Innehållsförteckning för May 2022 från Guns & Ammo

A desirable U.S.-issue Colt Model 1873 revolver realized a respectable $12,000, including costs, at a January 24, 2022, Sportsman’s Legacy sale. Made in 1887, the six-shot .45 Colt, while retaining no original finish, was in good condition exhibiting considerable character and an overall browned finish with some scattered dark spots. Serial numbers are all matching and the piece exhibits the “D.F.C.” inspector’s initials of David F. Clark. The gun has a 7½-inch barrel and a “U.S.” frame marking. Rifling is decent with some roughness. Original one-piece walnut grips are smooth and attractive, but lack a cartouche. Overall, this is an honest representation of one of the most sought-after of U.S. military handguns. For more information about this and future sales, contact Sportsman’s Legacy by visiting sportsmanslegacy.com.…

DUPONT CREATED BALLISTIC NYLON as an abrasion- and cut-resistant material used to make flak jackets worn by airmen during World War II. Ballistic nylon is not a bullet-resistant fabric, and flak jackets have since been replaced by Kevlar and ceramic armor. The fabric’s intended function was to protect its wearers from debris and fragmentation. The term originally described an 18-ounce fabric made from 1050 Denier (D) in a two-by-two basketweave. Today, “ballistic nylon” generically refers to any nylon fabric made with a basketweave, as has been used by several holster makers to create many styles of affordable holsters. Ballistic nylon holsters served the entry level market for more than 35 years due to price point and universal fitment to a specific-size handgun. Early examples were simply a pouch with no…

MY INNER RIFLE NERD gets excited when I see a product hit the “Best in Class” category, and I saw that happen in real time on an aoudad hunt during late-fall 2021. I was hunting with the 6.8 Western, a cartridge that I love for its heavy bullets with great ballistic coefficients (BC) from a short-action rifle. The new hotness was Winchester’s 162-grain Copper Impact, a solid-copper expanding projectile. The new 162-grain Copper Impact bullet is special because it has the highest BC found on a monolithic bullet that’s fired from a short-action rifle. I call this bullet “The Flying Salami” because it measures 1.61 inches long! That’s a lot of bullet for a short-action. Monolithic bullets are not new. They are usually made from copper, gilding metal or brass…

Do proof marks and a factory letter add value? COLT PYTHON REVOLVERS made from 1955 to 1996 enjoy enormous popularity among collectors. They were among the few modern revolvers to be hand fitted, and values increased dramatically after the Custom Shop quit taking special orders in 2004. Rare configurations such as Pythons with a 3-inch barrel command the largest sum, while those that are new-in-box (NIB) condition often exceed predicted values. With more than 753,000 made and nearly all 90 percent examples selling for an average of $2,000, a side hustle was created among online sellers who replicated the original grips and period-correct packaging to include labels, tags and manuals. Some add instructions for those wanting to simulate NIB presentation. Since we know that Colt employees often hand-wrote serial numbers…

“The Destroying Angel” by Brett Gibbons, Kindle Direct Publishing, 2020, paperback, 183 pages. In “The Destroying Angel,” author and Ordnance Captain Brett Gibbons, U.S. Army Reserve, makes the case that the appearance of mid-19th-century Minié-style rifle-muskets — most importantly the superb British Pattern 1853 Enfield — was largely responsible for the development of modern infantry tactics. This occurrence transformed the foot soldier from being a meagerly trained automaton to the major force on the battlefield, and it permitted the adoption of tactics that would remain appreciably unchanged until the static trench warfare of World War I. Beginning in the Crimean War (1854-1856), with proper training, the infantryman could aim and hit targets at extended distances, 600 yards or more. This allowed movement and maneuvering of other units within an area…

