Innholdsfortegnelse for December/January 2024-25 i Shooting Times

I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THE ARTICLES ABOUT THE .22 HORNET IN THE September 2024 issue. I thought readers would appreciate the results of my handloading for the .22 Hornet exhibited by the attached target showing a three-shot group fired from a benchrest at 100 yards. I measured it at 1/8 inch between hole centers. The rifle is a Savage Model 40 that I purchased new in June 2006. The load is a Hornady 40-grain V-Max over 8.6 grains of H110 powder with CCI 400 (Small Rifle) primers. The cases were full length sized with an overall cartridge length of 1.810 inches. I know it isn’t a five-shot group, but when I saw the three-shot results, I decided to quit while I was ahead. Tom Pesikey Wilmington, DE Correction The warning about…

REGARDED AS THE BATTLE RIFLE THAT WON World War II, the M1 Garand was adopted by the U.S. Armed Forces in 1936 and served as the standard-issue infantry arm until 1957, when it was replaced by the M14. Engineered by John Garand, the M1 is a semiautomatic, en bloc clip-fed, gas-operated rifle with an eight-round capacity. It’s heavy and robust and was famously called “the greatest battle implement ever devised” by General Patton. Early in its development the evolving design utilized a cartridge called the .276 Pedersen, which was a mild, bottlenecked .270-caliber cartridge. It would have recoiled much less than the .30-06 that was eventually chosen, but after all, we have always been a .30-caliber nation. A few M1s were modified into accurized sniper variants, but for the most…

PIERCED PRIMERS ARE BAD. YOU ALREADY know this if you’ve experienced one. A blast of hot gas to the face is a good reminder of why we wear eye protection when shooting. A pierced primer is often associated with being a sign that pressure is too high. Pierced primers also can be caused by excessive headspace. And another cause of pierced primers is a rough or damaged firing pin. The ideal firing pin surface is smooth and rounded. Rough surfaces can score the primer and weaken the metal, and that’s where it will fail. What some people are not aware of is the damage a pierced primer can do to their gun. Cartridges operate at extremely high pressures. Peak operating pressures range from 14,000 to 65,000 psi, depending on the…

ACCESSORIES Bianchi Old Tuscany Italian Leather Line. . . . . Joel J. Hutchcroft. [Mar. p.57]Champion Wheelybird 3.0 Trap. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joel J. Hutchcroft. [Mar. p.58]Game-Changer.........................................................Jack Oller. [July p.36] AMMO/RELOADING The Short and Long of the .300 Blackout . . . . . . . .Layne Simpson. [Feb. p.34]New Powders for .38 Special Wadcutters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brad Miller. [Feb. p.51]Custom-Crafted Cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joseph von Benedikt. [Mar. p.42]Cartridge Evolution in Action ................................Steve Gash. [Apr. p.34]22 Creedmoor .......................................Joseph von Benedikt. [June p.36]Undersize Bullet Accuracy .....................................Brad…

THE ITALIAN-MADE PIETTA KING TRIO SINGLE-ACTION REVOLVER IS EXCLU- sively available from Davidson’s, and it offers one revolver with three interchangeable cylinders that can fire four chamberings (.38 Super, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, and 9mm Luger). The six-shooter has a color-casehardened frame and hammer, a brass backstrap and trigger guard, walnut grips, and a blued barrel in either 4.75-inch or 5.5-inch length. Each cylinder holds six rounds. MSRP: $800 galleryofguns.com Steiner TOR-X Laser Steiner’s new TOR-X pistol-mounted laser is a dedicated laser-sighting system that serves as a live-fire or dry-fire training tool by incorporating the Mantis training system (via Bluetooth connectivity to your mobile device) that is used by world-class competitors and elite military personnel. The micro laser fits any pistol with a Picatinny or Weaver rail forward of…

MOST SHOOTING TIMES READERS KNOW that small-arms projectiles commonly have been made of lead, copper alloys, and steel, depending on region and expediency. But how many of you know that bullet designers have dabbled in alternative materials? Plastics/polymers have been used for short-range training ammo, shot capsules, and marker rounds. More recently, expansion enhancers in handgun bullets and aerodynamic tips have gone polymer. However, all-plastic bullets suffer a serious lack of mass, having little momentum for retaining velocity for more than a few dozen yards. Historically, steel bullet jackets have served much of the industrial world but seldom made up the bulk of a handgun bullet. An ATF agent showed me a sample of an experimental European special-ops .357 Magnum cartridge purportedly designed to cut through construction material barriers yet still expand…

LET ME BEGIN WITH A QUOTE FROM FRANK C. Barnes in the first (1965) edition of Cartridges of the World: “The (.32 ACP) is about the minimum size that can be seriously considered for self-defense.” The major knock was its 71-grain hardball bullet that, even at its alleged muzzle velocity of 960 fps, packed very little punch. Since that was published, all kinds of new handgun cartridges have come along, vying for the title of “best carry gun” and the like, so you would think the .32 ACP would have limped off into the sunset, but for two reasons, it has not. First, just as it did in 1965, the .32 ACP lends itself to chambering in small, handy semiauto pistols. Second, the .32 ACP, even in factory-loaded form, today…

Q. I ENJOYED THE ARTICLES ON THE .22 HORNET IN THE SEPTEMBER 2024 issue. Back when I was shooting IHMSA Steel Silhouette, a lot of guys shot pistols in that caliber. They mostly shot T/C Contenders, which I did not see mentioned in the articles. And some of them used the .22 K-Hornet cartridge. Is the .22 K-Hornet still a useful wildcat or is all .22 Hornet ammo loaded that way? Bill Brickenstein Via email A. The short answer is yes, the .22 K-Hornet is useful as a varmint and small-game cartridge. For those who don’t know, the .22 K-Hornet is an “improved” version of the .22 Hornet with a sharp shoulder, a straight body, and a short neck. The modification increases the powder space inside the case, and more…

ONE OF THE GREATEST DEFENSIVE SIDEARMS OF all time is the classic Model 1911, and the .45 ACP cartridge remains the most common chambering for “Old Slabsides.” Handloading the .45 ACP is easy and straightforward, but having a couple tips that make the endeavor even easier is always good, so here’s what I’ve learned through years of reloading the round. As I just said, reloading the .45 ACP is quite simple, especially with today’s readily available carbide insert and nitride-coated case sizers. However, you must adjust the die position in your reloading press so the mouth does not quite touch the shellholder (or shell-plate if you’re loading on a progressive tool). It’s easy to accomplish. You just raise the ram, place a thin piece of cardboard atop the shellholder/shellplate, screw…

CAPT. LEANDER H. MCNELLY IS BEST REMEM- bered for leading a “quasi-military” branch of the Texas Rangers that was charged with putting a stop to the rash of cattle rustling in the Nueces Strip (described as a “hotbed of thievery and banditry” by one of my sources). McNelly was a hard, aggressive lawman, and his methods had been questioned throughout his career. He was known to disobey direct orders from his superiors, make illegal excursions across the border into Mexico, force confessions from prisoners, and carry out illegal executions. But he recovered hundreds if not thousands of stolen cattle, and he brought about the end of at least three prominent outlaw bands led by the likes of Juan Cortina, Juan Salinas, and King Fisher. That’s not bad considering his career…