Do Carbon-Fiber Barrels And Stocks Live Up To The Hype?

February 3, 2021

Everywhere you turn there's a carbon-fiber barrel or stock on a rifle. Does the lightweight material really prove superior to steel and wood?

Across the thousand years that people have been using guns, there have been innumerable materials used to achieve the goal of launching a projectile at a target. In the grand scheme, carbon fiber is just another material applied to that end and not specifically devoted for it.

Muskets were greasy affairs, and anyone who is a muzzleloader aficionado will be familiar with all manner of mess. These shooters use everything from animal fat and butter to wax and entrails to work on their guns and load them. Greased fabric patches are wrapped around round balls and rammed down, waiting to be fired by flint striking steel.

Mass production in the era after the Industrial Revolution saw machine guns with barrels surrounded by water tanks as a means of keeping them cool. The first composite materials saw widespread use as laminated wood or wood-impregnated resins began to see action. Plastics and aluminum were next, and their adoption in arms was slow and faced great criticism.

Some people still won’t touch a “Tupperware” gun, despite the first popular models showing up over a half-century ago. Full steel guns are getting rarer as a result of this, and only fan favorites, like the 1911, are still in common use. Today’s most popular guns make use of steel in strategic places but are otherwise constricted primarily from polymers and aluminum.
Further cutting into steel’s territory is carbon fiber.

What Exactly Is Carbon Fiber?

Some treat the material as a brand itself, a status marker showing that an individual can afford an expensive barrel. The material is quite remarkable, and what it does for rifles, in particular, is great—but not completely necessary for most shooters.

(Top to Bottom) <a href= — Mesa Precision Arms 6.5 CM rifle, a super-light and super-accurate high-end hunting rifle; custom Rem 700 build with X-Caliber CF barrel designed around 120-grain 6.5mm CM loads in a KRG chassis; 450 Bushmaster built by Precision Rifle Company as the ideal straight-walled case hunting rifle and wears an AG Composites stock. ” width=”1021″ height=”574″ class=”size-full wp-image-278849″ /> (Top to Bottom) Mesa Precision Arms 6.5 CM rifle, a super-light and super-accurate high-end hunting rifle; custom Rem 700 build with X-Caliber CF barrel designed around 120-grain 6.5mm CM loads in a KRG chassis; 450 Bushmaster built by Precision Rifle Company as the ideal straight-walled case hunting rifle and wears an AG Composites stock.

The material itself is, in layman’s terms, composed of thousands of strands, each made from carbon atoms. Surprisingly, this isn’t a new material at all, but it’s new to firearms.

The original attempts to generate it for industrial applications goes back to the early 1860s, though it didn’t reach its commercial potential until about 100 years later. It’s essentially a fabric spun into a weave that’s then filled with resins or polymerized composites to achieve a sheet of what resembles cloth. Virtually all firearm applications of carbon fiber are mislabeled and would be more appropriately called “carbon-fiber reinforced polymer,” but that isn’t quite as catchy. This is the same general technology applied to archery equipment and water sports, like kayaking and canoeing.

To make carbon-fiber barrels, most companies use a variation of wrapping it around a steel barrel, commonly called a “liner,” though it could be thought of as a super-thin barrel itself. The attachment points on a carbon-fiber barrel are steel, such as where it threads into the receiver, and at the muzzle where you can thread on a brake or suppressor. Different companies do their wraps in special ways, and you can sometimes identify a brand by the appearance of the pattern in the fibers.

As far as stocks are concerned, many aren’t actually made 100 percent out of carbon fiber, but are instead a shell made of another composite sheathed in carbon fiber to add strength and rigidity. Other companies laminate layers of carbon fiber into fiberglass or other like materials to create a weave of layers that can then be shaped and bedded.

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The Pros and Cons Of Carbon Fiber

The main con of carbon-fiber parts is that they’re expensive, usually two to three times the cost of comparable steel or aluminum versions. This is what has earned them the reputation as status symbols in several shooting communities. Their use in handguns is limited, to say the least, as the material is really only used for grips or cosmetic enhancements due to the fact that most handgun parts are pressure-bearing or moving. Thus, carbon fiber today is really a rifle thing with minor accessories available for other gun types.

The short, thick carbon-fiber barrel on this compact precision rifle build makes it so that it’s well-balanced and can fit just about anywhere. The heat-resistant SHTF+ wrap from KE Arms keeps rapidly dissipating heat away from the optics and the aluminum KRG forend during long strings of fire. It’s so small that it can drop right into a Hill People Gear pack and away you go!