CRIMSON TRACE was first known as an innovator in laser-aiming category, but the company now produces much more than lasers. Case in point: The Rapid Illumination Grip, or “RIG.” This clever design is a user-friendly accessory that combines an angled foregrip for safe and consistent hand placement with a 500-lumen light. Constructed of an aluminum and polymer housing, the RIG is compatible with both M-Lok slots and Picatinny rails. The two supplied lithium-polymer, 3.7-volt, rechargeable batteries power the unit for 1 hour of peak output. The batteries are quick and easy to swap from a compartment located on the left side of the unit. A USBC-to-USB power cord to recharge them is provided along with all the required mounting hardware. You can charge the battery in or out of the…

“‘Good shape’ can mean many things to many people, so I’m going to take the middle ground ... ” BAVARIAN UNDERLEVER SHOTGUN? Q: Approximately 10 years ago, my daughter gave me an old double-barrel shotgun she had uncovered while getting her grandparents’ home up for sale following their passing. It was in the corner of a bedroom closet. I have not looked at it closely until just recently as I wanted to know more about this firearm. It is a side-by-side underlever shotgun. The overall length of the gun is 37½ inches. The barrel length is 22 inches. It has double hammers and one trigger per hammer. The hammers can be either half-cocked or full-cocked and the trigger pull is smooth. The right hammer’s finish has been worn down, indicating…

WITHIN THE TACTICAL COMMUNITY, there is often an undercurrent of dismissiveness toward professional competition shooters. The argument goes, because a competitor shoots and moves differently in “a game” than in a gunfight, they would likely forget their tactics if confronted with a deadly threat. Well, that’s absolute rubbish that should be relegated to the dustbin of disproven dogma. Any endeavor where a gun owner is actually learning to shoot faster, more accurately, and move deliberately while communicating, should be lauded. Competition adds stress to non-lethal shooting by putting shooters under the watchful eyes of others with the real possibility of losing. Sport shooting is a good thing and should be embraced. While it is impossible to replicate the stress of a gunfight through competition, subjecting yourself to the stress experienced…

THERE IS NO SHORTAGE of new entrants into the optics market. Most brands I know from childhood still exist, but it seems like new labels are frequently joining the fray. So, how should consumers assess a new product or brand? Most new optics companies are following the established pattern of setting the scope specifications (i.e., magnification range, reticle options, turret style, etc.) and then buying and importing those scopes from existing optics manufacturing centers in Asia. The best optics from this business model usually come from Japan because of its advanced design and manufacturing capabilities. Where it can get confusing is what happens once those new scopes arrive on American soil. Most new optics companies have an office and a warehouse in the U.S., and they pump out scopes to…

WELL, IT HAPPENED. Despite the uncertainty and continued disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show made its return, taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada, during the week of January 18, 2022. After the cancellation of the live convention last year, and the withdrawal of several of the industry’s largest manufacturers, the future of the annual gathering seemed in question. Thankfully, virtual efforts during the pandemic helped dull the impact. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF; nssf.org), the outdoor recreation trade association that owns and operates SHOT Show, hosted an online rendition of the convention. And, of course, the Outdoor Sportsman Group (OSG), including Guns & Ammo (gunsandammo.com), the Outdoor Channel (outdoorchannel.com) and Sportsman Channel (thesportsmanchannel.com) partnered with NSSF to pioneer the multimedia “New Product Premier.”…

DESPITE CAMPAIGN PROMISES to the contrary, lawmakers in Washington have been rather quiet on enacting gun-control legislation. Passing any controversial bill is a tall order with the 50-50 partisan split in the Senate where at least two Democratic members of that chamber would be unlikely to support President Joe Biden’s wish list for sweeping restrictions. With only a few months remaining in the 117th U.S. Congress — and a likely Republican wave in the 2022 mid-term elections — the window of opportunity for new federal gun legislation is closing. That’s good news, no doubt, but the reality hasn’t stopped anti-gunners from working to erode the rights of law-abiding Americans. Cities and states have become increasingly creative when attempting to harm gun owners. The actions taken by the City of San…