Innholdsfortegnelse for January/February 2024 i RifleShooter

Dreaming of the 39A I thoroughly enjoyed the cover and article on the Rugermade Marlin 1894 (November/December 2023). Since Ruger acquired Marlin I have been hoping they would again produce Marlin’s most famous and longest continuously manufactured rifle, the .22 caliber Golden 39A. My thought as an 89-year-old reader of RifleShooter is you might encourage Marlin/Ruger to take this on as their next project. With Ruger’s sophisticated state of the art manufacturing I’m sure they would offer a most elegant Golden 39A! I have always wanted one of those ultimate 22s since I was a boy, but never could afford one, and I’m hoping Marlin/Ruger would offer it at a reasonable price. But hurry; I would like to see it before I walk into the sunset! Robert B. Dance That’s…

Decades ago, I attempted to shoot a pronghorn buck with my reproduction Henry 1860 lever action chambered in .44-40. It was a very doable shot even with the iron sights—just 45 yards or so. When the hammer fell the rifle emitted a weak “pop,” and the buck ran off. Somehow, at the ripe age of 15, I’d neglected to put powder in that particular cartridge case. That was a glaring mistake, and one that a savvy hand-loader should never make. There are others that are less obvious. Here are a few techniques that help minimize the potential for handload-induced malfunctions. For starters, here’s a mantra that’s popular among survivalists: Your most important tool is right between your ears. Surviving a lifetime of handloading calls for good focus. Minimize distractions. Turn…

It’s been three years since Springfield Armory introduced the 2020 Waypoint, a new direction for a company well-known and well-respected in the rifle world for its extensive M1A lineup. The Waypoint, by contrast, was a forward-thinking bolt-action rifle suitable for hunting or long-range competition. The newest rifle built on the 2020 action—which is made right here in the U.S.A., by the way—is the Redline, an ultralight gun meant for hunters who hike high and far. The Redline shares a lot of characteristics with the Waypoint, and I’ll go over those, but let’s get right to what’s new and different. Most notable is the stock, which is the Grayboe Trekker. Grayboe designed this stock specifically for mountain hunting, and its significantly relieved buttstock—the cut-out shape is also further hollowed out from…

Weatherby rarely does the expected. Unpredictability, in the legendary company’s case, is a good thing. When Weatherby launches a new product, shooters and hunters can generally anticipate being surprised and impressed. Such is the case with the new Model 307. Named for Wyoming’s area code, the Model 307 is, surprisingly, a Remington 700-type action, done incredibly right. Yep, it has a Model 700type footprint, so it fits the plethora of aftermarket Model 700 stocks. It takes aftermarket Model 700 triggers, although it’s unlikely you’ll want to swap out the excellent TriggerTech Field go-switch it comes with. And most importantly, the Model 307’s action incorporates the tried-and-true features of the Remington 700 action and cures a few of the Model 700’s weaknesses. Two variations launched initially: the everyman’s 307 Range XP,…

The traditional recipe for building a rifle has been pretty straightforward: The barrel is attached to the action; directly below or slightly behind the action is the trigger, and the stock is positioned at the back of the firearm. But in the early 1900s gun makers starting mixing up the recipe by creating a rifle with the trigger and grip ahead of the action. The design came to be known as a bullpup, and for many it’s the finest blueprint for a compact military or personal-defense carbine. With the popularity of AR rifles, few manufacturers have focused their energy and finances on building bullpups, but Springfield Armory is the exception. A few years ago it led off with the Hellion bullpup with a 16-inch barrel, and now the company has…

LANDS & GROOVES For me, a range trip is all about being as efficient as I can because it’s part of my job to test guns and gear. That’s not the case for most people, especially those who are shooting just for recreation, but I do often see folks who are trying to get a rifle sighted in for a hunt—sometimes in a real time crunch—and they’re tearing their hair out because their range session is going nowhere fast. Believe me, I’ve been there. While my system isn’t perfect and is always evolving, here’s my “bag dump”—the gear I consider essential to a successful range trip. SPOTTING SCOPE This is so crucial. Over the years I’ve seen dozens of guys sitting at the bench waiting for a ceasefire to be…