Is cost the only detriment? Well, in my experience, carbon fiber can be misapplied for certain roles. To illustrate best practice, I built or received three rifles that make use of various carbon-fiber parts from several different manufacturers. It’s possible to make a rifle that’s too light for a given role, and it’s also possible to be severely disappointed by what you receive if you buy into the hype.

The cons discussion here is meant to be honest, and, despite common claims, a carbon-fiber barrel isn’t any more accurate than a steel barrel, considering that it’s itself a steel core with steel rifling. The mechanical and physical principles of accuracy don’t change here, nor does relative velocity of a given bullet when fired through carbon-fiber-wrapped barrels of plain steel barrels. Simply adding a carbon-fiber barrel to your rifle isn’t guaranteed to make it shoot better. The basic thing a carbon-fiber barrel offers is substantial weight savings over a steel barrel of the same contour, with the added benefit of faster heat bleed-off and rigidity to weight.

So, wouldn’t it be more accurate if it’s stiffer? Well, take into account that most standard carbon-fiber barrels are meant to mimic the profile of common heavy barreled guns, the idea being that common stocks would still work without much fitting. The common profile for these barrels is the same as the military M24 contour, with the next popular contour being Remington Sendero, a heavy-class hunting profile thinner than M24 but thicker than a standard hunting-weight barrel. Side by side, a 24-inch M24 contour carbon-fiber barrel won’t outshoot a 24-inch M24 contour steel barrel on paper, but it’ll weigh only one third of what the steel barrel weighs as a rough rule of thumb.

There are some out there who claim a carbon-fiber barrel will last longer than a plain steel barrel, sometimes to the tune of twice the accurate life. This means, in theory, that a .308 Winchester with a carbon-fiber barrel would have an expected accurate life of 10,000 or more rounds, so you’d never need another one if that were true.

Contrary to popular belief, it’s not the rifling that wears out but rather the throat and start of the rifling. These areas are susceptible to heat-imposed damage and eventually erode enough to make it so that the bullet has to jump or enter the rifling off-center. High-volume shooters with hot cartridges like 6.5 Creedmoor—a round known for poor barrel life—are enthusiastic about carbon-fiber barrels due to their ability to radiate heat quickly as opposed to steel.

The Mesa’s carbon-fiber stock shows a tight weave pattern under the camo splotches.

Now, a reality check is that this really only applies to people who shoot their 6.5 CM enough to see a reduction in accuracy, not their barrel being blown out into a smooth bore. What does this mean? The average person will never in their life shoot a barrel “out,” and shooting a barrel out for a competitor means they might go from shooting ¼ inch at 100 yards to ¾ inch at the same distance over 3,000 rounds, which is the general “accurate” life of a standard 6.5 CM barrel.

What you need to understand is that carbon-fiber barrels give a slight edge to high-volume competitors at ranges past 800 yards against steel barrels, but this isn’t the norm for most people, and there’s no reason you won’t get a decade of use out of a steel barrel for use in competition before you start to notice it’s no longer consistent at those long ranges.

The positives of carbon-fiber barrels are primarily centered around weight savings and accuracy for a given complete rifle weight. It’s true that you can shave literal pounds off a rifle by switching to a carbon-fiber barrel, especially if you had a heavy-contoured barrel on your existing rifle. If you have a mountain-class light rifle, remodeling your rifle to use a carbon barrel will allow you to keep the short length but add tremendous stiffness and accuracy for the same weight. Short, light rifles suffer from heat-related accuracy problems more than other guns, and it’s very noticeable.

Heat dispersion for hunters isn’t really a big deal and only comes into play when you’re at the range practicing or developing loads for your rifle. Some hunting rifles with skinny barrels are hard to zero and lose accuracy after just a few rounds due to heat buildup. The weight savings is nice in the field but isn’t much of a factor unless you’re climbing or walking. A stand hunter isn’t benefited by this much at all, considering the stationary nature of that type of hunting; weight just isn’t that important, since you’re just walking up to the blind with a nice thermos of coffee, snacks and a book to read.

There really isn’t too much of a debate around carbon-fiber stocks. Stocks are somewhat basic in nature and haven’t changed all that much in the last hundred or more years. A carbon-fiber stock is quite rigid, but not as stiff as a metal chassis. The weight savings over wood, composite or polymer stocks isn’t the same ratio as barrels, so expect to shave about 10 to 20 percent in total weight over a comparably sized conventional stock.

