Innehållsförteckning för May 2020 från Gun Digest

Welcome to the annual “big guns” issue of Gun Digest, in which we tickle that one spot deeply engrained in all Americans that makes us say, “Yes … bigger is, indeed, better.” But, like the phrase, “long range,” “big guns” is a bit vague, because it’s the end user who gets to define what constitutes a big gun. For a 12-year-old unwrapping that firearm-shaped box on Christmas morning, a shiny, new Mossberg 20-gauge is a pretty big gun. And, for a CCW fanatic wrapping their fingers around a big iron chambered in .44 Rem. Mag. for the first time, that, too, is a pretty big gun. However, times change. In 1971, good, ol’ Dirty Harry laid down the famous line, “But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful…

If you work on firearms, you need tools. If you work on ARs, you need specific tools. And, despite your best efforts, a lot of those tools get separated from the pack, left behind, lost, “borrowed” or otherwise enter the shooter’s “Bermuda Triangle.” Real Avid has found a way to keep the most-used AR cleaning and maintenance tools in one spot: Make them into a carabiner. COMPACT CARABINERA SHOOTER’S ‘DUCT TAPE’ Carabiners are the oval clips that rock climbers use to wrestle with ropes. Those of us who don’t climb rocks use them to hold our keys or clip gear to packs or belts. Think of them as the aluminum equivalent of duct tape. Real Avid made the Gun Tool Core for the AR-15 into a carabiner shape. This makes…

Hunting dangerous game requires a cartridge of substantial size, one powerful enough to handle those species that have the potential to turn the tables. There are those who find the lighter cartridges—the 9.3mms and .375s—to be the pinnacle of versatility, because they offer trajectories similar to some of the popular deer cartridges, such as the .308 and .30-06, yet carry enough horsepower to handle even the largest game. And then there are those who feel that anything smaller than the .500 Jeffery or .500 Nitro Express is a waste of time, because no smaller cartridge could possible stop a charge. I feel that somewhere in the middle lies the best balance of trajectory, striking power and ease of shooting—those cartridges in the lower .40s. Yes, the .various .450s , .470s,…

Listings are FREE! Simply go online to create or manage your Gun Show Listing. Login or Register to create an account – GunShows.GunDigestMedia.com Due to the cancelling and rebooking of shows that has taken place because of Covid -19 please call or check the website of the show prior to traveling to the show. May 2-3 IN, Terre Haute. Gun & Knife Show. Wabash Valley Fairgrounds, 3901 US Hwy 41 S. SH: Sat. 9am-5pm, Sun. 9am-3pm. A: $5. F: $35. Central Indiana Gun Shows.PO Box 32, Centerville, IN 47330. PH: 765-993-8942. www.centralindianagunshows.com. May 2-3 KY, Paducah. Gun & Knife Show. Trader’s Mall, 6900 Benton Rd. SH: Sat. 9am-5pm, Sun. 9am-4pm. A: $6. F: . Midwest Arms Collector, LLC . PO Box 412, Henderson, KY 42419. PH: 270-724-1684. www.midwestprogunshows.com. May 2-3…

HISTORICAL NOTES Adopted by the U.S. military in 1873 with the single-shot “Trapdoor” Springfield rifle, the .45-70 Government continued as the official service cartridge for 19 years. It was replaced in 1892 by the .30-40 Krag. The .45-70 was also a popular cartridge for sporting use, and many repeating and single-shot rifles were chambered for it, including the Remington rolling block, Remington-Keene, Remington-Lee, Marlin Model 81, Winchester Model 86 and Hotchkiss, plus many others. Although the Krag officially replaced the .45-70, in 1892, all volunteer Spanish-American War regiments—with the reported sole exception of Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders—were equipped with the Trapdoor .45-70. And many state militias were armed with the .45-70 Springfields well beyond 1900. American companies dropped the .45-70 as a rifle chambering in the early 1930s. However, it’s…

Extreme long-range shooting is becoming a popular spectator sport with a host of King of 2 Mile (KO2M) competitions popping up. In the ELR community, the standard is moving to impact a target three consecutive times from a cold bore shot. In other words, you can’t walk into the target; you have to impact it purposefully. These competitions often start at ranges of about 1,500 yards and then progress out to distances, as the name implies, to two miles. Now, not everyone gets to make the two-mile attempts: This is an elimination race. If you don’t score early and make it into the top 10, you won’t get to attempt the two-mile shots. I’ve been to several of the King of 2 Mile competitions as a reporter and spoke with…

