Indholdsfortegnelse for November 2018 i Gun Digest

I’m a huge proponent of suppressors. I’ve been collecting them since 2001, and needless to say I have amassed quite a collection. Suppressors are one of the best muzzle brakes you can get for your rifle. Suppressors are a tool, and like any tool, they should be used in the proper context. They’re broken down into niche applications, from precision rifles models to those meant for sub-guns with high rates of fire used in close quarters. In other words, you don’t want to mix applications. That doesn’t mean you cannot crossover a suppressor from one system to another: The results may vary, and the basic principle of sound suppression — not as much. Coming from a precision rifle background, I covet accuracy and precision. Because of this focus in my…

We all have our favorite powders, just as we have our favorite bullets. Yet, just as bullet technology changes — and a new release might prove to be a panacea for a supposedly problem rifle — sometimes using a powder that doesn’t have the long-term reputation of the more famous varieties can be a real problem solver. Yes, I’m a huge consumer and devotee of the IMR, Hodgdon, Alliant and Winchester powders, but there have been numerous times where the lesser-known powders have saved the day. I’m talking about Ramshot, Accurate, Norma and Vihtavouri powders. While often overlooked, they have quite a bit to offer the handloader, and I’ve relied upon them for some fantastic performance. Norma Powder Norma powder is the product of the ammunition company of the same…

You have no idea of the changes we old shooters have had to go through lately. New shooters, perusing the racks of gear, haven’t a clue of the past. Oh, old timers will moan about the loss of “quality craftsmanship,” but for most applications, a CNC machine is better than a silver-haired craftsman. And the choices? If you had told me, back when I was learning gun-smithing, that someday Ruger would be making 1911 pistols, AR-15 rifles — and holy cow, suppressors — I would’ve laughed so hard I would have squirted coffee out of my nose. Back in those days, that possibility didn’t even appear on the horizon. And yet, here we are. At the moment, Ruger (they are not free and easy with rumors, hints or leaks about…

Few rifles require accessories other than the common optical sight and sling. The lever gun is the exception. To take full advantage of what it offers, a quality ammo management device is needed. For years we’ve relied on leather butt-cuffs that strap on the rifle’s stock to hold extra ammo or the field load. These are expensive and cumbersome. The new Versacarry AmmoCaddy is the solution. The AmmoCaddy attaches to the rifle’s stock by a Velcro pad. This allows it to be removed or used in conjunction with extra AmmoCaddys. It also comes with a Velcro-fitted belt carrier, giving you the option of where to carry your AmmoCaddy, or to use more than one — one on the rifle and one on the belt. I used the AmmoCaddy in Africa…

I was raised on guns. There are pictures of Dad holding a .22-caliber rifle in my shoulder so I can fire it. I can’t remember not shooting, but I do remember is that it all started with a .22 LR single-shot rifle and firing from prone. In those days, you were expected to learn how to shoot a .22 from prone — one accurate shot at a time — before ever progressing to anything else. And the same is true today. Regardless of age, learning how to shoot begins with the fundamentals. The AR is a lot like a .22 LR many of us grew up on: It’s reliable, easy to use and extremely accurate — it’s an “if I can see it, I can hit it” kind of rifle.…

“ What stood out to me was what I call its ‘intangibles,’ and the X3 has a lot of them. The rifle just felt like my loyal and feisty there-when-I-needed-it best friend, and it’s one of the few rifles I’ve tested where the price seemed like a mistake.” I’ve done my fair share of hunting in Montana, and it’s not a state known for mediocrity. The weather, terrain and sometimes even its residents are all too tough for anything that’s average, good enough … or otherwise “meh.” So, when I learned about a rifle company that was not only based in the Big Sky State but also bore its name, I figured it had to be either one hell of a rifle or an equally impressive snowstorm. Montana is known…

In the center of historic Massachusetts, just off the Mass Turnpike, in the town of Westfield, is the Savage Arms factory. The company, which dates back to the 19th century, has been responsible for many successful firearms, including the iconic Savage Model 99 lever-action, but not the least of which is the Model 110 bolt-action rifle. Arthur Savage — born in 1857 in the British West Indies island of Jamaica — opened the doors to the company that would bear his name in 1894 and immediately brought some sound designs to the shooting world. Like any company with nearly a century-and-a-quarter of history, there have been ups and downs, acquisitions and turmoil, but the fact that Savage rifles are made to this day in the United States is a testament…

I spend about a month in South Africa every year. Most of that time is spent hunting, and I’ll have a rifle nearby. However, I carry a handgun every day and feel kinda naked if I don’t have one on my side. The problem is, you cannot take a defensive handgun to South Africa. Fortunately, having friends in African places has its advantages, and every year a professional hunter loans me the use of his original Colt’s 1911 in 45 ACP. The first year he offered I was a bit surprised to find the magazines loaded with 230-grain FMJ ammo. Commonly referred to as “hardball,” most defensive handgun experts consider this stuff only marginal as a carry load. I generally prefer an expanding bullet as well, so I asked the…

The 100th anniversary of the “King of .22 Caliber Rifles,” the Winchester Model 52, is upon us. Although it didn’t go into production until 1920, in August of 1919, six pre-production samples of the Model 52 were issued to several shooters at the National Rifle Matches in Caldwell, New Jersey. Soon, the Model 52 was dominating the world of small-bore competition. Winchester ads called it “the greatest small bore rifle ever placed on the market.” Following World War I, Winchester recognized that American shooters were showing a preference for bolt-action rifles. Work began on designing a new rifle for rimfire match shooting. Winchester engineer, T.C. Johnson, received most of the credit for coming up with what became the Model 52, but he was assisted by another designer, Frank Burton. Features…

“ Next to the semiautomatic, the lever-action is the fastest cycling repeating rifle. This is partly due to its lever-operated mechanism, but also because the last movement when operating the action solids the buttstock into the shoulder.” Lever-action rifles have been around a long time. Patented in 1860, the Henry was the first, and they quickly became known as a rifle you loaded on Sunday and shot all week. Next to the semi-automatic, the lever-action is the fastest cycling repeating rifle. This is partly due to its lever operated mechanism, but also because the last movement when operating the action solids the buttstock into the shoulder. Ironically, for a rifle that’s been around for more than 150 years, few know how to run one properly. Like with any firearm, the…

Editor’s Note: This article is an excerpt from “The Suppressor Handbook” by Patrick Sweeney. There are two classes of suppressors: “must clean” and “never clean.” You absolutely must clean your rimfire and pistol-caliber suppressors. As a result, suppressors meant for those applications will always be of a design you can take apart, some easily and some less so. Let’s call them MC (must clean) suppressors. Centerfire rifle suppressors may or may not be of the take-apart design. We can call them NC (never clean) suppressors. Why? Rifle suppressors (and again, center-fire rifle, not rimfire rifle) run so hot and the powder burns so completely that there is no real residue left behind to clean out. I had a graphic encounter with this while in a suppressor class being taught by…

It was one of those across-the-lunch-table conversations that occur often with guys who like guns. My friend and shooting companion of more than 30 years, Mike Byrd, and I were eating chips and salsa at a local Mexican restaurant and thinking about AR-15 carbines. He’d built a lightweight gun and was surprised that a light AR, which tipped the scales at just past 5 pounds, had repeatedly shot sub-MOA groups. Light guns work really well for the fast-paced Carbine Bay matches so popular in North Carolina where ranges past 200 yards are fairly uncommon. We began thinking of how to build a light carbine that would shoot sub-MOA and also be tuned to be stable enough for double-taps that placed both bullets within 1 inch at 10 yards. By double-tap,…