A Look At Upgrades

The three rifles in this article are designed for very different purposes, and all make use of carbon-fiber parts to achieve their ends. The first of these is a top-shelf hunting rifle from Mesa Precision Arms; it was built from the ground up to take full advantage of modern materials and techniques. It’s a hunting rifle chambered for 6.5 Creedmoor, and capable of ½ MOA at ranges to 1,000 yards. It does take considerable practice to use so light a rifle at so long a distance, but it’s not ethical or even likely that you’d be firing on an animal at target distances like that. This rifle excels at ranges inside 800 yards and is a charm for the pack-in hunter with multi-species tags.

Many patterns are unique to a given manufacturer. This barrel is from Proof Research, and it bears their distinctive “Damascus” pattern.

The Mesa has a carbon-fiber stock and barrel and a titanium action. This is a specialty product that’ll almost certainly not be in the safe of the recreational deer hunter. This rifle retails around $5,000 as featured in this article, but it’s truly peerless in terms of raw performance, even against other rifles that use nearly identical components. The lightweight package is specialized and fully tuned with minor details you won’t see, and it shows in field use. This product is representative of just what can be accomplished when technology and craftsmanship are applied in unison. There’s a vast difference in a custom carbon-fiber rifle built by a company that specializes in those materials and a company that simply adds to a product in their existing catalog.

The next rifle is my personal deer rifle, the action custom blueprinted by the fine folks at Precision Rifle Company in my native Michigan. They’re a leader in making accurate rifles that use straight-walled cases, mine being a 14.5-inch pin-and-weld .450 Bushmaster. This rifle uses an AG Composites Alpine Hunter carbon-fiber stock.

Why use a target-style carbon-fiber stock on a big-bore rifle with a cartridge good to 200 yards? The rifle is a special build in that it’s completely specialized for Michigan hunting. I’m an open-field stalk hunter, for the most part, and I rarely if ever use a stand, instead remaining on the ground in blind corners of wheat, soybean or corn stubble. This rifle has the shape necessary for positional shooting unsupported but is light enough that it can be carried easily over distance and in dense cover. A carbon stock makes total sense in this respect, as I can save weight while getting the benefits of a more robust stock.

The last rifle is another specialized custom-built Remington 700 in a KRG Whiskey 3 folding chassis. The rifle uses a rather unique barrel setup, that being a Savage-style finished-chamber with a barrel nut assembly. It’s from X-Caliber barrels, which also manufactured the standard steel barrel on my .450 Bushmaster. The barrel nut setup makes it so that you can install the barrel yourself at home on a standard, non-trued 700 action. The result is a drop-in carbon-fiber solution if you want to try your hand.

This barrel is chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor and is 16 inches long. The idea was to make a compact rifle for tactical shooting competition that made good use of 120-grain bullets at high velocity. The 6.5 CM is hot, and this short, stiff barrel bleeds heat while being exceptionally compact with no loss of accuracy or velocity. It launches 120-grain bullets at 2,700 to 2,900 fps, depending on factory or hand-load used. It shoots inside .308 Winchester at virtually all distances with almost no recoil.

While the AG Composites stock here is on a short-range rifle meant for 200 yards and in, it demonstrates light weight and superior ergonomics that make it great on a modern stalking gun.

Specialized uses like this strongly favor carbon-fiber barrels. High-round count and mobility are key here, and a carbon-fiber barrel makes total sense to keep the rifle cool while saving weight and fatigue when moving it. Choosing to build a rifle around a bullet can change your approach, and this one went through several iterations with expert input to get it right, and the X-Caliber barrel here made all the difference.

Cost And Benefits

The truth of it is you might not be benefited by carbon-fiber upgrades if your end use doesn’t involve weight savings or heat dissipation. Cost is certainly a factor here, and the price of upgrades can usually buy you a whole new rifle or a new scope. Carbon-fiber barrels aren’t cheap and can run well over $1,000, not even counting chambering and fitting. Carbon-fiber stocks are more feasible, but they don’t provide significant performance enhancements at the end of the day as compared to conventional stocks.

As this technology marches on, it’ll certainly improve and begin appearing in more places. Today’s carbon-fiber game is still in its infancy. In 10 years, it’ll be likely that this material will be cheaper to produce and will find more end uses, but in our time, it’s still a specialized product best suited for the few who want to pay for a perceived edge.

The article originally appeared in the December 2020 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

Large-Bore Revolver Grips: Enhancing Comfort And Controllability

Max Prasac

February 2, 2021

Revolver grips, it isn't the most scintillating topic. But some consideration in this area goes a long way in taming a large-bore beast.

