Innehållsförteckning för October 2024 från Guns & Ammo

ARISAKA JAM I have a sporterized Arisaka that only feeds ammo properly if I load two rounds or less. With three or more, the rounds jam on the feed ramp. I bought Norma round-nose 7.7x58mm ammunition. The rifle is missing the magazine box, so I bought one online from a reputable source. The follower spring does not appear to have any defects. The bolt is a tad loose unless cocked, but test firing was normal. There are no other issues with the rifle. Any thoughts? Bill Adkins Email The first thing that comes to mind is that the follower spring might be installed backward. I have seen this issue before. If the spring is in backward, the nose of the follower can drop too low and it will misfeed. —…

WHEN IT COMES to stretching the distance, all prospective pluses are worth pursuing. Be it the rifle, optic, rest, bipod, or ammunition, subtle changes can have a major impact on the outcome of a match, or even striking steel at extra-long ranges for amusement. As businessman and motivational speaker Tim Grover once remarked, “If you think the price of winning is too high, wait ’til you get the bill from regret.” In other words, chase every opportunity to increase success or risk failure. The rifleman’s only physical connection with the target is the bullet. So, why wouldn’t they want the best? But, what is “the best?” The popular trend for match-type projectiles is the addition of a separate tip, be it made from a lightweight metal or polymer. As you’ll…

MOSSBERG’S flagship bolt-action rifle, the Patriot, enjoys a respected reputation for its stout action design, straightforward controls, and ease of use. Introduced in 2015, Mossberg has created variations of the rifle that fill different pursuits. The Patriot LR Hunter is, as the name suggests, meant for “long-range” hunts. With this in mind, features such as the LR Hunter’s stock, rail and barrel come together to make this model of rifle more suitable for use in expansive areas such as those in Texas and Western states. Using shared core components between each variant, the Patriot platform also has the benefit of lowered costs. With a retail of $847, it is quite affordable. COMPOSITES & PARTS The stock is the most noticeable enhancement versus the standard Patriot model. While it may look…

UNTIL MAY 7, 2024, the selection of semiautomatic handguns in The Golden State was frozen in time. The 2013 “microstamping” amendment to the California Unsafe Handguns Act (UHA) was the cause. It required the firing pin on semiautomatic handguns to imprint the make, model, and serial number of the handgun on the cartridge case. The technology required to impart this information on the firing pin was not tenable. In 2023, the amendment was temporarily suspended, opening the door for new models to be added to the DOJ Handgun Roster. Two of the models making the list were the Springfield Armory Hellcat with 3-inch barrel and Hellcat Pro with 3.7-inch barrel. Both are 9mm, optic-ready, micro-compacts. THEN & NOW Guns & Ammo editors Eric Poole and David Faubion debuted the Hellcat…

IF YOU’D FORGOTTEN that Smith & Wesson made a .380 ACP Bodyguard pistol, you’re not alone. When it introduced the original single-stack version in 2010, interest seemed to die off after the initial push. Personally, I thought the pistols were a little busy, and I had no use for the models equipped from the factory with lasers. There was nothing wrong with the guns, but they didn’t get lasting traction with the public. However, the new-for-2024 Bodyguard 2.0 — still a .380 ACP — S&W appears to have addressed everything less than perfect with the previous generation, real or imagined. When I saw the announcement of the pistol and the pictures, I was unenthusiastic. As soon as I got one in my hand — hoo, buddy. S&W is going to…

HERE I GO AGAIN writing about handguns, and this time it’s on another handgun that was designed with women in mind. I sometimes feel overwhelmed when writing about my experiences with handguns, but I sure do enjoy shooting guns, as well as the arduous — and sometimes difficult — process of recording my thoughts. There’s a learning curve, for sure, but I am certainly up for the challenge. Besides, it’s not bad to get a point of view from a person who is not as advanced, nor quite as technical, as more seasoned gunwriters. To be fair, I am married to a respectable and ridiculously prolific gunwriter, so I should have picked up some knowledge, guidance and coaching along the way! Clearly, I am not saying I’m a gunwriter yet,…

MANY FORMS OF THE K98K RIFLES EXIST. Most examples in the U.S. were imported during the 1950s and ’60s, and many arrived in as-produced condition with all matching numbers. The best of these ended up in collectors’ hands, which command a premium at auction today, some fetching between $3,000 and $5,000. Another source of the K98k is the “Bring Back,” rifles imported by soldiers as war trophies. These non-import-marked rifles seemed scarce for decades, but as our remaining World War II veterans pass away families are dissolving their collections. Many Bring-Back rifles feature all-matching numbers except for a mis-matched bolt assembly. Numbered bolt parts often became mismatched during German soldier cleaning parties, where bolt parts were mixed. Bolts were also mismatched when U.S. soldiers boarded a ship to return home…

ALBERTA HAS BEEN GOOD to me. In 2017, I used the then-new Winchester XPR in .300 Winchester Magnum to take a monster mule deer from across a wheat field (Guns & Ammo, December 2017). That dark, heavy-antlered and thick-bodied buck weighed almost 300 pounds, attracting a lot of interest among the area’s outfitters. I’ve since returned to hunt elk and wolves, as well, with great success. Despite the preparation required to navigate Canada’s restrictive gun laws, Alberta is an attractive destination for hunters interested in experiencing the northern wilderness. I drove through Montana to Alberta in November 2023 to field test the Browning X-Bolt 2 Speed. (It was later introduced at the 2024 SHOT Show.) Besides acquiring a Wildlife Identification Number (WIN) and paying the $8 Canadian one-time fee —…

A PROPRIETARY SYSTEM was widely respected by the British gun trade, whereby the company that introduced a cartridge became the sole source for both firearms and ammunition of that caliber. It made ammunition more expensive and proved disastrous as firms went out of business. For several years, Kynoch stopped making sporting cartridges when discontinued by Imperial Metal Industries (IMI) in 1970. In the U.S., smaller gunmakers developed proprietary cartridges or wildcats — Lazzeroni, for example. Norma Precision, a Swedish manufacturer, has long been loading Weatherby-branded ammunition. During Roy Weatherby’s lifetime, the majors respected his propriety. Today, various firms load the most popular Weatherby Magnums. Federal’s Custom Shop (federalpremium.com), for example, offers loads for the .257 Weatherby Magnum and 6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum, and Barnes offers the .300 Weatherby Magnum. Hornady supports…

Jacob Grey seemingly appeared out of nowhere. In 2024, the brand received attention as the company entered the market with the TWC 9, a double-stack 9mm 1911 with a billet-aluminum frame. “Jacob Grey,” the man, founded Jacob Grey Precision Machining in 2012, manufacturing parts for the aerospace industry. Before that, Grey was building custom 1911s. He has now used the manufacturing power of his aerospace machine shop to create tight-tolerance firearms, both AR-15-pattern rifles and the TWC 9. “TWC” stands for “Throwback With Capacity,” a nod to the venerable legacy of the Model 1911, but also an acknowledgment that it lacks capacity when compared to newer semiautomatics in the original single-stack form. The TWC 9 offers 17-plus-1 rounds. The TWC 9 is manufactured on state-of-the-art CNC machinery, but the pistol…