Innholdsfortegnelse for January/February 2026 i RifleShooter

It’s hard to write this, but the magazine you’re holding is the final issue of RifleShooter. It got its start as a special-interest, annual publication in the 1990s, becoming a periodical in November 1997. The late, great Jerry Lee helmed the magazine for its first decade, and I took over as editor in 2007. In those days we were headquartered on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. You’d think that an odd place for a firearms magazine—and you’d be right, except when you consider this magazine’s official title is Petersen’s RifleShooter. For those not familiar, the late Bob Petersen built a publishing empire in Southern California around such famous titles as Motor Trend and Hot Rod. While he was a serious car guy, Petersen was also a serious gun guy and hunter,…

These days, America’s sportsmen and women are clamoring for more “content,” as we call it in the media: more articles, more television shows, more website info. Outdoor Sportsman Group—which publishes this magazine as well as bringing you the Sportsman Channel and Outdoor Channel—has answered that call with the My Outdoor TV (MOTV) app. It’s a resource like no other, a curated treasure trove of outdoor-oriented television shows and videos. Think of it like your own personal Neftlix, with episodes of “Gun Stories” with Joe Montegna, the gun restoration show “The Gunfather,” “Guns & Ammo,” “Shooting USA” and more. The universe of content is even bigger when it somes to hunting, and I know a lot if not most of you enjoy your time in the field. Check out “Petersen’s Hunting…

“100 grains in the right place are as good as ten million,” wrote WDM “Karamoja” Bell, in Wanderings of an Elephant Hunter (1923). Bell was an outspoken smallbore guy. He is credited with 1,011 elephants, almost all bulls. He didn’t kill them all with his .275 Rigby—also known as the 7x57—although that was his favorite. Prior to World War I he also used the 6.5x54 Mannlicher-Schoenauer, .303 British and .318 Westley Richards. He remained a smallbore advocate, but in 1913 he ordered a pair of .416 Rigby rifles. He took one of them when he returned to Africa after World War I, along with a .400 Jeffery double. His bullet weights ranged from 160 grains in the 6.5x54 to 410 grains in the .416, and respective energies ranged from about…

While I was growing up, my love affair with the M1 Garand formed while watching war movies and the TV show “Combat!” It was a special day when I received my surplus Garand via registered mail from the Office of the Director of Civilian Marksmanship—forerunner to the Civilian Marksmanship Program—during Ronald Reagan’s presidency. It led me to a thirst for the sniper version. Even though ODCM and CMP continued their sales of rebuilt and surplus M1 Garands, original M1 sniper models remained very rare and beyond my means. However, the path to a sniper version became easier once almost every part had been faithfully reproduced. Had the M1 Garand been designed for a detachable box magazine, conversion to a sniper model would have been measurably simplified. That the base rifle…

While many shotgunners are familiar with TriStar as an importer of affordable, well-made guns from Turkey, rifle shooters may not have heard of the firm. But that could change, as the company is now importing its first .22 rifle, the KR22, from Turkish maker Kral Arms. The KR22 is a semiautomatic that feeds from Ruger-style 10-round rotary magazines. It features an 18.6-inch barrel that’s threaded 1/2x28. The fixed two-dot rear sight is set inside the forward section of the polymer receiver’s integral Picatinny rail. The front sight is a red fiber optic that’s adjustable for elevation by turning an Allen screw at the front of the base, and the necessary Allen wrench is part of a supplied tool set that’s thoughtfully key-ringed together. I think the rifle’s main selling point,…

Regardless of whether you’re a fan, Hornady’s 6.5 Creedmoor forever changed cartridge design and consumer expectations of factory ammunition. The Creedmoor’s success was a slow burn but, once it took off, there was no stopping it. In the years that followed, Hornady’s ballisticians have applied the lessons learned from that cartridge to a broad spectrum of applications ranging from the .300 PRC down to the .22 ARC. The newest among them is the .25 Creedmoor, a cartridge with real potential for long-range competitive shooting as well as hunting medium-size game. Those who toss aside the Creedmoors as equals to other cartridges with similar velocities are missing the point. There is far more to cartridge design that bullet diameter and velocity. There are a few important principles that made the 6.5…