The grip your heavy-kicking revolver is equipped with matters. Whether it’s a double- or single-action, the handle you hang onto will make your revolver pleasant to shoot—and thereby controllable … or not.

Grip shape determines how the revolver will recoil. Double-actions tend to recoil straight back into the hand. The recoil dynamic of double-action revolvers differs significantly from that of single-actions. The single-actions have a propensity for flipping the muzzle upward.

There are distinctly different types of single-action revolver grips, but as a basic design and type (they’re all variations on the same theme), let’s refer to them as “plow handles.” These grip designs tend to point very naturally but, by design, they’ll pivot upward in your hand. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this grip type; however, when recoil climbs, they become increasingly more difficult to control.

Ruger addressed this “shortcoming” with its interpretation of the Bisley grip frame that was made famous by Colt. It’s a more vertical profile, and frankly, it recoils much more like a double-action, in that it goes back more than a plow handle design. People love them or hate them, but the general consensus is that the Ruger Bisley is a better choice for control and quick follow-up shots under heavy recoil.

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However, it can be better when not equipped with narrow, one-size-fits-all factory grips. The chief complaint about the Ruger Bisley is that the middle knuckle of the shooting hand makes painful contact with the trigger guard.

Freedom Arms revolvers are equipped with a grip frame the author finds very recoil-friendly, even with factory grips. In essence, it’s a cross between a plow handle and a Ruger Bisley.

Magnum Research’s BFR single-action revolvers come equipped with a plow handle-style grip. While a rubber grip of the company’s own design is available, it doesn’t work well for the author’s hands. However, Magnum Research recently added its own iteration of the Bisley grip that sort of resembles a banana in profile. That said, the Magnum Research Bisley is, hands down, the best grip for big recoil. It substantially improves control and comfort.

Custom Revolver Grips

There’s a way to make your favorite grip frame a whole lot better: Add aftermarket or custom grips. The key is the fit to your hand. There are many aftermarket grip manufacturers that should be explored because they might have a good product for you.

Hogue makes a particularly good “Tamer” grip for the Ruger Super Redhawk. The better option (for single-actions) is a custom set of grips made for your hand dimensions. Yes, they can be costly, but the final product will be vastly superior than anything mass-produced. When the grip is right, your shooting experience will be greatly improved.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the August 2020 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

First Look: Burris Thermal Optics

Elwood Shelton

February 1, 2021

Owning the night with Burris Thermal Optics.

Cutting edge electronic optics, nothing new for Burris. Long before every lens grinder and their mother turned to outfitting their scopes with a range-finder/bullet-drop compensator the Colorado company was churning them out. Despite being a handful size-wise, the Eliminator has become legendary for its ability to help hunters fill their tags. Now Burris has a new set of electronic optics in its sights—thermal scopes.

Night hunting has exploded in popularity in recent decades, right alongside hog and coyote numbers. And with improvements on low-light imaging and aiming solutions, thermal optics have upped hunters' success rates way beyond the days of spotlighting. Burris has gone big in outfitting these shooters with the tools to bag their game with three thermal optics, each coming in at a relatively competitive price. On the slate for 2021, the Burris Thermal Handheld, Thermal Clip-On and Thermal Riflescope. Each offers a different approach to finding game, but all are equally on target.

Burris Thermal Handheld

As its name suggests, the optic is Burris’ off rifle option, giving hunters the ability to scan and identify game quickly and efficiently. Available with 35mm and 50mm objective lenses, the optic is capable of hot tracking targets past 750 yards, offers an incredibly smooth 4x digital zoom feature and excellent magnification. The 35mm model is 1.7-6.8x and the 50mm 2.9-9.2x. Additionally, the picture quality is excellent, with a 400×300 resolution screen with 17μm pixels and 50Hz frame rate. The device also has plenty of bells and whistles enhancing its overall usefulness, including 5 color palettes, stadiametric ranging and picture-in-picture. It also connects to smart devices via wifi, allowing more than one set of eyes to scan the horizon or giving hunters the ability to record what they find.
MSRP: $1,999-$2,999

Burris Thermal Clip-On

Dual purpose, the Clip-on can be used either as a handheld thermal or attached to a traditional scope, via a quick disconnect adaptor, to give it thermal imaging capabilities. Pretty slick. Find your target, draw a bead and follow a blood trail all in one handy device. Like the handheld optic, the Clip-On is available 35mm and 50mm objective lenses, both with 1x magnification. It also has a 400×300 resolution screen with 17μm pixels and 50Hz frame rate, for clear images with no lag. Additionally, it offers up to 4x digital zoom, 4 color palettes, picture-in-picture, stadiametric ranging and hot tracking capabilities.
MSRP: $2,999-$3,199

