Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2021 i Gun Digest

Well, this is the December issue, so please join me on the front porch to flip 2021 the bird as it drives on down the road. To be fair, it’s noteworthy that not every day on this year’s calendar was a bad one. Heck, I was never forced into a situation where I needed to rely on my CCW pistol, so I suppose that alone is enough to give the past 12 months at least a little credit. Still, I ain’t gonna miss it one bit. Most frustrating, of course, is the ongoing and collective “supply chain issues” that seem to kick every facet of American life in the shin these days. In the name of positivity, I’ve had enough toilet paper to get me by quite comfortably … and…

It used to be hard to get a good 1911 trigger. Then, in the 1980s, it got a lot easier. And in the early 1990s, it got even easier. Now, it’s dead simple. We used to stone parts. Then, we bought better parts. Later, we bought the best. Now, we don’t even have to time the parts. Enter Nighthawk’s Drop-In Trigger System (DTS). They took the packet trigger idea and perfected it for the 1911. The idea is simple: The relationship of the hammer and sear to each other depends in no small part on the locations of the hammer and sear holes in the frame. If they’re off by a few thousandths or crooked to each other, your sear and hammer engagement won’t be what you think it is.…

In the chain of events necessary to bring fired cases back into spec for reloading, trimming cases can often seem like a chore. Without trimming the cases, things can go awry, and trimming your cases is an important part of keeping things as uniform as possible. Our cases are made of brass for the malleable qualities of that metal; it’s strong enough to handle the rigors of day-to-day handling, yet soft enough to be able to be reformed. However, over the course of multiple firings and resizing, brass will stretch. Our cases tend to see the brass flow from the base of the case toward the mouth, lengthening the case. In many instances, that length will need to be trimmed to a uniform dimension. CASE SPECIFICS For the pistol cases,…

When we talk about upgrading the 1911, it’s often not an easy process. As I detailed in my recent article, “So, You Want to Build a 1911?” (October 2021, Volume 38, Issue 13), there’s rarely such a thing as a true “drop-in” part for a 1911. Those looking to make upgrades are thus in for a bit of work, sometimes in the form of a major project and others as a simple bit of file work. But here’s the good news: Upgrading your 1911 isn’t difficult if you have some patience and know where to make an educated, low-effort change that enhances performance. WILSON COMBAT’S QUICK FIXES FOR FUNCTION Unlike today’s newly designed guns, the century-old 1911 design doesn’t always come out of the box running well. I’ve had some…

If you’re going to be working on firearms, you must have the essential tools. There’s only so much you can do with your bare hands and a pile of shop rags. To work on firearms, you must be able to do four things: hold them, tighten things, clean up gunk and test them. You can, if you have the option, turn your basement into a man cave, and make it the perfect gun-working space. However, a lot of us must have basements that are capable of double, triple or even quadruple duty, and, in such a case, tools that can be used both in your home shop or at the range/gun club are even better. You need versatility, adaptability and compactness for multiple-duty use. So, let’s look at some essential…

I’ve been shooting since way before I ever thought about kissing a girl. I’ve done it recreationally, professionally and competitively. One of the most important axioms of shooting, particularly when hunting, is that if you can get closer, get closer. And, if you can get steadier … get steadier. One of the keys to getting steadier is to use shooting sticks, or some sort of bipod or tripod to support your rifle. I want to introduce you to what I feel is the best and most comprehensive and versatile bipod/tripod system currently available for shooters or hunters. It’s a collection of gear from Spartan Precision Equipment. Call this an endorsement if you like—this is outstanding gear. THROWING ON A JAVELIN My introduction to Spartan Precision Equipment began with their Javelin…

HISTORICAL NOTES Introduced in 2004 as a joint Hornady-Ruger project for varmint and target shooting, the .204 Ruger became the first .20-caliber cartridge to be produced on a large commercial scale. Remarkably, it also offers excellent barrel life. After shooting approximately 500 prairie dogs with the Ruger and Dakota rifles chambered for the .204 Ruger, a former contributing editor to this book found it to be an accurate, low-recoil round, superbly suited for long-range varminting. The .204 Ruger received the Academy of Excellence 2004 Cartridge of the Year Award. GENERAL COMMENTS The .204 Ruger uses the 47mm-long .222 Remington Magnum as its parent case, necking it down to accept .204 bullets and changing the shoulder angle to 30 degrees. It performs best with 26-inch barrels using a 1:12 rifling twist.…

The Mossberg 590 was already an improvement upon the classic and well-proven Mossberg 500. With a redesigned magazine tube, the 590 was easier to maintain and modify than its predecessor, but it still typically had trouble reliably feeding 12-gauge mini shells. Now, in the biggest update the 590 line has seen since the release of the Shockwave, the new Mossberg 590S will eat any flavor of 12-gauge you can feed it. Available in four configurations, the Mossberg 590S is a direct upgrade over previous generations and features a distinct new capability that opens up a lot of doors. THE CHANGES If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? Mossberg appears to have agreed with this principle of design while reworking the 590, as most of its wellproven design remained the…

