Innehållsförteckning för May/June 2023 #66 från Recoil

The life of this ’73 Jeep began in Flagstaff, Arizona, where it spent a few decades making short trips around town. By the looks of its frame and undercarriage, it didn’t see any off-road use back then, and certainly didn’t see much snow — there’s not a speck of rust on it. However, the engine eventually locked up, and it met the fate of far too many classic cars: It was pushed into a garage and left inoperable. Many years later, it got a second chance when its next owner — whose grandmother lived next door to the first owner — learned of its existence and purchased it. He brought it back to his home in Illinois and did a light restoration, installing a 4.3L V6 from a 1990 GMC…

Rifle competitions are a great way for shooters of all experience levels to test their mettle in different scenarios and stages. Many think of the Precision Rifle Series or three-gun when it comes to competition, but another option is quickly gaining in popularity — precision rimfire. This Buildsheet is a compilation of parts to make the ultimate competition piece for these rimfire matches. You may say to yourself, Whoa, that’s a lot of money for a 22! That may be true, but as we’ve often come to find out, particularly in the firearms world, you generally get what you pay for. THE MAIN COMPONENTS The start of this rifle was a 20-inch Proof Research pre-fit carbon-fiber barrel, specifically made to fit into the RimX action we chose. Proof Research is…

2011 – Kansas On July 1, Kansas became the 23rd state to allow hunters to use suppressors when Senate Bill 152 took effect. Although it predates the formation of ASA by two months, future ASA staff consulted with NRA lobbyists on the legislation. This legislation was one of the driving forces behind the development of ASA. 2012 – Texas On March 30, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission approved an ASA-backed initiative to allow hunters in Texas to use suppressors while hunting any game animal in the state. The regulatory change made Texas the 24th state to fully allow suppressor hunting. 2012 – Arizona On August 1, ASA-backed House Bill 2728 took effect, making Arizona the 25th state to allow hunters to use suppressors. The legislation, which was carried by…

You’re leaving shooting performance on the table if you’re using old-school glasses. Next-generation eye protection tint technology has vision-enhancing benefits far beyond grandad’s monochromatic tints. These new shades combine recent advances in our understanding of human vision with new dye development technologies, resulting in eyepro that enhances both contrast and color perception to improve your ability to observe and react. Don’t take our word for it — the U.S. Army wants to modernize its own eyepro program and is currently asking folks in the industry for their ideas on performance-enhancing lens tints as an alternative to its current-issue smoke and clear lenses. After some background, we’ll look at the three of the biggest brands in the military eyepro space (Oakley Standard Issue, Revision Military, and Smith Optics Elite) that are…

Beretta pistols have very long and storied history. For some of us, the Model 70 is where Beretta pistols begin. It embodies the classic “Beretta lines,” an Alta Italia blending of the 1911 and P38. Beretta stopped making the Model 70 in 1985, a year after the 92F, the soon to be M9, started production. The 92F was heavily featured in the Lethal Weaponfilms, and the M9 carried us through the end of the Cold War, Desert Storm, and early GWOT. However, USASOC isn’t terribly nostalgic, and the Glock 19 replaced the M9 for their purposes — the age of the combat striker-fired pistol had arrived. The XM-17 Modular Handgun System (MHS) competition was a U.S. Army competition for a new sidearm, with Big Army sending out Request for Proposals…

01 STRIKE INDUSTRIES STRIKE MAGAZINE FOLLOWER FOR 12-GAUGE SHOTGUN MSRP: $14 URL: strikeindustries.com Whether you love them or not, no true firearms enthusiast can complete his or her collection without a 12-gauge shotgun. So, naturally, a lot of companies have produced accessories to improve your smooth bore, like Strike Industries. They recently released the Strike Magazine Follower for 12-Gauge Shotgun, which slides smoothly inside the magazine tube thanks to its anodized 6061-T6 aluminum construction. Plus, Strike says it aids in reliability of shell feeding due to its self-cleaning spiral fluting design. The high-visibility colors — flat dark earth, red, and Titan (gold) — also increase safety by providing a quick visual confirmation that the mag tube is empty. It’s compatible with popular 12-gauge shotguns, including the Benelli M1, Mossberg 500,…

You’ve surely heard of Trailblazer Firearms — you may not immediately recognize them, but if you’ve been paying attention to guns for the last few years you’ve certainly seen their flagship product, the LifeCard — a very discreet folding pistol the size of a few credit cards stacked up. And in fact, you can check out the update to that pocket rocket elsewhere in this issue. Trailblazer jumped into the market with this unique and arguably useful little gun and then continued to build up their product portfolio, filling gaps in the market that others dare not go. The latest from Trailblazer is an outside-the-box carbine — so outside-the-box that it was awarded our “Best of the Basement” award at 2022’s SHOT Show. We’ve all seen compact guns that fold…