Burris Thermal Riflescope

A dedicated night hunting optic, Burris’ Thermal Scope not only offers a way to find game in the pitch dark but get on target. This is hastened on by 10 digital reticles and 7 color palettes, allowing hunters to fine-tune their hunting experience for the best results. In addition to stadiametric ranging, picture-in-picture, hot tracking, and brightness and contrast controls the scope presents a crisp and clear image. In part, this is thanks to the choice of 35mm and 50mm objective lenses, a 400×300 resolution screen with 17μm pixels and a 50Hz frame rate. Similar to the other optics, it offers 4x digital zoom and 1.7-6.8x and the 50mm 2.9-9.2x options to get hunters up-close and personal with their quarry.
MSRP: $2,749-$2,999

For more information on Burris Thermal optics, please visit burrisoptics.com.

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Measuring Up: Brownells Magazine Feed Lip Gauge

Patrick Sweeney

January 29, 2021

The Brownells feed lip gauge is compact, sturdy, handy and lets you track your magazine wear.

Feed issues with your AR? Brownells Magazine Feed Lip Gauge to the rescue.

In the old days, we knew nothing about AR-15 magazines. They were mysteries. You kept the ones that worked and ditched/sold/traded the ones that didn’t. No one knew why this particular mag worked in my rifle and not yours, and vice-versa.

Life is so much better now, because we have magazines that work in all rifles … or do they?

One way to learn more is to measure things. However, measuring AR-15 magazines is difficult, because those who make them won’t tell us what they should and shouldn’t be. Good luck prying that information out of them; some might be helpful, and some might not.

Here’s the skinny:

Minimum gap between the feed lips: .445 inch
Maximum allowed: .480 inch

Hmmm. That really isn’t as helpful as we would like, is it? And what really matters is that they be parallel, even, unbent and equally level along their lengths.

Brownells Feed Lip Gauge To The Rescue

Brownells offers its Magazine Feed Lip Gauge for those who want to track their magazines.

The gauge has two measuring surfaces that are managed by means of machining the gauge so the measuring part is a tapered bar. Strip the magazine (or just shove the gauge in; I’m too lazy to take them apart) and see if the gauge passed through the lip gap.

If it passes all the way though, the lips are too far apart. The magazine fails inspection. (Of course, if you’re heavy-handed, you can force the gauge through the mag lips, because, after all, they’re just aluminum.) If the bottom of the taper-to-the-small-dimension part won’t pass between the feed lips, the gap is too small, and the magazine fails. The test is simple enough.

Even so, here’s the rub: I have some (not many) magazines that fail the gauge but still work in my rifles. Oh well, life isn’t perfect.

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Track Your Training Mags

But, what you can do is track your training magazines.

You should have two sets of magazines. (Plus over-supply in inventory). Both sets have been tested, found 100 percent reliable and marked with your name, number, logo or whatever.

The Brownells gauge is compact, sturdy, handy and lets you track your magazine wear.

You keep one set stashed for TEOTWAWKI, or End of Days, or whatever it is you’re prepared for. They’re tested—but not used—and thus, not worn. They’ll be good for as long as you need them.

The other set comprises your training or competition magazines. These get used—and used hard. So, you test them and find they work. You mark them, measure each one, and record what they gauge at. Alternatively, once they pass the gauge, you can record their actual lip-spacing measurement.

In the regular course of taking them apart to clean them (practice and competition can get a lot of gunk inside of magazines) you check the measurement, or you use the gauge to check the gap.

I know, I know. This sounds like a lot of work. But here’s a secret: It’s what the top shooters do, and they do it with all their magazines—both rifle and pistol—when they take them apart to clean them. And, many shooters will even track the relaxed length of the magazine spring to see when it’s time to replace those.

Regular inspection will also uncover damaged magazines. Your magazines don’t always fall on the ground, hitting on their basepads first. Sometimes, they hit feed lips first. When that happens, they can get damaged. If you don’t look, you won’t know, and you’ll find out the hard way … most likely during a match. Cleaning gives you a chance to catch that damage and replace your training/competition magazine with one from your inventory (but not from your End of Days stock).

