even be lethal—I’ve held the evidence. “Bullets from the Sky,” Chapter XX of Hatcher’s Notebook, covers falling bullets. Gen. Julian Hatcher described results of old Army firing tests with U.S. .30-caliber 150-grain FMJ flatbase bullets fired straight…

THE NEW P322 HAS A MAGAZINE capacity of 20 rounds, which is unprecedented in the world of semiautomatic .22 LR pistols. It’s optic-ready, so you can swap out the rear sight plate for a red dot. And it’s suppressor-compatible and comes with the threaded mounting adapter. Prime Features The P322 also has a lot of additional bells and whistles. Every pistol comes with an extra trigger shoe, so you can switch between a straight trigger and a curved trigger. The sights are fiber optic and fully adjustable. The fire controls are classic in location and operation, yet they’re cutting edge, too. In addition to the mirror-image, ambidextrous slide lock levers and thumb safeties, the magazine release button is reversible. The size is halfway between SIG SAUER’s super-popular P365 XL in…

Q:I HAVE AN OLD SAKO LEVER GUN, MODEL VL63, IN .308 CALIBER that was manufactured in approximately 1961. This rifle is in very good condition and shoots excellently—bullseyes at 100 yards. I am considering having my gunsmith convert it to 6.5 Creedmoor. I have heard so much good stuff about the 6.5 Creedmoor, and the VL63 is my second .308. I think the conversion would make a really sweet rifle that very likely no one else would have. What do you think? Should I have it rebarreled? Gene Campbell Rockwall, TX A: Your vintage Sako sounds like a lovely rifle. It certainly would make a very sweet 6.5 Creedmoor. However, I’m going to give it to you straight: I wouldn’t change a thing on that fine old rifle. It’s 61…

I RECENTLY NOTICED A LYMAN AD OFFERING COM- plete packaged sets of tooling for loading several modern sporting rifle (MSR) cartridges. They are offered for .223/5.56, 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 Rem. SPC, .300 AAC Blackout, .224 Valkyrie, and .308 Winchester in three-die sets and .450 Bushmaster, .458 SOCOM, 9mm Luger, .350 Legend, and .50 Beowulf in four-die sets. Each three- or four-die set also includes a shell-holder and a cartridge/case gauge. The small base and carbide (9mm only) sizer dies along with a separate taper crimp die ensure reliable chambering and bullet retention during the MSR’s dynamic, self-loading operation. Lyman also publishes an AR reloading manual (now in its second edition) to complement these special reloading tools. I started using Lyman dies 50 years ago to hand-load for a .357 Magnum…

AS ONE OF MY FAVORITE COMEDY SHOWS OF MY YOUTH (THE BRITISH Monty Python’s Flying Circus) used to say regularly, “And now for something completely different!” Umarex is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year (in addition, the company is calling 2022 the “Year of the Airgun Hunter”), and as Shooting Times readers know, the company is known for putting out interesting and “different” airguns, including .25-caliber, .35-caliber, and .50-caliber pellet guns. Umarex has plenty of new pellet guns for 2022, but one of its most interesting airguns is the AirSaber Elite X2 side-by-side double-barreled arrow-launching rifle. When I saw the press release on it, I had to order one and try it out. The AirSaber Elite X2 is fueled by a refillable 4,000-psi high-pressure compressed air reservoir and features an…

THE VENERABLE PATTERN 1853 (P-53) ENFIELD IS familiar to every Civil War reenactor, every shooting devotee of the Indian Mutiny of 1857, and every historian or novelist who dwelt in the bloody confines—mentally, at least—of that infamous conflict. The 1853 Enfield rifle-musket was used by troops on both sides in the Civil War and was the most-used firearm after the .58 Springfield. Author Brett Gibbons believes the P-53 was the first modern infantry rifle, and it was, without question, one of the most influential guns of all time. Its range and accuracy irrevocably changed infantry tactics and the very way in which battles are fought. It not only changed the training required for infantrymen, but also altered society’s perception of the common soldier. Contrary to folklore, it did not cause…

THEY SAY TEXAS RANGER JOHN H. ROGERS CARRIED his gun in one hand and his Bible in the other. In The Ranger Ideal, Volume 2, Texas Rangers in the Hall of Fame 1874–1930, Darren L. Ivey wrote that Rogers often quoted the scriptures to the rustlers, robbers, and killers he apprehended. Ivey speculated that if Rogers had not gone into law enforcement, he most likely would have been a preacher. But Rogers chose law enforcement for his livelihood. I think you could say it was his true calling, as he gave almost 50 years of his life to it. Born on October 19, 1863, in Guadalupe County, Texas, and raised near Kingsbury, Texas, John Harris Rogers was reared in a religious home and attended church regularly throughout his life. He…