Innehållsförteckning för May 2016 från Gun Digest

“Kalashnikov rifles are inaccurate, crudely-made guns all but worthless past 100 yards.” If you’ve heard this, or something very similar, from either shooting buddies or cantankerous gun shop staff, you’re not alone. While the best-known myth of the AK-47 is its unstoppable reliability, its alleged inaccuracy is a close second. Wait, myths and allegations? You read that right. The AK may be inherently less accurate than rifles with less reciprocating mass or free-floating barrels, but the little Avtomat is still capable of successfully engaging targets well past 300 yards. There’s a catch though: The AK has more than just its violent, long-stroke, piston-driven action working against it; it also suffers from lousy iron sights and rounds with a drastic ballistic curve. The solution to these performance impediments is a simple…

The AR is to many the definition of a fully customizable, modular weapon platform. Stocks, grips, triggers, safeties, charging handles, handguards, or even entire uppers—pretty much any part on the rifle—can be swapped out or exchanged with relative ease, and manufacturers produce an abundance of aftermarket parts to do just that. Customizing the AK-47, on the other hand, can be a bit more challenging. The aftermarket for AK parts and upgrades has been more limited in the past, and the AK’s design is less conducive to customization, with the original rifle being designed in an era in which iron sights were good enough for the average soldier and a wood stock and furniture were all that were needed. Additionally, many AK owners simply prefer the rifle with its traditional wood…

One of the hottest upward trends in AR-style optics is the lower power scope that’s extremely durable and reliable for close-quarter work, yet gives shooters the ability to quickly dial up the scope power for longer range shots (normally in the 1-6x range). This style of scope has been battle-tested and proven by military forces overseas for some time now, but it’s also made its way into the civilian and law enforcement markets, and it’s become a staple in 3-Gun competition since it allows for rapid target acquisition. No longer just the maker of the classic bolt-gun Grand Slam, Weaver has now entered the low-power tactical scope market with the 1-7x24 Tactical Scope with dual focal plane. Just as Weaver gained a reputation for its classic models, the company is…

With all the 1911s it’s manufactured over the years, Colt has developed great expertise and knowhow in building the Browning-designed handgun. But the company has focused its efforts elsewhere than the consumer market, where that knowledge has been in high demand—until now. Revealed to the gun press in November of 2015, the 1911 Competition Government was well received, and although it is also available in.45ACP, the 9mm version is reviewed here. It is pure Colt with all the familiar features, plus some enhancements that make it ready for action on the competition range or when a criminal threatens one’s life. THE 9MM LUGER For years, many in the gun community worried that Colt had forever abandoned the commercial market in favor of concentrating on fulfilling government contracts. Colt has consistently…

The .30-06 Springfield remains one of our most popular hunting cartridges, even 110 years after its introduction. It’s a cartridge that can effectively use the full gamut of .30-caliber bullets, and as you’ll soon see is rather easy to load for. There is plenty of good .30-06 brass on the market, even when times are tough, and .30-caliber is one of our most popular. While the .30-06 has been produced in just about every action form conceivable, from single shots to autoloaders to pumps, the bolt actions are the most popular. If you’re loading for a bolt gun or single shot, you may take full advantage of the neck sizing technique, but for the autoloaders, slides and any other action, you need to full-length resize your brass. A good set…

The appearance of the AK Rifle on the world stage was spurred not by the ambition of some government, but by the drive of one soldier to help his Motherland. It was in the hospital while recovering from wounds sustained in combat that Tank Corps Sergeant Mikhail Kalashnikov first had the idea to create an entirely new infantry rifle. After talking to many wounded infantry soldiers, the aspiring designer drew a picture of many shortcomings with Soviet small arms that were carried into combat against well-armed and equipped enemies. He wanted to create a gun that would give his Motherland an advantage on the battlefield. Unlike many firearms designers, Kalashnikov was driven with only one desire: to make a contribution to his country’s victory over Nazi Germany. He started work…

If the modern equivalent of the Japanese katana is the AR-15, the AK-47 is a battle-axe. Not as precise or refined, but inarguably effective. This metaphorical chopper originally rose to prominence among American shooters with a combination of its near-mythic reliability and its affordable nature. Most shooters who bought one in the last 30 years did so from a single company: Century Arms. For decades, the Century Arms business model for Avtomats was to import parts kits from military AKMs, then rebuild them stateside with enough U.S. parts to make them 922r compliant. As these rifles became sparser for political and other reasons, their cost increased along with the end product’s price. The budget-priced WASR rifle of the early 21st century quickly rose to the price of an entry-level AR-15.…

When you are in the red, it is not generally a good thing. There’s bump-in-the-night red, someone-walking-in-my-home red, or back-forty-with-hungry-wolves-between-you-and-your-mule red. In these situations, you need a weapon that you can rely on but one that is chambered in a caliber that will get the job done fast. You need something like Palmetto State Armory’s (PSA) Classic Red, a traditional take on the historic AK-47 rifle completely manufactured in the U.S.A. Think of it as a détente between Palmetto State and Mother Russia. Though the design might be Comrade Kalashnikov’s , PSA has redefined the AK-47. Not only does the Classic Red look retro cool, it also performs like only an AK can. PSA has been creating quite a name for itself, essentially flying under the radar and churning out…