Indholdsfortegnelse for June 2024 i Gun Digest

It seems like a lot of rifles these days don’t look much like they used to. Blued barreled actions are all but extinct, replaced by the likes of Cerakote and a stable of other coatings that are often difficult to pronounce. And wood? Well, it’s anything but gone, although carbon-fiber and synthetics fill more catalog pages these days than America walnut. And what about hinged floorplates on sporting bolt-actions? You can find them, but not as easily as you can find a box magazine extending from a stock sporting at least one M-Lok accessory point. None of these changes are absolute—what goes around always seems to come around—and I’ll stand firm that not all of these current trends are bad, either. Take the Aero Precision Solus Hunter on the cover…

01 Ruger LC Carbine In .45 ACP The LC Carbine has been a hit for Ruger, and it’s certainly bound to garner more attention now it’s going fat and slow. That’s right, the handy little PCC is now available in .45 ACP. Whether for home defense or playing around at the range, the combination of the carbine and the time-tested cartridge is certain to prove potent. Plus, Ruger hasn’t messed with the winning formula earning the LC Carbine the reputation as stalwart and shootable. Some of the high points include a 16-inch threaded barrel, Dead-Blow blowback operation, AR-style folding stock and the ability to use Glock and Ruger magazines. MSRP: $1,000 02 Hydra Weaponry Hydra 10 Hydra Weaponry always seems to have something up its sleeve. Its latest ace is…

Have you ever found yourself really, really wanting to like something—a person, event or thing—and despite your best efforts, getting hung up on certain things? That’s the situation I found myself facing when I’d had enough time behind the trigger of the IWI Carmel. Now, right out of the gate, it’s worth noting that, functionally, the Carmel works … and it runs very well. But also, from a functionality perspective, there are things that could’ve been done better. Maybe I’m too picky, and they won’t bother you a bit. That call has gotta be yours. Regardless, here’s the great news: Most anything you don’t like can be swapped to fit your shooting pleasure. THE WINNING RECIPE OK, what’s to like about it? Well, it’s not an AR-15, which is…

HISTORICAL NOTES Anecdotal reports from U.S. Forces involved in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan in recent years indicate the 6-decade-old 7.62x39mm cartridge, and AK-47 rifle, might be more effective in combat than the U.S. M4 carbines firing the 5.56x45mm cartridge. In 2003, Steve Holland and Cris Murray, individuals associated with special forces and marksmanship units, developed a special-purpose cartridge to improve combat effectiveness in short-barreled (16.5-inch) M4 carbines used for special operations. The resulting 6.8 SPC (Special Purpose Cartridge) achieved favorable results in actual usage … but has not been officially adopted by the U.S. Army. GENERAL COMMENTS Intended to launch heavier bullets than the standard U.S. 5.56 NATO round, the 6.8 SPC uses the 1906-vintage .30 Remington cartridge shortened and necked down to accept a .270-caliber (6.8mm) bullet. Holland…

The scene was the same in every class. Officers would show up with rifles that were dirty, lacking lube and not zeroed. Not all, but enough of them. Applying oil solved the dry and dirty, but the non-zeroed ones had to be sighted-in. And that’s when the cursing would begin—cursing at Stoner and the front sight design, which is so minimalist that it barely exists. Getting the plunger depressed and then rotating the front sight got to be such a hassle that we dreaded the task. Special tools, a new approach, extra hands—they were all for naught at times. Well, Otis has a solution: the M4SAT. The name? M4 Sight Adjustment Tool. This is a special plastic and brass tool that fits onto and over the front sight, depresses the…

Most articles on building a lightweight AR-15 end up veering into some sort of bizarre “what the heck?” universe. The results are often a “rifle” that incorporates exotic materials of fabulous cost, with the various parts having more piercings than a 19-year-old purple-haired coed at a liberal arts college, and a “full up” weight of 3.5 pounds. And, if you drop it, it breaks. Yes, I want lightweight, but I expect my tools to work—and to survive at least as much hard use as I myself can withstand. It has been a long time since I willingly jumped out of perfectly serviceable aircraft (at my own expense, not courtesy of Uncle Sam, to be clear), but I still trip and fall now and then. So, at the very least, I…

Countless arguments have occurred, and even more words have been spilled, on the topic of “stopping power.” And, yes, I’m going to address it, but I think you’ll find my approach a bit different than others you might have read. In short, Wyatt Earp was right. Of course, you’re free to disagree, and I won’t think less of you just because you’re wrong. In his 1931 book, Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal, which was published 2 years after Earp passed, Stuart N. Lake wrote that Earp had said, “Fast is fine but accuracy is final. You need to take your time in a hurry.” Now, I don’t know if Earp really said those things. Lake might’ve made it all up. But if he did, it’s likely that Earp or another skilled…

Reloading, as we know, is all about options. Handloaders love nothing more than the options presented by the wide variety of components, but it can be a terrible experience when our favorite products are unavailable. I have a dozen or so favorite powders that I routinely reach for, though I’m always looking to make a new friend. From the IMR classics like IMR4064, IMR4350 and IMR3031, to the Hodgdon offerings like Varget, H414 and H4831SC, to the Alliant stuff like Reloder 15, 16, 19 and 22, not to mention Unique and Bullseye, to the newer or less-familiar products like Accurate Arms MagPro, AA4350 and 5744, there’s plenty to choose from. Ramshot has great powders, too, as does Norma and VihtaVouri. And the latest powder company I’ve began to use: Shooters…

Many modern hunting rifles look different than the hunting rifles I grew up with. In fact, a lot of the hunting rifles manufactured today are a great deal different than the hunting rifles manufactured only a decade ago. Influences from the world of long-range shooting and the sniper community have bled into the design and configuration of hunting rifles: This has changed their look and improved shooter interface and precision. Now, we have what I like to call “hybrid” or “crossover” hunting rifles, and the Solus Hunter from Aero Precision is a perfect example of this modern trend. THE PLATFORM PIVOT Though hunters might not have heard of Aero Precision, they’ve been building rifles for quite some time—but most of those rifles were of the AR-15-style and are very well…

During World War II, there was a great deal of wartime improv when it came to weapons. And, among those was the invention of a curious variant of the famous British Enfield: the legendary Jungle Carbine. A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE JUNGLE CARBINE The British Empire was at war all over the world by 1944, and its soldiers found themselves spread out from their home ground to the frigid battlefields of Central Europe, to Africa and the Middle East, and to the jungles of the Pacific. Commonwealth troops fought battles against the Axis powers on all fronts … and they often found themselves carrying less-than-ideal weapons. The standard British military rifle of the era was what we call the Enfield, commonly the No.4 Mk1. The rifle was great for the…