Indholdsfortegnelse for February 2021 i Gun Digest

Like nearly everyone else, I couldn’t kick 2020 to the curb fast enough. I realize that there are others out there who defi-nitely got kicked in the teeth harder than I, and I know little has really changed around us other than the numbers on a calendar, but that page turn is definitely a refreshing one. So, here we are, tiptoeing into 2021 with our eyes open and nose to the wind. When I write this column for each issue, I always look back at the corresponding issue from the year prior to reflect. It gives me perspective of where we were and where we’re going, not only from a Gun Digest perspective but as a community of armed citizens as a whole. Last year, this February issue adorned the…

I get calls, emails and messages on social media all the time, wanting my advice on which carry gun someone should buy. Sometimes the requests are serious; other times those asking are just looking for me to validate a choice they’ve already made. In every case, I try my best to offer some helpful advice, but the notion of letting someone else select your carry gun is about as absurd as letting someone else arrange your marriage; selecting a handgun that might save your life is too important of a task to trust to someone who won’t be using it to save their own. The thing is, just because a handgun works well for me and my lifestyle doesn’t mean it’ll do the same for you. Sure, I’ll freely comment…

It could be argued that, during the past two decades, the most noteworthy firearm-related advancements have been with ammunition. Somewhat of an ammunition geek, every year I’m excited to see what new loads will be introduced. Right now, though, some folks could care less about new loads—they just want to buy one box of 9mm or .223 ammunition. For 2021, things are going to be a little thin; the panic buying spurred by the pandemic and the election have manufacturers so busy trying to meet demand they have little time for new product development or introductions. In fact, some ammunition manufacturers never got around to distributing some of the loads an-nounced for 2020. Here’s a look at some new offerings we hope make it to the shelves before some other…

Is it possible to run a wheelgun heads up against a modern semiautomatic pistol? That was the question I set out to answer after building what I’ve come to call “The Modern Fighting/Defensive Revolver.” The Modern Fighting Revolver (MFR) builds around the idea of taking a revolver and giving it all the necessary upgrades to bring it into the 21st century, while still keeping the features intact that we love about wheelguns. To that end, the build theory was designed to emulate the popular “Roland Special” modified Glock. A Roland Special is usually a Glock 19 with a slide-mounted red-dot sight, weapon-mounted light and compensator. To get as close to that design envelope as possible, the starting platform for the 21st century revolver was a Smith & Wesson 586 L-Comp.…

HISTORICAL NOTES: After introducing its Short Magnum family of cartridges in 2000, Winchester recognized the need for another cartridge capable of launching 200-grain bullets (and heavier) with high inherent accuracy, energy capable of stopping the largest North American game and lower perceived recoil. .325 WINCHESTER SHORT MAGNUM LOAD DATA After considering different calibers, Winchester engineers determined the .325 caliber provided the best performance using the Short Magnum case. Released in 2005, the new .325 WSM cartridge delivers similar energies as the .338 Winchester Magnum, while using a smaller case. GENERAL COMMENTS: In addition to delivering excellent ballistics, the .325 WSM also exhibits exceptional accuracy. Initially, Winchester fielded three loads for the .325 WSM: a 200-grain Nosler AccuBond CT, a Winchester 220-grain Power-Point bullet and a 180-grain Ballistic Silvertip. Hunters can…

I’ve had the benefit of a father who understood hearing protection. Having spent a fall, winter and spring engaged in Uncle Sam’s European Tactical Hike, he knew how loud firearms could be. Then, as an engineer for the auto companies, loud factories were a known quantity. Even as kids, shooting “only” a .22 LR rifle, he insisted on us wearing hearing protection. I continue this today, having spent my entire life and shooting career wearing earpro. A lot of them were uncomfortable, expansive, poorly protect-ing and awkward. But that was a long time ago. Electronic protection is a leap forward, and now you can get affordable in-the-ear electronic protection from Tetra. “When the AlphaShields are in, you have both hearing protection and electronic amplification.” The Tetra AlphaShield series are electronic…

01 Hatch Friskmaster Max Gloves Granted, most of you out there aren’t frisking perps. In turn, you don’t need to sweat a jab by a dirty needle. Nevertheless, the puncture-proof protection utilized by police and military isn’t a bad line of defense, and Hatch provides this in spades. Max gloves are made of resilient materials impervious to most sharp and pointy objects. To give you a baseline, they’re rated to ANSI Cut Resistance A9, which means that in 20mm of blade travel 6,000 grams of weight is required to penetrate the material. At the same time, the Friskmaster gloves allow complete dexterity, thus don’t stand in the way of completing fine-motor tasks. MSRP: $49 02 Sig Sauer Zulu6 Image Stabilized Binoculars It’s difficult enough to discern elk from shadows, so…

