Innehållsförteckning för October 2025 från Shooting Times

I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED READING ABOUT THE UPDATED .458 WIN. MAG. loads in the March issue. I had no idea these case-shortening efforts resulted in such problems when taking the .470 Nitro Express down to .458 Win. Mag.! But I should have, as the very same thing happened when Winchester came out with the .300 Win. Mag. In their effort to cram a .30-caliber magnum into a regular .30-06-length action, they ruined a very fine H&H cartridge, the .300 H&H. Review of ballistic tables over the years proves the .300 H&H is still more efficient than the shorter .300 Win. Mag., although it does require a magnum-length action. Funny how Winchester (and others) did use the same belted magnum case in all their steep-shouldered cartridges when in fact it serves no…

A FEW MONTHS BEFORE D-DAY, THE RIFLE PICTURED here was pitched from the belly of a British bomber plane somewhere in the night over Normandy. Padded, crated, and tied to a parachute, it fell from the French sky and landed behind enemy lines—much needed weaponry for the French Resistance forces. When World War II was over, French police gathered up the firearms, marked them all “PP,” gave each a unique reference number, and stored them. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mark 1 rifles were stowed in southern France during 1946 in—get this—a cave. Presumably that cave wasn’t damp or exposed to any other deteriorating or eroding influences because to this day those rifles are rust-free and in remarkably good condition. Unlike nearly all other Lee-Enfield rifles, these Resistance…

MANY CARTRIDGES ARE CALLED “CLASSIC.” While this term is sometimes overused, rounds with a long and distinguished history in combat and in the hunting fields deserve the title. The .28-caliber round we know as the 7x57mm Mauser certainly qualifies as a classic. It was developed by the Germans in 1892 for the military Mauser Models 1893 and 1895, and the cartridge has been used on big game worldwide with much success. Fun fact: In Europe, it’s known as the .275 Rigby. Famous big-game and dangerous-game hunters have used the 7x57 Mauser, namely, W.D.M. “Karamojo” Bell, Jim Corbett, and Jack O’Connor. Elephants, leopards, and desert bighorn sheep all fell to the 7x57 Mauser in the hands of those famous hunters. O’Connor famously stated, “The little 7x57 cartridge is an excellent all-around…

WE HERE AT KSE-OSG PRIDE OURSELVES ON THE HIGH-QUALITY content we produce. And that includes the products we put together for our television shows and streaming service. In that vein, we are pleased to continue our special MyOutdoorTV offer. For a limited time, use the promo code SHOOTING30 and get a 30-day free trial of MyOutdoorTV. This offer cannot be combined with other offers. TRY US FOR FREE! You can watch all the shows you want during your 30-day free trial, and you can cancel at any time. You can sign up at MyOutdoorTV.com or use the QR code embedded here. With your subscription to MyOutdoorTV, you can watch all the newly created content and past episodes of any of our branded shows, whenever you want, wherever you want. You…

THE NEW TOKAREV TT-12 PRO IS A GAS- operated AR/M4-style semiautomatic 12-gauge shotgun designed for tactical use, competition, and home defense. It’s distributed by SDS Arms. Features include a high-capacity T-1919 magazine, a lightweight aluminum handguard with M-LOK and Picatinny rails, a modular aluminum receiver, ambidextrous controls, a Cerakote finish, a reversible charging handle, and an AR/M4-compatible stock and grip. It comes with polymer flip-up sights, a sling, and a choke tube kit, including Cylinder, Modified, and Full chokes and a choke wrench. MSRP: $399.99 tokarevusa.com Hornady .25 Creedmoor Calling it “a .25 for ’25,” Hornady has announced the new .25 Creedmoor cartridge. Hornady says the .25 Creedmoor is engineered with the same proven pedigree as the 6.5 Creedmoor and fills the gap between the 6mm and 6.5mm Creedmoor cartridges.…

IN MY TWO BALLISTIC CAREERS, I’VE INEV-itably been asked my reasoning for doing or not doing things related to this discipline. I’d like to share some common questions. Crime Lab After a year of intense training, I was called to testify for the first time in a bullet match case. My training included a manual written to help defense attorneys cross-examine witnesses who were presenting scientific evidence. It included sample questions to ask expert witnesses. The defense attorney involved was smart and tough. And when his turn came, he asked, “Mr. Jones, did you use a helixometer in your examination?” That was straight from the book I’d studied. I said, “No,” and he disapprovingly asked, “Why not?” I was ready and replied, “The helixometer was a complicated device from the…

WHAT FOLLOWS IS A LITANY OF ILL-JUDGED DECI- sions, outright mistakes, corrections to the mistakes, and alterations to adjust the result of the corrections—the outcome of which, against all the odds, is the finest hunting rifle I possess. It’s a rifle that, if you trace its parts, has a long and somewhat mysterious history. In a way, it’s like a cart horse that turned out to be a good jumper and wound up winning the Grand National. Who woulda thunk? In 1988 I traded a Browning side-by-side shotgun for a .375 H&H bolt action built by an amateur. The stock was clumsy, the checkering poor, but I needed a workable .375 (I was going to hunt bears in Alaska), and this was available. And it shot well in spite of…

Carbon-Fiber-Wrapped Barrel for 10/22? Q. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TERRIFIC MAGAZINE AND THE GREAT ARTICLE titled “Ultralight.” Years ago I upgraded my standard Ruger 10/22 with a better trigger, a heavy barrel, and a synthetic stock to fit the thicker barrel. Your great article has me salivating over an additional upgrade of a stainless-steel tube tensioned in a carbon-fiber sleeve like the one you described in your article. How can I get the same barrel (or a similar one)? Who makes such a barrel? I bet you are flooded with similar requests from other readers. You carefully outlined the specifics of other upgrades, but I did not pick up on the barrel manufacturer. I would appreciate any such information. Thank you again for your terrific article. Alan WolfKetchikan, AK A.…

SIERRA MATCHKING BULLETS ENJOY A WELL-earned reputation for excellent accuracy and consistency. In fact, major ammomakers like Federal have long used Sierra MatchKing HPBTs in their premium target ammunition. Shooters have always thought that Sierra MatchKing bullets looked like they could be used as regular hunting bullets and have wanted to use them for hunting due to their tremendous accuracy, but Sierra has always emphasized that MatchKings are not suitable for hunting. Well, that just changed. Sierra opted to create a new product line of Match-King hunting bullets. The new MatchKing X (MKX) bullets are initially available in 6.5mm (0.264 inch), 0.277-inch, and 0.308-inch diameters. The 6.5mm and 0.277 bullets weigh 142 and 135 grains, respectively. The 0.308-inch bullets are offered in 175- and 200-grain weights. This new bullet was…

AS I WRITE THIS INSTALLMENT OF “HIPSHOTS,” news of a brazen prison break in New Orleans, resulting in 10 prisoners going on the lam, and the bold and daring escape of a former small-town police chief who was convicted of murder and rape in Arkansas hit the airwaves. Of course, there have been some newsworthy prison escapes in our history, but one I bet most readers haven’t heard of was that of Harry Tracy and David Merrill. It occurred in 1902, and had it not been for friend and Shooting Times contributor Steve Gash, I would not have learned of it even though it has been described as “the most thrilling manhunt America has ever known.” Steve gave me his copy of Famous Sheriffs and Western Outlaws by journalist William…