01 Rival Arms ST-3X Precision Rifle Stock Aiming to go long? Don’t ignore the buttstock. Creating consistency in how a rifle mounts to the shoulder and how the eye lines up to the scope, upgrading this stock feature definitely helps you go the distance. Designed for compatibility with AR-style rifles and chassis systems that utilize a buffer tube-style attachment, the stock works with a wide swath of firearms—and goes a long way to enhance the system. Fully adjustable, the stock allows shooters to dial in both length of pull and comb height to create a perfect and repeatable interface between shooter and gun. And, at 28 ounces, it’s more than manageable on most long-range rigs. MSRP: $236.99 02 McMillan Z-10 Bag Rider Stock Leave it to McMillan to level up…

The definition of a classic firearm isn’t written in stone. It could be considered any firearm once very popular and beloved, but no longer manufactured. A perfect example would be the Model 12 Winchester shotgun. However, a classic could also be a firearm that has been in manufacture for a long time and is even still being manufactured. An example would be the Colt Single Action Army. I don’t think anyone would disagree that either of these are classics. Another firearm I believe is for sure a classic is the Winchester 1894 chambered in .30-30 Winchester. The Winchester 94 was an immediate success, especially those chambered in .30-30 Winchester. In 1894, a 160-grain .30-caliber bullet at almost 2,000 fps was big news. It extended the lever gun’s effective range, allowing…

At one point in time, in the not too distant past, cheap rifles were exactly that: cheap. Generally speaking, the inexpensive rifles of yesteryear left an awful lot to be desired. And while quite a lot of meat was made in my hunting circles with those budget-friendly guns, we could’ve done with a bit of improvement in the accuracy department. Fast-forward to the past decade or so, and the improvement in inexpensive rifles has shot up faster than the recent prices at the pump. You can cobble together a viable 1,000-yard-capable rig for under $1,000, and that just wasn’t the case when I was young. So, the question has popped up several times around the campfire: Are the expensive rifles still worth the price? TRADING DOLLARS FOR PERFORMANCE To be…

The Hi-Power, or P-35, is one of the world’s most iconic handguns. While it never achieved the popularity stateside that it did elsewhere, since its release the gun has played a massive role in modern handgun development. New models have unfortunately been missing from the American market for several years, and those in search of a Hi-Power have been stuck considering expensive original models, beat-up surplus or foreign-made clones of questionable quality. Now, thanks to Springfield Armory, there’s a new Hi-Power option on the table—the SA-35. CLASSIC STYLE Springfield decided to stick to the Hi-Power’s roots when they designed the SA-35. Sporting checkered walnut grips and a matte blued finish, Springfield’s new Hi-Power hearkens back to the era of the man who designed it. Most of the details on the…

Presbyopia sucks. I’ve written about presbyopia in these pages before, and how I had the prescription for my shooting glasses custom tailored to allow me to see the handgun’s sights and the target with near equal focus. In case you don’t know, presbyopia is the loss of your eyes’ ability to focus on nearby objects. It’s a natural and annoying part of aging and usually becomes noticeable in your early 40s. For shooters, the first sign of presbyopia is the inability to focus on handgun sights. Prescription shooting glasses are an obvious and common solution to presbyopia. The problem is, at least from a self-defense standpoint, that for glasses to help you see your sights you must have them on. If you must hastily respond to a bump in the…

With more than 7 million copies produced, you’d be hard-pressed to find a serious gun owner who hasn’t owned at least one Ruger 10/22 at some point in their shooting career. Even though the rifle is one of the most common in America, some shooters overlook the diamond in the rough due to the 10/22 carbine’s unassuming hardwood stock and pencil barrel—the truth is, they don’t look very exciting. You see, that’s the beauty of the Ruger 10/22s. Its simple design is anything you can dream up; you can build it into a rifle that’s truly yours. Sure, the 10/22 is a fine rifle in stock form, but where is the fun in that? Aftermarket companies have fully embraced the easy customizing of the design with enough options to make…

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There’s absolutely no doubt that the 6.5 Creedmoor is a dominant and well-established round, if not the premier modern American cartridge. The round itself was introduced to much fanfare, but it took nostalgic saps like myself a few years to get on board—we were busy attending the ballistic funeral of our old friend .308 Win. While smaller in bullet diameter (.264 versus .308 inch), the 6.5 CM has higher energy retention at longer ranges and lower recoil than .308 Win. One of the long-standing staple cartridges of long-range shooting’s yesteryear was the Federal 175-grain Gold Medal Match. This round gained such popularity and notoriety that it was widely considered to be the premier match cartridge for longrange use, right next to the famed Black Hills 5.56mm 77-grain MK262. While the…