I was standing in the Catskill Mountains, on the edge of an old cutting where the hemlocks gave way to a grove of young beeches, with a gentle breeze blowing in my face. A light rain the night before had dampened the crunch of the leaves, but the sound of an approaching deer was unmistakable. Through the wall of hemlock branches, I could see the body of the deer, but only the lower half—just by the way it walked, I could tell it was a buck. When I caught sight of his headgear, I knew it was on. He was a mature eight-point, with dark antlers—definitely a shooter for the Catskills. The Heym Model 26B over/under double rifle came easily to shoulder, and the crosshairs settled just behind the shoulder…

The last bolt gun to carry the Springfield name was made over a century ago. And yes, we know there’s been a few changes in ownership of that particular brand in the past 117 trips around the sun, but it’s significant nonetheless. During a recent conversation with colleagues, one quipped that Springfield was continuing in its time-honored tradition of ripping off other companies’ bolt action designs—last time it was Mauser, this century, Remington gets the honor. A little harsh, perhaps. There are no shortage of outfits making R700 pattern actions these days, almost all of which improve on the original and can be used to create a rifle to your exact specification, and with the advent of pre-fit barrels and drop-in stocks, bolt guns are becoming easy to work on.…

The year 2020, were it a Hula-Hoop, was one made out of barbed wire. I’m not a doctor, nor do I even play one on TV, so I can’t help you with things pandemic. Just things ballistic. Let’s hope 2021 will be better than the preceding year has been. In order to increase the odds of that, you should have the tools and extras needed to tip the odds in your favor. Here’s a short list of essentials. FIX-IT STICKS If you own guns, you’ll sooner or later have to be working on guns. Fix-It Sticks makes the task or tasks, whatever they are, easier. One in par-ticular is called The Works. It contains three different pre-set torque limiters, (65, 45 and 25 in-lb) a 1911 bushing tool, ½-inch socket…

I’m going to tell you a story about the best bolt-action hunting rifle ever created. What will surprise you is the name attached to this rifle isn’t Browning, Winchester or Mauser. In 1979, a West Virginia gunsmith began experimenting and quit his job as a machine shop instructor at a vocational school to introduce the lightest but most-balanced, best-shooting but easiest-carrying, hunting rifle ever made. Since 1984, he has turned out more than 7,000 examples of this perfection. Melvin Forbes of New Ultra Light Arms started this venture, not by trying to take an existing rifle and fixing it, but by creating his own. Forbes based his design around a cylindrical bolt-action receiver with a two-lug bolt. The bolt was fitted with a Sako-style extractor because of its shortness and…

LEUPOLD’S DELTAPOINT MICRO You ain’t never seen nothin’ like this before. For a huge number of shooters, red-dot sights and magnified optics are less of an accessory and more of a necessity—especially on long guns. It’s simply a generational thing. The days of the open-sighted .30-30 Winchester were long ago replaced by the .270 Winchester with a riflescope for many shooters. And that’s for good reason: A riflescope and red-dot increase accuracy by simply providing a finer aiming solution than iron can offer. This same principle is equally relevant to defensive handguns, though the trend never really took off due to the concealability issues a red-dot presents. It’s a fact that we’re all less likely to carry a concealed gun that’s bulky and uncomfortable, regardless of how well it shoots.…

Every version of the FN 509 that we’ve seen so far has been designed with the personal protection and the duty user in mind. The new FN 509 LS Edge takes a very different path, addressing the needs of a competitive shooter as well as the tactically minded. FN’s long-awaited practical/tactical optics-ready gun is the brainchild of Tim Kennedy of Sheepdog Response and 253-time champion shooter Dave Sevigny working with FN America’s team of engineers. With Kennedy’s focus on defensive tactics and Sevigny’s impressive competitive background, the task of melding the two thought processes was undoubtedly an engineering challenge. Not only did FN’s engineers manage to pull it off, the new pistol is exactly what I had wished for in last year’s article on the FN 509’s history. EVOLUTION BREEDS…

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The dude may abide, but this is America; innovation abounds. Many of us just can’t help ourselves: We have to improve things, make them better and, as a result, everyone benefits from those who just can’t leave things alone. When the Ruger 10-22 hit the market in 1964, Ruger was just looking for a plinker to compete with all the others. In 1964, a self-loading .22 LR rifle would cost you somewhere between $45 and $55. (Adjusted for inflation, that’d be $370 to $455 in Biden dollars.) The Ruger was right there at the top of the heap, with a list price of $54.95. Functionally, they were all the same: Load the magazine, chamber a round, shoot until it was empty (10 shots, mostly) and then repeat. Where the 10-22…