RifleShooter, the magazine dedicated to advanced rifle enthusiasts. All rifle sports are covered including hunting, target shooting and collecting, while focusing on fine custom rifles, great classics, and new high-tech designs.
Why Not Just Switch Cases? Regarding the new 7mm Backcountry (“Backcountry Boomer,” May/June), why doesn’t Federal just use Peak Alloy in cartridges that already exist? I have a Ruger Scout Rifle in .308 Win. with a 16-inch barrel that could benefit from the extra velocity. I understand the new cartridge to “announce” the new technology, but the author does not bring up the possibility, nor the reasons not to. Don Loken, Missouri Good question, Mr. Loken. According to Federal, it has to do with being SAAMI compliant. SAAMI specifies a maximum allowable pressure for any given cartridge, independent of case material or what it can handle. So in your example, a .308 Win. cartridge has a SAAMI pressure limit of 62,000 psi. That is the limit to which the company…
Trigger aside, a rifle’s stock is the most important interface between shooter and rifle because it affects how you carry, handle and shoot the gun. That being the case, one of the best ways to improve a rifle that’s almost but not exactly perfect for you is to restock it. That’s where outfits like Bansner & Company (BANSNERAND COMPANY. COM) come in. A longtime gunsmith and custom rifle builder based in Adamstown, Pennsylvania, Mark Bansner’s stockmaking enterprise grew out of, well, impatience. “My main goal was never to have to wait on a stock in order to build a rifle,” he said. Initially he purchased High Tech Specialties out of California, a company from which he’d been buying stocks. Eventually he moved that operation back to Pennsylvania where he and…
Remington introduced its 7mm Rem. Mag. in 1962 alongside its new bolt-action hunting rifle, the Model 700. Needless to say, both were a big success, and the 7mm Rem. Mag. is one of the most popular medium-bore magnums of all time. A lot has happened since 1962. Man has landed on the moon, phones fit in our pockets, and a pile of other 7mm cartridges have hit the market. The newest of the 7mm contenders is Federal’s 7mm Backcountry. To say it’s different than the 7mm Rem. Mag. is an understatement. In fact, about all the two cartridges share in common is their bullet diameter The 7mm Backcountry case measures 2.417 inches long compared to 2.5 inches for the 7mm Rem. Mag., and the Remington has a rim diameter of…
The major rifle faced by the Allies in World War II was Germany’s Mauser K98k that was issued to all branches of its military. Since 1898, the gun’s rugged strength and reliability was as feared on the battlefield as it was celebrated in the hunting fields, and to this day Mauser’s action remains a top choice for a custom rifle. Between 1934 and 1945, more than 14 million 7.92x57 carbines were produced among the Axis factories throughout the Third Reich. The original concept underwent considerable change during World War I. Germany’s Mauser Gew 98, with its 29.1-inch barrel and straight bolt handle, was designed for an open battlefield against line formations and cavalry similar to those faced in Napoleonic times. In 1914, all that fell apart in the face of…
Keeping an accurate record of your hand-loading activities seems like a no-brainer, right? Unfortunately, all too many shooters neglect to write down the details that matter most. Handloading records should be an addition to your typical rifle records. These should include how many rounds have been fired, accuracy results with various types of ammo and so forth. Handloading notes should be more extensive. Equipment-specific notes should detail the rifle, cartridge, barrel types and twist rate. Component notes must include type of cartridge cases and number of firings on those cases, and types of primers, powders and projectiles used. Operation-oriented notes should address case trim dates, neck sizing versus full-length sizing, powder charge weights, bullet seating depth—plus details on whether a crimp was applied and the results of any ladder tests.…
Shooting equipment has evolved over the last decade. There’s newfound interest in precision shooting, and as a result more and more guns and optics offer features traditionally found only on tactical rifles. Bushnell’s new R5 series scopes are something of a throwback. They don’t offer exposed turrets for rapid dialing to extended ranges. The tube measures one inch in diameter, and they are second-focal-plane optics. They’re simply designed for the hunter who wants a robust, reliable scope that’s suitable for most big game hunting and is priced affordably. The R5 4-12x40mm version—which has a magnification range suitable for most hunting—I tested featured a few extra upgrades. First, it has a side-focus knob and an illuminated DOA-LRH800 reticle. The glass-etched reticle features a center dot that is illuminated and BDC holdover…
