Innehållsförteckning för June 2017 från Guns & Ammo

9MM VERSUS .40 & .45 Please explain the quote: “Even from a terminal ballistics standpoint, today’s 9mm bullet performance is on par with the .40 S&W and .45 ACP ...” I don’t think so! Obviously, there are many factors that affect lethality, and energy transferred is not the only consideration. The FBI had the .40 cal. developed, as I recall, because they could not handle the 10mm. Perhaps this is true of the .40 as well, though even the smaller autoloaders today are pretty docile in .40, albeit more so in 9mm. And with modern ammo +P, etc., one can argue that a 9mm is adequate, but for defensive purposes, unless you’re planning on head shots, I’ll take the .45 all day long versus 9mm. Jon Timmons Froid, Montana In…

WINCHESTER HAS DESIGNED a number of fantastic shotguns during its 150-year history. Winchester Repeating Arms partnered with John M. Browning in 1883, which yielded various shotgun models including the 1887 blackpowder lever action, 1893 pump action (which became the improved smokeless-powder Model 1897) and the smokeless Model 1901. Ultimately, T.C. Johnson’s Model 12 design became one of the most highly regarded shotguns ever made with nearly 2 million produced before manufacturing ceased in 1963. These are all classics that dominated America’s game fields for nearly a century. For years, there was an empty space on the Winchester trophy wall of acclaim, a space that needed to be occupied by a semiautomatic shotgun. The Model 50 certainly had its fans, the 1400 had earned a following, but the original 1970s-era SuperX…

THE ORIGINS of a new rifle/cartridge combination are as diverse as their manufacturers. Most ideas start within the company and then work through an approval process before the new product ever sees the light of day. These companies are fed a steady diet of new product ideas from their research and development personnel, sales reps in the field and, of course, loyal customers. Some of the best ideas come from sources outside the company, such as dealers and distributors. These are the people that look the enduser in the eye and talk with them, so they have a pretty good idea of what will sell and what won’t. Ruger told G&A that the idea for the Ruger American in .450 Bushmaster started in Michigan a few years ago. The state…

RICHARD GALLAGHER STARTED The Famous Jackass Leather Company in Chicago in 1969. In the beginning, he made holsters out of horsehide and built a solid reputation within a decade before changing the company name to Galco in 1980. In 1983, Gallagher moved his operation to Phoenix, where Galco products are made today. The Original Jackass Rig — now known as the Miami Classic — was a shoulder holster first created in 1970, which elevated Galco into the national spotlight when actor Don Johnson wore it regularly as Detective James Crockett on “Miami Vice.” Since then, Galco remains an industry leader with armed citizens and law enforcement, adding saddle leather, nylon, Kydex and exotics to its legendary line of horsehide. Many gun owners are unaware that Galco offers a growing line…

STAG ARMS remains one of the most established and prolific AR builders and parts makers in the world. A little-known secret is that Stag Arms makes a significant number of components for just about every big-name AR company you’ve heard of. Even if you’re not familiar with Stag Arms’ own product line, you would certainly recognize their business-to-business customers. Stag Arms was started in 2003, but its parent company existed long before then. The parent has been producing AR parts for decades and, most importantly, has the industrial capacity to make everything Stag Arms needs for its own rifles. A large part of the cost of AR-pattern rifles comes from AR “manufacturers” buying the parts they need to assemble rifles. The company making the parts needs to make money, and…

THE UNUSUAL SHAPE of the Kriss Vector series and peculiar cycle of operation is far less remarkable now than it first was. Earlier models and generations have been in existence for nearly a decade, and its place in popular gun culture remains something less than ubiquitous. Still, its unique profile is recognizable, which is cause for several appearances in television shows, movies and video games. What is still remarkable to us about the Kriss Vector is the unconventional delayed blowback system. Kriss USA describes it as “Super V Recoil Mitigation.” The Vector’s in-line bolt mechanism redirects the recoil impulse down and into the angular forward grip instead of allowing the energy to travel rearward into the rear grip and stock as with a typical firearm. The typical design results in…

LIKE SLIDE SERRATIONS? Then Beretta APX deserves your attention. Its slide is full of them. Friends on the web have been referring to the slide as “Tactical Toblerone,” which is likely intended as a dig comparing its serrations to the appearance of the cuts on the Swiss-made chocolate bar. Aesthetics aside, I think the nickname is kind of appropriate given that the APX handles and shoots pretty sweet. When the slide is manipulated, one can’t help but notice that those serrations are positively grippy. It’s confidence inspiring, in fact. Even if the act of clearing a malfunction is fumbled, grab any point on the slide, and it can be easily grasped. It is going to do what you want it to do. Though each serration presents an aggressive touch point,…

THE PRECISION RIFLE SERIES (PRS) is the fastest growing shooting sport in the country. The core philosophy of this discipline is field shooting, often from improvised positions, under a short time standard at targets anywhere from 200 to 1,500 yards. There is no better way to become a more proficient rifleman than through this sport. I have been participating in PRS matches since 2013, the year after the league formed, and have watched it grow rapidly ever since. Shooter ability has increased substantially, with matches becoming more sophisticated as awareness and participation increase. The firearms industry has also taken notice by showcasing newly designed products for this shooting discipline at the 2017 SHOT Show. The most endearing aspect of PRS is the education that participants receive. Some of that education…

MIKHAIL KALASHNIKOV, designer of the AK47, and Eugene Stoner, designer of the AR-15, first met at Washington Dulles airport on May 15, 1990. Kalashnikov came to the United States by invitation from the Smithsonian Institution, which was administered by Edward “Ed” Ezell, author and former curator for the National Firearms Collection at the National Museum of American History. Ezell had gathered oral histories from both Kalashnikov and Stoner independently, which included a visit to Russia in July 1989. The first interviews with both Kalashnikov and Stoner took place in Star Tannery, Virginia, May 15 through May 20, 1990. The meeting was visually and textually documented for Smithsonian archives. Kalashnikov and Stoner were juxtaposed as they greeted one another, though they had come to know each other through mutual study. Although…