The adoption of the Norwegian Krag-Jorgensen bolt-action rifle by the U.S. Army in 1892 remains puzzling. An Ordnance Board convened in late 1890 tested 53 rifles—including 11 already in service with other countries—and gave the nod to the .30-40 Krag despite the fact that by this time the smallbore revolution was in full swing. Also by this point in time, the Lee detachable box magazine was already a proven commodity with the U.S. Navy and Great Britain, and the efficacy of Mauser and Mannlicher clip-feeding systems had established the reliability of the rimless cartridge feeding from magazines. Against this backdrop, the United States still chose a rifle that had to be loaded with rimmed, loose ammunition through a large, wide box magazine. Paired with a magazine cutoff, this was meant…

It’s hard to believe, but Trijicon’s MRO (Miniature Rifle Optic) celebrated 10 years of production in 2025. That may not seem like a long time for most products, but a decade in production without major upgrades makes a modern electro-optic a bit long in the tooth. While it did get a tweak with the MRO HD model in 2020, there was still room for improvement. That’s exactly what Trijicon did with the introduction of the new MRO SD. This optic offers everything you love about the MRO and MRO HD’s rugged, reliable design with some noteworthy improvements, starting with the adjusters. The new adjusters are designed to hold zero under impact or very heavy recoil. They sit below flush, with 1/2 m.o.a. click adjustments and 70 m.o.a. of windage and…

The new Ranger is the fourth lever-action rifle in .22 Long Rifle to wear the Winchester name during the past 152 years. While the Model 1873, introduced that year, became a big hit among deer hunters due to its .44-40 chambering, it was also the first repeating rifle to be chambered for the .22 Short and .22 Long cartridges; the .22 Long Rifle did not exist at the time. Next up in 1965 was the Winchester Model 250. The Model 94/22, introduced in 1972, was built first by Winchester Repeating Arms Company and later by U. S. Repeating Arms Company. I had the pleasure of owning several through the years and managed to hang onto the XTR variant with its fancy wood and nice checkering. Around 800,000 Model 94/22 rifles…

Several years ago, CZ introduced the 600, a new bolt action replacing the beloved and well-respected CZ 550. I shot a prototype 600 at a media event prior to its introduction, and apart from a few criticisms I thought the company had done a decent job with its new baby. However, that initial model never fulfilled its promise. It was intended to be a switch barrel, but prior to launch the company discovered a design issue, and when the 600 was actually introduced, the switch-barrel capability was not a feature on the new rifle. Now, with the new 600+, that capability is back. The 600+ is available in several versions: synthetic-stocked Alpha; classic wood American; the Lux, with a Bavarian-style stock; the Trail chassis model; and the Range. I tested…

It’s been more than five years since Springfield launched its first modern bolt-action rifle, the Waypoint 2020. That gun was a success, but its M-Lok target-style stock with vertical pistol grip might have been too mod for many bolt-action enthusiasts. To maintain the interest of traditionalists, the Boundary 2020 sporter-style rifle followed. Now Springfield is back with an ultra-modern rifle that offers all the modern amenities that chassis gun enthusiasts like. The rifle is built around a Sharps Bros. Heatseeker chassis that’s machined from a single block of 6061-T6 aluminum and weighs a mere 19 ounces, making it far lighter than some target chassis guns. The aluminum handguard has M-Lok attachment points arranged in six rows at the 12, 10, two, nine, three and six o’clock positions. There are six…