The title, “Most Powerful Handgun Cartridge in the World,” was fought over for some time, but it finally got settled: S&W owns it, regardless of which cartridge you favor. Yeah, there are some with a bigger bore, but there’s a case to be made for the .460 S&W Magnum. The Smith & Wesson .460 XVR is one big example of belt artillery. Starting with the company’s X frame—the one it developed for the .500 S&W magnum—the S&W engineers took the .454 Casull case and lengthened it. They also upped the chamber pressure to the highest of any cartridge out there (at the time, anyway)—65,000 psi. The result was a cartridge that could deliver a .45-caliber, 200-grain bullet at 2,300 fps. There are century-old, classic and well-respected deer hunting cartridges that…

More has probably been written about the Colt 1911 series of pistols than any other handgun. Without a doubt, it’s the most popular handgun design in the United States and in many other parts of the world. The .45 Auto 1911 was the offi cial U.S. military sidearm from 1911 to 1986 — through World War I and World War II, and the Korean and Vietnam Wars. To this day, the 1911A1 is still in service with some Special Forces units of the Army, Navy and the Marine Corps, in part because of its popularity among the troops. During the past 100-plus years, many manufacturers have made 1911-style pistols, but most of the collector interest is with Colt, where it all began. There are dozens of Colt variants (too many…

Ben’s Easy Mag Loader Do you think that Patrick Sweeney could throw us readers a bone and tell us where we can also buy one of Ben’s Easy Mag Loaders? Interesting two-page article about how great this tool is and that he plans on buying more, suggesting we should buy one—but he doesn’t tell us where to buy it. I searched the Internet, and it’s nowhere to be found. I would appreciate contact information. Bob Falta, via e-mail Bob, This was an oversight on my part. I didn’t add the contact information to Sweeney’s article … and boy did I hear about it via e-mail! So, please accept my apologies, and then order your own BEML at BensOutdoorDesign.com. However, please note that Ben is a “one-man band” who builds…

Thirty-two-caliber cartridges were popular up until the 20th century, when the .38 Special and .380 ACP sort of ended their attractiveness. However, they still remained in widespread use. Modern shooters might not be familiar with the early .32s—and even the more modern ones. My first was the .32 H&R Magnum. Developed through a joint effort between Harrington & Richardson (H&R) and Federal in 1984, it was hoped that it would renew interest in H&R revolvers. It failed in that regard, but it did become popular in the Ruger Single Six. This cartridge is nothing more than a lengthened .32 Smith & Wesson Long that’s loaded to 21,000 psi. The .32 H&R kind of floundered up until the last several years, when the new wave of folks carrying concealed realized that…

01 Savage Axis II Precision It’s difficult to make the case that Savage’s new chassis rifle is a big gun—until you get a gander at the price tag. Among the most affordable precision rifles to hit the market, the Axis II Precision could well have an oversized impact on the market. However, while the rifle is affordable, it doesn’t skimp. Savage partnered with well-respected chassis-maker Modular Drive Technologies, mounting the Axis-barreled action in an exclusively designed chassis. The rig’s rigidity makes the long shot come in and boasts plenty of M-Lok slots on the forend to attach your accessories. Outfitted with a 22-inch carbon-steel, button-rifled heavy barrel, this rifle has excellent harmonics. It’s available in six chamberings, including 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 Winchester. MSRP: $949 02 Stoeger Freedom…

Americans did not develop the first handguns in the world. However, it can be said that we were truly the first country to create a culture surrounding the handgun. The story of this is also the tale of what is arguably the quintessential American handgun cartridge: The .45 ACP has survived into our modern era, and today, it’s better than ever. However, its relevance is hotly debated. To really understand why the .45 ACP has lasted as long as it has, all you have to do is look at the tumultuous era of design that existed in the second half of the 20th century. From the time it was introduced prior to World War I until it was (mostly) replaced in the 1980s, there really wasn’t anything better out there.…