Indholdsfortegnelse for July 2024 i Shooting Times

THE APRIL 2024 ISSUE IS THE BEST ISSUE I HAVE EVER READ. Warren Graumann’s letter about the Ithaca 37 reminded me of one of John Browning’s guns I collected years ago, the Remington Model 1917. If you like the Ithaca, you should see the original by Remington. I enjoyed Joel Hutchcroft’s answer in “Ask the Experts” about the 9mm Browning Long. I have an FN Model 1903, another John Browning design. I also liked the Shiloh Sharps column by Joseph von Benedikt. Sharps were great guns. Allan Jones’s column about the .405 and .348 Winchesters was great. It reminded me of two of my ex-Winchesters, you guessed it, the 1886 and 1905. And I enjoyed the column by Terry Wieland about the .220 Swift. His writings are right up my…

WINCHESTER’S HEAVY MODEL 12 WAS ARGUABLY the best vintage pump-action duck gun ever made. Now, that’s a bold statement, but I stand by it. Duck hunting was a national pastime leading up to and between the World Wars. After researching whether a heavy double-barrel Model 21 with 3.0-inch chambers or a repeating “magazine” gun would be most welcomed by the hunting public, Winchester wisely opted to create a special Model 12. It was the first-ever pump-action gun chambered for heavy 3.0-inch magnum shotshells. Initial versions featured 32-inch barrels with thicker-than-average walls, lengthened ejection ports to cough out fired 3.0-inch hulls, and lead weights inside the buttstock. The weight was a robust 8.5 pounds—nearly 2 pounds heavier than a Model 12 upland gun chambered in 20 gauge or 16 gauge. This…

A COUPLE ISSUES AGO I WROTE ABOUT THELL Reed Jr., who had been given the title of “Fastest Gun Alive” by Colt’s Manufacturing Co. when he was a very young man, after he had won a certain quick-draw competition. Several readers responded to that column. Well, here’s another column about another quick-draw artist who had the title of “The Fastest Man with a Gun Who Ever Lived” bestowed upon him. I’m referring to Bob Munden, and this time the title was granted by the Guinness Book of World Records. Obviously, titles such as these are, shall we say, a little loose even though they refer to a specific event at a specific time. However, that doesn’t diminish the great skill that shooters like Munden and Reed developed and displayed. Robert…

The Arken LH-4 4-16X 44mm is a lightweight hunting scope that features an illuminated red reticle positioned in the first focal plane. It has a 30mm tube and capped turrets. Available reticles include the company’s VHR MIL/VHR MOA and VPR MIL/VPR MOA. VHR stands for variable hunter reticle. The illumination is powered by a CR2032 battery, and the scope is constructed of aluminum. The scope is parallax adjustable from 10 yards to infinity, and it has an eye relief of 3.6 inches. The LH-4 4-16X 44mm is waterproof and shockproof, and it’s backed by a lifetime warranty. It is 13.2 inches long and weighs 24.45 ounces. MSRP: $265.99 arkenopticsusa.com Burris FastFire C The all-new 1X FastFire C is a red-dot sight specifically engineered for use on micro-compact pistols. The unit…

LAST MONTH I DISCUSSED SOME BALLISTICS challenges that commercial ammomakers must overcome. This month I’m looking at home challenges and how to improve your reloading, often using what the pros learned. Statistics This factor is highly critical but also highly ignored, especially proper sample size. I’ve whipped that horse so long in these pages that the ASPCA probably has a warrant out for me. My most puzzling reloading problems happened before I embraced the benefits that simple statistical principles provide. Look up some of my past articles on statistics. Sample size is critical to understanding your handloads’ true quality and accuracy. Measuring Tools The critical reloading tool to regularly monitor for accuracy is your reloading scale. Mechanical scales must be re-leveled whenever their location changes. Leveling adjustment is built into…

Q. I HAVE A QUESTION FOR LANE PEARCE, AND IT STEMS FROM A former coworker who was strongly opinionated that .223 Remington and 5.56 NATO are not interchangeable due to headspace issues. Can Lane shed any light on that? Greg BellVia email A. Although I’ve answered this question before, I conducted some fresh research in order to provide a thorough answer. In addition, I came across a treatise recently prepared by my friend Richard Mann, so I want to acknowledge his contribution right here and now. For all practical purposes, the two rounds are dimensionally identical, although there may be some minimal differences that would most likely be within the tolerance limits of either round. Because it’s a commercial cartridge, the .223 Remington’s physical and ballistic criteria are controlled by…

I’VE BEEN HANDLOADING AN EXCITING ROUND that’s perfect for the young or novice hunter. I’m talking about the .25 Remington. Haven’t ever heard of it? Well. It’s a century-plus vintage rifle cartridge that, if I had my way, would become as popular as the 6.5 Creedmoor. Although the .25 Remington became an obscure footnote in rifle/cartridge history many years ago, it was a modestly popular chambering from the early 1900s until the 1930s. It was one of four bottlenecked, rimless rounds Remington developed for their first autoloading rifle—the .25, .30, .32, and .35 Remingtons. The three smaller-caliber rounds were identical except for the neck diameters, and they closely copied Winchester’s corresponding rimmed cartridges. So the .25-35 WCF is the .25 Remington’s close ballistic twin. Factory loads offered a 117-grain JSP-RN…

HOSTED BY MIKE IRVINE AND BRIAN SPECIALE, SHOOTING USA’S Impossible Shots provides entertainment and amazement as the world’s best professional exhibition shooters demonstrate their skills performing shots that would be impossible for anyone else. The team of shooters includes Bob Munden, Tom Knapp, Byron Ferguson, Jerry Miculek, and Tim Bradley. Three seasons are available on MyOutdoorTV. Season 1 has 10 episodes. Season 2 has 13 episodes. And Season 3 has 16 episodes. One of my favorite shooters is Bob Munden (he’s profiled in the “Hipshots” column beginning on page 64 of this issue of the magazine), and he is front and center in several of the episodes of Shooting USA’s Impossible Shots. Be sure to check out Bob’s segments that are titled “Bob’s Card Room,” “Top This,” “Soda Fountain,” “Coins and…

THIS MONTH, WE WRITE ABOUT OPTICS, AND THE flood—nay, deluge!—of new products that used to hit the street (or be announced, anyway) at SHOT Show time, but now seem to land in the in-basket throughout the week, throughout the year. If you find it impossible to keep up, you’re not alone. The most recent noteworthy announcement was from Burris, of their “Eliminator 6” 4-20X 52mm rangefinding riflescope: “At the touch of a button, this redesigned marvel ranges and displays the target distance and swiftly calculates the exact aiming point and wind data, all within the scope for heightened situational awareness.” (My italics.) Displayed in the upper arc of the eyepiece you have range, altitude, temperature, remaining bullet velocity and energy at the range measured, a built-in level (no canting allowed),…