Innehållsförteckning för July 2022 från Guns & Ammo

SPECIAL-ORDER SMITH & WESSON 1950 TARGET MODEL A special-order Smith & Wesson 1950 Target Model .44 Special Fourth Model Hand Ejector revolver realized a comfortable $3,500 at a February 2022 Sportsman’s Legacy sale. Made in 1954, this piece features a 4-inch barrel, red-ramp front-sight blade, and a white-outline rear sight. A factory letter from S&W Historian Roy Jinks indicates that a target hammer and target trigger were later added to the gun. Some 85 percent of the gun’s bright blue remains, as does 95 percent of the finish on its checkered walnut grips. For more information about this and future sales, visit Sportsman’s Legacy at sportsmanslegacy.com.…

DO YOU HAVE RHYTHM? Maybe you want to dance? I grew up as a drummer in a marching band and learned to play the piano. I fancy myself as a man with some rhythm. You would think that drumming and pounding piano keys doesn’t have anything to do with shooting, or does it? Many years ago, I got into a discussion with another operator about Cadence Shooting drills. He had left the Army and was working as an instructor for the newly expanded Federal Air Marshal program. He was a super dude, not much of a shooter, but he professed the need to get shooters to shoot a certain tempo — I had to chime in. Cadence really doesn’t make a shooter better. Those were fighting words. “Cadence Counts,” he…

THESE DAYS, if it ain’t “Creedmoor,” “PRC,” “WSM,” or maybe “.28 Nosler,” it just ain’t … well, you get the idea. Don’t get me wrong! The latest new cartridges are awesome, but not all of us have sprung for them. Some because we can’t afford to; others because, well, we’re happy with “Old Betsy.” Chambered to vintage cartridges, some younger readers may not have heard of old, tired numbers such as .270 Winchester and .30-’06 Springfield. Back in 1906 and 1925 when the .30-’06 and .270 were each introduced, we didn’t know what we didn’t know. Modern case design — shorter and relatively fatter with sharper shoulders — is more efficient, demonstrably producing more energy per grain of powder burned. Burning efficiency contributes to accuracy. Thanks to precise modern manufacturing…

THE U.S. ARMY ANNOUNCED that SIG Sauer was selected to provide the Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) on Tuesday, April 19, 2022. SIG Sauer was awarded a 10-year contract to deliver its NGSW-Rifle (R) and NGSW-Automatic Rifle (AR), which are now designated the XM5 Rifle and the XM250 Automatic Rifle, respectively. Both platforms chamber SIG Sauer’s high-pressure and high-velocity 6.8x51mm hybrid cartridge that features a unique alloy rim. This announcement trailed the January 2022 news that Vortex won the NGSW Fire Control (FC) program, which was designated “XM157.” The initial order is a contract worth $20.4 million. Funding was approved by the U.S. Congress in a spending bill during the first week of April 2022. The U.S. Army aims to procure 30,000 NGSW systems, including the quick-detach SLX suppressor, in…

FAUX HENRY RIFLES As original Henry rifles were chambered for .44 rimfire ammunition — and before the introduction of modern Henry rifles — movie armorers, not having appropriate blanks, transformed Model 1892 Winchesters into ersatz versions of the earlier rifle by removing the 92’s forends and adding brass extensions (complete with dummy followers) to the receivers. Used in many oaters, these rifles were chambered in .44-40 so they could easily handle 5-in-1 blank cartridges. An original Henry can be seen in the early Western film “Arizona” (1940) where leading actress Jean Arthur hands one to William Holden before sending him off on a mission. The rifle was used strictly as a prop and not fired. (Courtesy of Hollywood Guns and Props and the National Firearms Museum)…

THROUGH THE YEARS, projected light technology has evolved exponentially. The clunky, not-so-bright lights of yesteryear have been replaced with compact, ultra-bright offerings, which now include the SureFire Turbo Scout Light Pro. Developed using anodized aerospace-grade aluminum, SureFire’s Turbo Scout Light Pro features tempered glass for durability. O-ring seals help to keep the unit safe from the elements, which earned an IPX7 waterproof rating, meaning it is waterproof when submerged in 1 meter of water for 30 minutes. This ruggedly built light measures 5.9 inches long, and has a bezel diameter of 1.2 inches. At just 51/2 ounces, the Turbo Scout Light Pro won’t weigh you down if you have to search or shoot. In a potentially deadly force encounter, even the most well-constructed light won’t do you any good if…

IN THE MARCH 2019 ISSUE, I mentioned taking my young son deer hunting as an observer, which drew some reader ire. While all my children shoot, my son James has been hunting with me since he was 2. He is now 7 years old and has transitioned from being an observer and bird retriever to a hunter. As a father who didn’t grow up afield, I couldn’t be prouder. James has been shooting a single-shot Crickett in .22 LR, made by Keystone Sporting Arms ($169, keystonesportingarmsllc. com), since he was about four — and always with my close supervision. During Spring 2021, he surprised me by repeatedly hitting a 100-yard steel target with a Marlin Model 336 Dark Series that I was testing for an article in RifleShooter (rifleshootermag.com). I…

“Interestingly, Custer’s 5th Michigan troopers carried Spencer rifles — not carbines — at Gettysburg.” MYSTERY REVOLVER Q: I am doing some research to identify the make, model and age of an old revolver. It has a few markings on the frame and barrel, but I can’t figure out what they are. Attached you will see the pictures I took. I can tell it is a centerfire based on the fixed firing pin’s location. It has a five-shot removable cylinder. The cartridge bores are slightly tapered. The entry end of the cylinder diameter is a quarter inch, plus or minus .003 inch. Also, on the back of the cylinder is a stamp that looks like a small fish and the letters “PV”. Two other marks are unknown to my eye. On…

ORIGINATING AS FLINTLOCK PISTOLS meant to be stowed in an overcoat, the first pocket guns were advertised for defensive use against muggers and marauding highwaymen at close range. “Deringers” were among the first pistols to use a percussion cap. Philadelphia gunsmith Henry Deringer’s earliest were made around 1825. The exacting collector refers to a single-shot pistol made by Deringer as a “Deringer,” while the generic term “derringer” is applied to clones of the concept. This category started with percussion-lock pistols carried with the hammer at half-cock. The shooter would thumb-cock the pistol upon presentation and discharge the 20-ish grains of blackpowder to launch a lead ball. Though some early examples were chambered for .31- to .35-caliber balls, most Deringers fired a .41-caliber ball at around 450 feet per second (fps).…

THERE’S A FAIR AMOUNT OF INTEREST in the guns of the U.S. Special Operations community due to the selection process associated with them. These guns go through a ton of abuse before they are ever fielded, and then they must perform under austere circumstances for years if they expect to remain. This makes for some compelling research and development for the commercial consumer because none of us have the time or money to beat on guns like the they do. I like to keep track of what’s serving in this part of our military because it speaks highly of the companies that build the products for the market. Daniel Defense is one of those companies, and they’ve been making AR-15 forends — i.e., “rails” — for almost 20 years. The…