Innehållsförteckning för October 2015 från Gun Digest

As a young boy reared in the shadow of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, the sea of high altitude Aspen leaves set ablaze with the changing colors and the crisp, cool air of fall, signaled not only the climatic metamorphosis of the land but the approach of the greatest festival of the year—hunting season. With orchards plucked, fields cut, thick harvest brews on tap and the donning of wool and blaze orange, we’d take to the land with our rifles in search of mule deer and elk. I inherited my first big game rifle from my father, a Model 1903 Springfield that had been sporterized and passed down to him by my grandfather. Manufactured in the early 1940s by Remington, that .30-06 went with me through hell and high water, inspiring daydreams…

Understanding Ballistics Complete Guide to Bullet Selection By Philip P. Massaro Tailor your ammunition choice to the task at hand and ensure you’e choosing the right bullet every time with “Understanding Ballistics” by Philip P. Massaro. Narrow down the vast array of ammunition options with detailed information and expert reviews of available bullets, and come to a better understanding of bullet technology and performance. Plus, learn about the physics of the bullet and its effects once it hits the intended target. Whether you’re shooting small game, big game, or long-range targets, know that you have the right bullet for the job with this comprehensive ballistics guide. ONLY AT GUNDIGESTSTORE.COM - Search for Item X9356 Tip: Save 10%, Use Promo Code FIREARMS10! DOWNLOADS Free Digital Reticle Handbook This handy 100-page reference…

BUGS on the Move in Central Colorado Edward Wilks—The Tradesmen, Rifle, Colo., 625Guns.com At The Tradesmen, owner Edward Wilks sees a number of trends, beginning with more women than ever taking their concealed carry certification class. “It used to be, out of a class of 16, I’d have maybe two women,” said Wilks. “Now, at least half my students are women and sometimes more.” The handguns these ladies favor? BUGS, or “back-up guns,” because of their smaller size. The Smith & Wesson Bodyguard semi in .380 is his top seller right now, and for just under $400 customers get one with a laser sight. More than ever, self-defense handgun ammunition is moving off the shelves here, too. Again, .380 Auto leads the pack, this time in the form…

When it comes to hunting public land, one of the most critical tools in the hunter’s toolbox is your mapping system. This is particularly true out West, where millions of acres of public land are interspersed with BLM, private and state wildlife areas. I’ve hunted for years with an assortment of paper maps purchased through the BLM and Forest Service, but the one item I’d most hate to live without is my Garmin 64ST with OnXMaps HUNT Premium SD card. While the standard GPS unit comes with generic topo maps, the HUNT chip from OnXMaps (HuntingGPSMaps.comHuntingGPSMaps.com) allows you to see big game hunting units, BLM, public access areas, private land with owner names, Forest Service maps and more. It’s given me the confidence to hunt areas I’d normally avoid for…

Not so long ago, a shotgun was a shotgun, and the same scattergun you used for quail probably also served for hunting waterfowl, turkeys, small game...maybe even deer. If you lived in rural America, there’s also a good chance this shotgun served as your go-to home defense weapon, too. Shotguns can still accomplish all of those tasks, but modern scatterguns are far more specialized. This divergent evolution has created a number of closely related shotgun subspecies that evolved to perform a specific task—upland guns got lighter, rifled deer guns became more accurate, and target shotguns adopted a whole list of new features like adjustable combs, mercury recoil reducers, barrel weights and more that further separated them from field guns. Waterfowl guns went their own way. There was a long list…

The .284 was introduced by Winchester, in 1963, for its Model 88 lever-action and Model 100 semi-auto rifles. Both have since been discontinued. This is the first American commercial cartridge to have a rebated, or undercut, rim of smaller diameter than the body of the case, though British and European designers used this type of case years ago. The .284 Winchester has the rim diameter of the .30-06 and the body diameter of the belted magnums. This provides increased case capacity in a relatively short case. The cartridge is designed for short actions and will increase the performance of these short, light rifles. Ballistics are practically identical to the .280 Remington. There is no difference in killing power, range, or capability between the two (except in some gun writers’ imaginations!).…

We put a lot of thought into the guns we shoot—at times maybe a bit more than we should. Pretty much any rifle from any major gun maker will shoot straight enough to make a clean shot at some pretty remarkable ranges. What makes a big difference in the field or at the range is often the glass we use. What good is a rifle if you can’t find your target through your scope? The same is true for binoculars and spotting scopes. Cheap glass will strain your eyes, fog up or otherwise hamper your hunt. The good news is there are hundreds of choices when it comes to high-quality scopes, rangefinders, binoculars and spotting scopes, and manufacturers continue to make improvements every year. Here’s a look at some great…