Innehållsförteckning för January 2020 från Guns & Ammo

AFTER CLEANING THE BARREL of my handgun, I’ll run a dry cloth patch through it to see what it tells me. If the patch is dirty, I’ll run a solvent-soaked patch back through it as needed. Once removed, I often hold the barrel up to a light and peer down the bore. I’m not sure why I do this, as something would have to be quite askew for me to notice. It’s just too difficult to inspect a barrel’s condition. Today, I’m using the Game Changer 3.9mm, a bore-scope from Endosnake (endosnake.com). With it, you can improve the view inside of your barrel’s lands and grooves. Endosnake is a flexible micro borescope available in four diameters and three lengths. These work with many chamberings and barrel lengths. (There is even…

“At home and in the field, the Marlin 1895 consistently shoots under 2-inch, three-shot groups from 100 yards.” OFTEN, ADVENTURES ARE CONJURED UP in our heads. You have an idea that percolates like a good pot of coffee until, one day, you get to execute your plan. With most of these best-laid plans, we finish short of our expectations and aspirations. As I heard my buddy, Butch, say, “You have to manage expectations.” When you start to add the risk of failure for hunting Alaska’s moose as a do-it-yourself (DIY) hunt, Butch’s words should be taken to heart. When I say “DIY,” it is somewhat tongue-in-cheek. Having two friends and their bush planes, there wasn’t much DIY for me. I just had to sit in the back and hang on.…

AN OLD TRADITION of Guns & Ammo has been for the editor to query contributors for new product suggestions. It’s been a decade since the last editor published a list like this, so I’ve decided to revisit the topic for the holidays. Here’s what our writers had to say: Tom Beckstrand “I’d like to see the Winchester Model 1886, ‘92 and ‘94 come back without tang safeties and rebounding hammers. Marlin could ditch the crossbolt safety while I’m offering up wishes. Let’s make lever-guns great again.” Craig Boddington “Give me a Savage 99 or Winchester 88.” Chris Cerino “Like any young man, I want a .22, but not just any rimfire; I want a Vudoo Gun Works Ridgeback rifle and a case of Lapua Center-X .22LR. I’ve been a real…

“The Matchless Enfield .303 No. 4 Mk I (T) Sniper and Britain’s Elite Force of Scout/ Snipers Who Dominated WWII Battlefields” by Jeff John. Art in Arms Press, 2019, 72 pages, amazon.com The ambitious title of this book is an apt indication of its content. I have scarcely seen more detailed information about a firearms subject contained within such a modest, yet easily accessible sub-100-page package. The British No. 4 (T) Enfield sniper rifle is regarded by many experts as the finest arm of its type in World War II. Author Jeff John, by deft wording and superb artwork, shows us why. There are chapters on subjects such as the development of the rifle and optic system, how it was used in combat, accessories, handloading, cleaning, markings, and a history…

WHEN VIETNAM HEATED UP during the mid-1960s, the U.S. military took a keener interest in sniper training and equipment. The issued select-fire rifles started to get makeovers in order to keep pace with the growing ranks of soldiers being sent to fight the war. The M14 saw was accurized and outfitted with both magnified and night vision optics, for example. These would eventually be classified the “M21,” which served our military into the 1980s. The M16, which was adopted in 1964, and the later M16A1 were also involved in this sniper enhancement program. The rifle was still new and experiencing growing pains, largely due to some internal sabotage emanating from the bureaucracy then stationed at Springfield Armory. (No connection to the modern company of the same name.) Even with the…

WE DIDN’T EXPECT the incredible amount of interest that followed the coverstory featuring True Velocity’s polymer-composite-cased ammunition (truevelocityinc.com). That June issue was Guns & Ammo’s best seller at newsstands for 2018. Predictably, the first question that came from readers as a response to Tom Beckstrand’s exclusive was, “When will it be available commercially?” While visiting True Velocity’s headquarters north of Dallas, Texas, I learned the answer to that question: In 2020. I wasn’t able to extract a specific date, but I was permitted to examine the company’s production facility, which is as clean and organized as any scientific lab. If you’ve ever visited the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence, Missouri, you’ve seen a 3,935-acre, government-owned, contractor-operated facility that is a product of 1941. Comparing Lake City to True…

POST-WAR 1934 BERETTA Q: My uncle brought a pistol back after serving in Europe during World War II. I wondered if you could tell me more about it. Below the hook on the grip are the letters “BM”. On the magazine release are the letters “CS”. On the slide and above the trigger housing are the characters “G32XXX”, and above the trigger is “CAL. 9”. J.W. Springfield, Ohio A: Your uncle’s gun is a Beretta Model 1934. The caliber is “9mm Corto” (i.e., .380 ACP). M1934s were used by the Italian military in World War II, however this particular specimen appears to be a post-1946 commercial version, as it has a letter prefixed serial number and lacks military markings. I would hazard a guess that your uncle was probably in…

BLACK POWDER FIRST APPEARED in China during the 9th century. It was known for supposed “medicinal” properties, but wasn’t used in military applications until the early 10th century. It continued to be developed in China and spread throughout Eurasia. By the late 13th century, black powder was established as a propellant for firing projectiles from various types of tubes. Black powder and firearms were continually developed for the next 600 years until the first smokeless propellant was created in the mid-to- late 1880s. With these many firearms and a long shooting history involving black powder, many of us continue to enjoy black-powder muzzleloading activities. Black Powder & Substitutes Black powder and black-powder substitutes have properties much different than smokeless propellant. Black powder does not have progressive burning characteristics like smokeless…

Only four cartridges have bore the Savage name, all in the company’s first quarter century, but all four are historically significant. They are the .303 Savage (1894), .22 Savage Hi-Power (1912), the .250-3000 Savage (1915) and the .300 Savage (1920). We often reference the .30-30 Winchester as the first American sporting cartridge designed for smokeless powder. Maybe, but the .303 Savage was also developed in 1894 and also released in 1895 in the Savage Model 1895 with similar rim diameter, but with a slightly larger base. The .303 Savage is similar in appearance and ballistics to the .30-30, although the .303 was originally loaded with a heavier bullet. In the Savage rifle, it could be loaded with a spitzer bullet. Although Savage mimicked the British “.303” designation, the .303 Savage…

DESPITE THE FACT that millions of Americans own a variant of the AR-15, we are often questioned about why we own them. Most recently I was asked, “Is an AR-15 legitimate as a self-defense tool?” I don’t resent the question, but there exists a lack of honesty in the answers heard from politicians and the media. We hear, “The AR-15 is a weapon designed for war! It has no place on America’s streets!” However, in truth, AR-15s and so-called “black rifles” are used in self-defense by a would-be victim more often than you’d think. A notable, and possibly the most heroic example of a good guy using an AR-15 to save lives, is the case of Stephen Willeford. You might recall seeing the tragedy of the attack on a church…