The unsung heroes of small arms developments are competition target shooters, and their quest for the gold leads to improvements in both civilian and military arms. In England, service rifle match shooting went on for 20 years after World War II with the No. 4 Enfield in .303. By the late 1950s, though, most NATO countries had adopted the 7.62x51 along with a version of the FN/ FAL self-loading rifle—with England adopting a variant called the L1A1. As surplus stocks of .303 ammunition ran low, civilian target shooters looked for a way to convert their bolt action .303s to the new service cartridge. In the early 1960s, the Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield and Sterling Engineering Ltd. both offered 7.62x51 conversion units for the No. 4 aimed towards other Commonwealth…

If you’re into skiing, ice fishing or snowmobiling, winter is your wonderland. Me, I hate being cold, and while range time is an unavoidable part of the job—never mind the weather—I don’t spend more time on the range than I must. If, like me, you suffer from winter boredom, here are some worthwhile projects to keep Old Man Winter at bay. 1. RELOADING Dad wasn’t a rifle shooter. Fortunately, he had a buddy who was and taught us the ropes. I loved it, and I handloaded avidly for decades. Over time, though, I got lazy. Factory ammo got so good I was no longer sure I could beat it, and for years my reloading gear wasn’t just sitting idle; it was boxed up. Just prior to Covid, my big winter…

In addition to being a field representative for Remington, Tom Frye was a talented exhibition shooter. His most lengthy stunt was suggested to him by friend Newt Crumbly, who owned the Holiday Hotel in Reno, Nevada. On a bright, sunny day in 1959, Frye stood before a mountain of pine blocks, each measuring precisely 2.5 inches square. Also there were three lightweight autoloading rifles and stacks of Remington .22 Long Rifle Golden Bullet ammunition. As Frye shouldered a rifle, one of seven assistants hurled a block into the air, and it tumbled to earth with a dead-center hole. By the end of that first day, Frye had fired 3,000 rounds and ventilated the same number of blocks. He was just getting warmed up. On the afternoon of the fourth day,…

In 2020, Trijicon launched a series of six new scopes that were designed for a variety of shooting and hunting applications. One of the six, the Huron, was the first Trijicon product designed specifically for those who target North America’s most popular big game animal: the whitetail deer. “The Huron line was developed specifically with deer hunters in mind, though the scope is useful for a variety of applications,” says Trijicon product manager John Fink. An avid hunter himself, Fink and his team set out to create a mid-price scope offering the rugged durability and precision the brand’s military optics are known for. I’ve seen few optics that defy the principle that scope quality directly relates to retail price, but the Trijicon Huron—with a price range of $650 to $699—is…

In the competitive shooting world, practical precision-rifle competitions are as hot as it gets. Leagues such as the Precision Rifle Series and National Rifle League have exploded in popularity over the past decade or so, and matches are popping up all over the world. Theyinvolve engaging numerous targets at intermediate to long ranges, often from improvised positions, while on the clock. Nothing breeds innovation like healthy competition, and the sport’s popularity has pressed the fast-forward button on rifle evolution. What began in the custom world has now bled into the production rifle market. With the introduction of the X-Bolt Target Max Competition Lite, Browning has stepped into the game in a big way. In the fast-growing NRL Hunter competition series, weight plays a big role in the rules. For its…

Mossberg introduced its Patriot line of push-feed bolt-action hunting rifles in 2015, and since then those rifles have remained best-sellers and have proved that Mossberg can build a bolt gun that’s reliable and accurate. New to the Patriot line is the Predator model chambered in 7mm PRC, and it’s a great all-around gun for hunting everything in North America. The Patriot features a push-feed action with dual locking lugs, a plunger-style ejector and an extractor mounted on the outboard lug. The bolt itself is spiral fluted, which is a nice touch, and it runs smoothly through the raceway. A flush-fit three-round detachable polymer magazine comes standard, and the magazine release is located at the front of the magazine well. Mossberg pairs the action with a 24-inch free-floated, sporter-contour fluted barrel…

While the 110 Ultralite isn’t new, the rifle’s 6.5 PRC chambering is relatively recent, and it’s a great addition to a model specifically designed with the mountain hunter in mind. Weighing in at six pounds, thanks in large part to its Proof Research carbon-fiber barrel, it’s ready to go up high where every ounce counts. And in the 6.5 PRC chambering it will deliver flat-shooting, high-BC bullets capable of taking a wide variety of big game. Since the barrel is the biggest thing, let’s start there. Proof Research is a well-known name in the carbon-fiber-barrel business. Barrels start with a full-profile match-grade 416R stainless blank that’s single-point cut rifled and lead lapped. The blanks are then turned down to a reduced profile, and at that point they’re wrapped with high-strength…