Innehållsförteckning för February 2022 från Guns & Ammo

.303 VS. .30-30? OK, who proofread the chart on page 103 of the December issue? The .300 Savage is good for elk at 300 yards and topped by the .30-30 Winchester at the same distance? I wonder how much I can win by betting folks that Boddington recommends the .30-30 for elk out to 300 yards? Hahaha! Al Duff Email Your eyes are clearly sharper than mine. With the load I used, the .30-30 Winchester has 888 foot-pounds (ft.-lbs.) of energy remaining at 300 yards, which is definitely not suitable for elk much beyond 100 yards. I didn’t reference the .303 Savage at all, but Francis Sell did in his original chart in 1958. The .303 Savage is, of course, very similar to the .30-30 and doesn’t offer any more…

FEDERAL ANNOUNCED the .224 Valkyrie in 2017 as the “precision rifle cartridge of choice for the AR-15.” This was a good place to start for the new cartridge, but the .224 Valkyrie belongs in a bolt-action rifle just as much as it belongs in an AR-15. What the Valkyrie offers, that no other cartridge does, is a factory-supported .22-caliber VLDfriendly cartridge case that can fit loaded rounds in the length-restrictive standard AR-15 detachable magazine. To understand where and how the Valkyrie makes sense, it’s best to take a detailed look at its chamber and cartridge design, followed by an assessment of how it does in both bolt-action and semiautomatic platforms. THE UNIQUE The rifle-shooting community understands why long and heavy Very Low Drag (VLD) bullets are a good idea, and…

IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG following the introduction of the first single-tube “handgonnes” in the 14th century for innovators to realize the advantage of having a piece that could fire multiple shots. Accordingly, some firearms evolved featuring clusters of barrels. These usually numbered no more than two or three to allow them to be easily manipulated using the simple tiller-style stocks of the period. As barrels lengthened and ignition systems and ergonomics improved, attempts were being made at incorporating multiple-shot cylinders within single-barreled arms’ firing mechanisms beginning around the latter part of the 15th century. The first guns employing matchlock and snaphaunce devices were primitive and inefficient, but as new ignition systems were developed and refined, fresh possibilities for workable revolving-chamber repeaters emerged. Though cylinder arms still remained scarce, multiple-barrel guns…

NAMES FOR NEW GUNS can be hard to come up with, especially those that haven’t been trademarked. For its first pistol in nearly a century, Savage Arms labeled its striker-fired 9mm micro-compact “Stance.” “We wanted to come into the handgun market strong,” said Jessica Treglia, senior brand manager for Savage Arms. “With this pistol, people can stand their ground and take a stance.” The word “stance” is often reduced to “Isosceles” versus “Weaver.” The Weaver Stance was first seen used by the late Jack Weaver in August 1959 at the Leather-slap competition in Big Bear, California. Weaver was a deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and won that year’s match, the first to do so with a two-hand hold. Weaver’s stance controlled his revolver by muscular tension. He…

SINCE THE SUMMER AT BOY SCOUT CAMP, when I learned to shoot a .22 bolt-action and achieve three-shot groups that could be covered with a quarter, I’ve considered myself a rifleman. Years later, as a U.S. Army Cavalry Scout, I honed my skills to “Expert” level using iron-sighted Colt and FN M4 carbines. I came to appreciate the advantages in speed and precision offered by magnified optics and illuminated reticles through the lenses of Aimpoint’s CompM2 and Trijicon’s ACOG. Now, with more than a decade afield as a firearms editor, I’ve had the opportunity to test my riflecraft on targets and game the world over. Firearms, ammunition and optical sights continue to improve, but the fundamentals of marksmanship remain the same. They are no less essential to the African Professional…

GORGEOUS, JUST PLAIN GORGEOUS! Smooth as silk and slick as glass. It’s an exaggeration to say the whole world has been waiting for Ruger to unveil the first Marlin lever-action under their stewardship of the famous brand. More accurate: Us “old-timers” have been chomping at the bit to see Marlin back on the market. In fact, we who love our lever guns believe new generations of shooters need to be introduced to the all-American lever-action — and will like it! For either market, it must be a great rifle. Committed lever-gun guys, especially Marlin fans, will be highly critical. Younger shooters who missed out on hunting with Granddad’s .30-30 may be skeptical, and will have expectations based on experience with more modern platforms. In short, the new Marlin must be…

AN EDC PISTOL needs to fill a lot of roles. Whether it is being used for home defense, concealed carry outside the home or at the range, each of these duties comes with a set of requirements. Reliability and performance are necessary for any pistol; no one enjoys clearing malfunctions, gritty triggers or large shot groups on target. Size appropriate to the task is also a must, but size and performance are almost mutually exclusive features when comparing a concealed carry pistol and one that can be larger for home defense. Well, almost. I feel that the new Wilson Combat SFX9 is one example that excels in any role. PERFORMANCE There are a lot of metrics that can measure performance. My top three for a pistol used for multiple tasks…