Yes, this can end up being a lot of effort on your part, but it’s the kind of effort successful people make.
And, as to the eternal question, “How many magazines are enough?” I’ll let you know when I get there.

The article originally appeared in the July 2020 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

First Look: Bushnell’s Affordable RXS-100 Reflex Sight

Gun Digest Editors

January 28, 2021

Priced right, the Bushnell RXS-100 is the everyman's red dot.

Have the bankroll, you can spend as much on a red-dot optic as the pistol you’ll mount it on. That use to be the standard. As time has marched on, thankfully the aim solution has moderated to the point nearly it's possible for nearly any shooter to slap one on their heater. Case in point, the new Bushnell RXS-100.

With an MSRP of $99.99, the reflex sight qualifies as an entry-level option, but one that doesn’t appear to compromise. With eight brightness settings, 5,000 hours runtime, fully coated lens, fully adjustable windage and elevation, and automatic shut off, the RXS-100 boasts the bells and whistles of much more expensive sights. However, it boasts a relatively large dot, 4 MOA to be exact. While this may not turn off pistol or shotgun shooters, it could turn out to be a sticky point for some riflemen that appreciate a bit finer aiming point. The sight is directly mountable to Deltapoint Pro standard slidecuts.

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OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – – Bushnell®, an industry leader in performance optics, announced today the introduction of a new reflex sight – the RXS-100. Designed with user-adjustable brightness settings and multi-platform versatility, the new RXS-100 offers outstanding value at an unheard-of price point.
The RXS-100 is compatible with optics ready pistols and is a desirable option for rifles, shotguns and other firearm models. At the core of the RXS-100 is a crisp 4-MOA Red with eight brightness settings and battery life that provides over 5,000 hours of runtime on the mid setting. The sight
“With the introduction of the RXS-100, we are able to offer users a reliable, affordable reflex sight that has all of the features they requested for under $100,” said Derek Osburn, Director of Optics for Vista Outdoor. “The RXS-100 stands out from other red dots currently on the market by providing a clear, bright dot that has been designed to withstand the harsh recoil experienced when slide-mounted on pistols. We are excited to be able to bring this combination of quality and value to the reflex market and continue Bushnell’s long-standing legacy of purpose-built products.”
A perfect option for pistols, rifles and shotguns, the RXS-100 works across all common red dot mounts with a DeltaPoint® Pro footprint and weaver-style mounting options with the include riser. The new sight utilizes an energy efficient, point source LED to create a collimated beam for a clear, strong 4-MOA red dot. This key feature of the RXS-100 is uncommon in reflex sights at this price point which typically feature less expensive masked LED designs.
The RXS-100 also features a 12-hour auto-off timer to extend battery life. The side-loading battery is designed for easy replacement without removing the sight from the firearm, so zero is retained. Durability of the sight is accomplished by a rugged, aircraft-grade aluminum housing that keeps glass and electronic internal components protected against recoil, as well as rough field use. An oversized hood helps reduce glare and enhances lens durability against impact.
In addition, RXS-100 offers a convenient layout and design, including detented windage/elevation adjustments with 1 MOA per click and digital controls with push-button actuation for brightness setting adjustments. To maximize light transmission, RXS-100 has True Tone coatings that mitigate blue tint on the glass. Other items included with the red dot include basic mounting and adjustment tools, a protective form-fit cover, cleaning cloth and CR2032 battery.
Manufacturer’s suggested retail price for RXS-100 is $99.99.

For more information on the RXS-100, please visit bushnell.com.

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Bolt-Action Upgrade: Rifle Bedding In 12 Steps

Richard A. Mann

January 28, 2021

Rifle bedding, while not the simplest project, is worth the effort when you see the results downrange.

I recently ran a test regarding Boyds Gunstocks’ new Spike Camp riflestock, which featured three stocks built for one barreled action. Those stocks performed very well and very consistently, which was the reason for the test.

However, after conducting that test, I didn’t bed the stocks. There were several reasons for this. It was partly because I wanted to test the stocks in an “apple-to-apple” comparison—and, because no two bedding jobs can be exactly the same, this would’ve prevented that. It was also partly because I’ll bet most of the customers purchasing one of these stocks will not bed them.

But, the most important reason I didn’t bed those stocks was because I don’t consider bedding a barreled action to a stock a task that the average gun owner is capable of doing correctly. Yes, I know: Gun writers have been forever writing about how you should do a little home gunsmithing and bed your own rifles.