Over the years, we’ve seen as many SCAR variations as “SCAR Killers” (see RECOIL Issue 53), and none so coveted as what was dubbed the “SCAR PDW,” except for perhaps the 7.62x39 version that eats from AK magazines. And in a case of unfortunate timing, with the legality of pistol braces recently stripped away (at least for now), FN launched the SCAR 15P, essentially a SCAR PDW (officially dubbed the SCAR-SC (subcompact)) without select-fire capability or collapsible buttstock. But let’s be real honest up front: those who buy FN SCAR rifles probably aren’t worried about the extra $200 for a tax stamp. And even if you are or can’t due to local laws, this gun can still be useful. Read on. While the 10-inch barreled SCAR CQC shares a receiver…

Looking past some brush, you scan a distant clearing. Next to a small sapling, you find what you’re looking for — a square, white piece of steel. Kneeling in the dirt, you snap your bipod open and place your rifle on the ground. You lift your laser rangefinder to your eye, steadying yourself to get a good reading. It’s close enough to 500 yards that you don’t need to check your dope. You know your hold is 2.7 mils for 500, so you dial it in on your top turret and set your parallax. Dropping down behind your rifle, you wiggle into position, lining up behind your rifle and pointed straight at the steel target. Checking some trees between you and your steel prey, you notice some wind. You’re still…

There have been many attempts to maximize the potential of rounds that fit into the AR-15’s magazine. Want to shoot targets way the hell out there? 6 ARC is the latest hot ticket solution, and if you want something with a longer track record and the ability to hammer medium game, the 6.5 Grendel should be on your radar. 450 Bushmaster and 500 Beowulf hit like the fist of an angry god, but if you want to hurl the biggest slugs, then the 510 Grizzly is worthy of your attention. The most jaundiced of readers sitting at the back of the room are probably yawning and scratching their balls now, about to complain about yet another boutique cartridge no one asked for. Fair enough — no one’s forcing you to…

There can be no samurai without the sword. The samurai’s sword wasn’t just a weapon, but also the physical and spiritual identity of this warrior class. It wasn’t enough to simply own a sword; samurai spent their days practicing to hone their craft. It was their job. The deadliest warrior wasn’t necessarily the one with the best sword but the one that was most proficient, a concept that some can’t comprehend to this day. This is the reason the samurai were so feared and respected. As Japan became more “civilized,” there was less need for the old warrior class. Eventually, the Japanese government made it illegal to wear swords in public in an effort to abolish the samurai (sound familiar?). If there was no need for the samurai, then there…

The world of firearms sometimes takes itself too seriously. In the not-fun-at-parties circles, unless a firearm or accessory is perfectly suited for jumping out of airplanes in Afghanistan it’s considered a waste of time. But even in this realm, rimfire often gets a pass. The low recoil combined with inexpensive ammo means there’s a lot of fun to be had, and over the years we’ve seen all manner of dress-up kits for Ruger 10/22s, from M1 carbines to M60s and everything in between. But this still isn’t that. The Life-Card is a folding, single-shot, rimfire, perfectly pocketable pint-sized pistol. Hell, even the lowly derringer has 100-percent more capacity. We covered the original back in CONCEAL-MENT Issue 14, and even convinced Trailblazer to make us a custom threaded insert for the…

Eccentric is a word that’s sometimes interpreted in a negative sense — wacky, disjointed, or impractical. But the true definition of the word simply implies unconventionality or divergence from established norms. When this type of atypicality is harnessed, it yields innovation. Case in point, Timney Triggers owner John Vehr isn’t the kind of person you imagine when you think of a gun industry executive. His long hair, wry smile, and laid-back demeanor seem more appropriate for a Hawaiian beach than a corpo- rate boardroom. When we arrived at his home, built on a remote 27-acre property surrounded by Arizona’s Coconino National Forest, he greeted us barefoot and welcomed us into a living room that contains a second-story ball pit loft. Then, he asked if we wanted to try on his…

It’s no secret that we’re big fans of a well executed whiskey — even better if it has an inspirational story behind it. Hotel Tango Distillery checks both boxes with vigor. Travis Barnes enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps shortly after the September 11th terrorist attacks and was quickly selected for service in 1st Recon Battalion, where he went on to serve three tours in Iraq. Following his Marine Corps service, Travis went to law school and had two life-altering events: meeting his wife, Hilary, and taking an interest in the spirits business. During his time in law school, the state of Indiana — where Hotel Tango is based out of — changed their liquor distillation laws for the first time since Prohibition. This change created an opportunity for Travis…