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’re aware of how easy it’s become to buy a suppressor. And if you’ve jumped on board that train, you probably know that at some point you’re going to have to clean your suppressor. Otis has made that easier with its new kit, which retails for $40. For me the star of the show is the threaded soaking container. This allows you to place the entire suppressor, whether the complete unit or a disassembled one, into the container and soak it for 24 to 48 hours—and not worry about knocking it over and spilling liquid everywhere. The kit comes with Otis’s suppressor cleaner concentrate, which you mix with warm water in a 1:1 ratio. This cleaner contains no petroleum products, and it promises…

Over the past several decades, the data provided in reloading manuals have steadily trended toward lighter loads. Max charge weights have diminished, and like many other reloaders, I’ve wondered why this is. While researching for this column, I decided to go straight to the horse’s mouth and ask several major players in the reloading industry about why every new edition of various reloading manuals has lighter max loads. I wanted to know if it was due to new propellants or less-durable brass—or perhaps historic max pressures were overzealous or maybe modern maxes were due to today’s litigious environment. Of the people I contacted, Hodgdon’s Aaron Oelger gave the most insightful answers, which is probably not a surprise since Hodgdon handles more propellant brands and develops more data than most companies.…

I’ve come to accept that the traditional sporter-style hunting rifles I grew up with are no longer mainstream. Walnut and bluing have been replaced by carbon fiber and Cerakote, and although I understand why these changes make sense, sometimes I still long for the look and feel of a sporting rifle from years gone by. Several new walnut stocked rifles have been released in recent years including multiple Browning X-Bolt models and Weatherby’s 307 Adventure SD. But the Howa is certainly among the most eye-catching of all. The wood grade and finish are exceptional, especially considering the price. The Howa 1500 Super Deluxe Walnut looks very much like the vintage sporters of yore. The high grade deluxe Turkish walnut stock with oil finish is particularly attention-grabbing. The wood grain and…

Henry is an iconic name in American firearms, and most shooters associate the brand with lever-action rifles. Benjamin Tyler Henry’s groundbreaking .44 lever action, which debuted in 1860, changed the course of the Civil War and became known as the “rifle you load on Sunday and shoot all week.” Modern Henry rifles like the Golden Boy and Side Gate are among the most popular lever actions available today. Further, the company has launched a new Special Products Division that’s designing advanced lever-action rifles for the next generation of shooters. But I didn’t see the Lever Action Supreme rifle coming. While most of Henry’s modern lever-action designs reflect their roots, this one is a substantial departure. The Henry Lever Action Supreme Rifle—or, as Henry abbreviates it, LASR—still has a hammer, but…

Readers of a certain age may remember “The A-Team,” a TV series that ran for four years in the 1980s and followed the exploits of a fictional band of ex-Special Forces members turned soldiers of fortune. If you’ve seen the show, the rifle featured in this article will likely be familiar. A stainless Ruger Mini-14 with folding stock was one of the guns prominently featured on the show. The Mini-14’s designer was Leroy James Sullivan, an influential but largely unknown inventor who helped developed guns like the M16, the Stoner 63 and the Ultimax 100L LMG. The Mini-14 has been available in several configurations over its nearly 50-year lifespan. One was the Mini-14 GB-F, which Ruger designed to better serve law enforcement. It featured a paratrooper-style folding stock, a pistol…

When we think of a typical sniper’s engagement, our minds instantly drift to super-long distances, but police marksmen often operate in urban environments where shots are much closer, like inside 300 yards. Here the higher velocities provided by long barrels aren’t necessary, and iron sights can sometimes come into play. Mossberg’s MVP rifle has been tweaked to meet these needs, and now we have the MVP Patrol Professional—a tactical bolt-action rifle made for rapid deployment and intermediate-distance engagements. Available in 5.56 NATO, .300 BLK and 7.62 NATO, these rifles are among Mossberg’s law enforcement offerings, accessed from the main site via a link at the top left corner or LAWENFORCEMENT.MOSSBERG.COM. You can also ask your local dealer to request a Patrol Professional from their distributor. These rifles accept AR-pattern magazines…