While it might seem like a very simple process, it’s actually a quite complex and time-consuming procedure that’s best left to someone who does that kind of thing for a living. In fact, I’ve bedded two rifles. Both jobs turned out OK, but it was just enough exposure to the practice for me to realize it should be left to professionals.

Talk to any gunsmith, and you’ll hear horror stories of customers coming in with barreled actions permanently fused to riflestocks; about actions frozen shut because bedding compound leaked in; and, you’ll hear about rifles that wouldn’t go back together correctly—or, if they did, the bedding job was so jacked that the rifle wouldn’t work.

Here’s a collection of tools and supplies that are needted to perform a high-quality bedding job. Ideally, a mill would be substituted for the Dremel tool.

A good rifle bedding kit will cost between $40 and $70, depending on whether you want pillars or not. If you know what you’re doing, it’ll take about four hours to properly bed a riflestock with pillars already installed. If the pillars need to be installed, add two hours.

You’ll also need some resources and tools that don’t come with the kit—most importantly, a mill or at least a Dremel tool. An inexpensive mill will cost you about $700, and a good Dremel kit about $100. Considering most gunsmiths will only charge between $150 and $250 to bed your rifle, you’re better off seeking their services—at the very least, to save a bunch of money.

In case you’re unfamiliar with pillars, they’re the aluminum tubes that go inside the stock and fit between the action and floor plate of the rifle. The front and rear action screws pass through these tubes/pillars. Pillars help solidify the “marriage” of the action to the stock and provide more strength. And, for lack of a better word to describe it, they’re a major pain to install correctly. Fortunately, Boyds allows you to order the Spike Camp stock with pillars already installed.

As sort of a follow-up, I wanted to let readers know how a properly executed bedding job might improve the performance of one of these stocks. I also wanted to illustrate how involved the proper process of bedding a rifle really is. After all, the acquisition of a new rifle stock might not just be due to the desire for improved ergonomics and looks; it might be part of an effort to make the rifle shoot with better precision.

So, to help with this, I asked a professional, Jerry Dove of Dove Custom Guns, to help out. He does most of my personal gunsmithing work.

Rifle Bedding Process: 12 Essential Steps

Step 1

Before the rifle bedding process proper, Jerry first installed the stock on the barreled action to see if it fit properly. He checked for binding, made sure the barrel was free-floated and ensured there was enough relief around the Timney trigger that I’d installed.

Step 2

Jerry then removed the barreled action from the stock and began marking the stock for material to be milled away. He does this because when you bed a riflestock, you’re adding material to it. In order for there to be enough bedding material added so that it’ll do its job correctly, some material (wood, in the case of the Boyds Spike Camp stock) must be removed. Knowing where to mark is critical and comes with experience.

Step 3

Jerry then took the stock to his milling machine to remove the identified material around where the front and rear action screws—and pillars—come through the stock. This is what the home gunsmith would use a Dremel tool for. The difference is that when done on a milling machine, the cuts are consistent and square with the inletting in the stock.

Step 4

The next step was to mask the stock. Jerry used masking tape and covered the entire stock. Why? You don’t want bedding compound leaching out or dripping on your stock and ruining it. In addition to masking the exterior of the stock, he also used some electrical tape just forward of the recoil lug to help the barreled action release from the stock after bedding.

Get More Gunsmithing Projects:

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Heavy Metal: AR-10 Build

Step 5

The next step in the guaranteed release rifle bedding process is to fill all the cutouts and holes in the action with plumber’s putty. This keeps the bedding material from creeping into the action and freezing it up.

Step 6

The action also needs to be coated with something to keep it from being glued to the stock; a release agent, if you will. Jerry has found that wax works best, and he simply coats the entire exterior of the barreled action with it.

Step 7

Bedding compounds have to be mixed. This is accomplished by following the ratio instructions provided by the manufacturer.

Step 8

The bedding compound is then applied to the interior of the riflestock in the areas that have been relieved with the mill. How much do you apply? Well, again, this is where experience comes in. If you don’t apply enough, the rifle will receive no benefit from the process, and you’ll have to go back to step 1 and start over. If you apply too much, you’ll have what could best be described as a “frigging mess.”

Step 9

The barreled action is then installed, and the floor plate is attached with the front and rear action screws. This is a critical process. To make sure it’s executed properly, Jerry uses fake action screws to start, removing them and replacing them with the original screws once everything’s been properly aligned. The screws, both the fake and the real, will need a liberal coating of wax to keep the bedding material from sticking to them. It’s also a good idea to wrap some tape around the barrel near the forend of the stock before installation. This ensures the barrel remains free-floated and centers the barreled action in the stock. How much tape? Again, experience is the best teacher.

Step 10

Once the barreled action is installed, excess bedding material will leach out around the junction of the action and stock. This should be cleaned off immediately.

Step 11

Wait. How long? At least 24 hours. Forty-eight hours is better.

Step 12

Remove the barreled action from the stock and clean up any excess bedding material that happened to get into and onto places it wasn’t supposed to be. If all this is done correctly, the barreled action should come out of the stock … with a lot of
wiggling and a little bit of cussing.

Is It Worth It?

A properly executed rifle bedding job should almost guarantee your rifle will show improved precision. Obviously, you reach a point at which your shooting skill and the intrinsic accuracy of the barreled action reach their limits. With the Boyds Spike Camp Stock used for this test, I saw a 16 percent improvement in precision: The average for five five-shot groups, with the Federal Premium 168-grain MatchKing load, shrank from 0.81 inch to 0.68 inch.

Was that level of improvement worth the time, effort and money? Maybe, maybe not. That would depend on what you plan to use your rifle for—as well as if a 1/10-inch decrease in group size is worth about $200. Of course, in some cases, you might see much more improvement. And, you also might find that after bedding a rifle, its former favorite load is not its favorite anymore.

Regardless, when done correctly, bedding often has a way of eliminating those weird flyers you get when shooting groups. Also, a properly bedded riflestock gives you the confidence to identify a flyer as your fault, as opposed to the rifle’s.

I’d recommend bedding all bolt-action riflestocks. Nevertheless, I’d also strongly suggest you let a professional do it. Considering the potential for mistakes and the possible improvement in performance, it’ll most likely be money well spent.

The Return Of The Red-Hot .17 Mach 2

Michael Shea

January 27, 2021

With muzzle velocities twice the speed of sound the return of the red-hot .17 Mach 2 is something to get fired up over.

The .17 HM2, or 17 Mach 2, was a joint venture between Hornady and CCI in 2003. A CCI Stinger case, which measures 0.100-inch longer than a standard .22 LR case, was necked down to take a 17-grain, 0.172-inch-diameter bullet. The result was a .17 that fit in a .22 LR action and magazines—the only change in most cases being a barrel—but with effectively double the velocity of a match-speed .22. At 2,100 fps, that little bullet ran flat. Run the numbers, and you see the .17 HM2 rises and falls 2 inches to 137 yards or so.

Hornady and CCI unveiled the round at SHOT Show 2004 hot on the heels of the previous .17 HMR launch. The HMR was a wild success, and much of the industry wasn’t ready for the unprecedented demand in .17 ammo and firearms. So, in 2004, Hornady and CCI made a big to-do of the new .17 Mach 2, which produced muzzle velocities twice the speed of sound. All the major manufacturers had rifles ready to go.

But wild demand never materialized.

Many consumers felt the Mach 2 didn’t do anything the HMR couldn’t do better. The .22 WMR necked down to .17 was indeed flatter and hit with more sauce than the .22 LR Stinger necked down to .17. Small-game hunters engaging critters out to 120 yards were the exception.

Those rimfire hunters quickly realized the .17 HM2 had plenty of killing power, was more than flat enough, bucked the wind better than .22 LR and, most importantly, didn’t make a mess of things if you intended to eat your target.

The Mach 2 was elegant, surgical, deadly, with even less recoil, less noise and much less meat damage. The caveat was it required head shots. The little bullet doesn’t carry enough whoop-ass to instantly dispatch a body-shot squirrel. “Head shots or nothing,” became the Mach 2 small-game hunters’ credo.

In 2018, that thankfully changed. Hornady and CCI saw it fit to bring it back. Savage and Volquartsen put out new rifles in the caliber. (Hat tip to Savage who really never stopped.) Boutique options soon became available from Anschutz and Vudoo Gun Works.

The Volquartsen Summit is my favorite 17 Mach 2 for hunting—not because it’s the most accurate Mach 2 in my collection, but because it’s the most durable, weather-resistant and handiest in the woods.

Topped with a discontinued Nikon ProStaff P3 Target EFR 3-9x40mm scope, in a Magpul Hunter X-22 stock with a Volquartsen 16.5-inch carbon-fiber tension barrel and a Magpul Rifleman Loop Sling, the whole package weighs a shade under 7.25 pounds.

To test current 17 Mach 2 ammo, I went with this tried-and-true hunting setup. The average 0.57- to 0.41-inch five-shot groups at 50 yards are right in line most Mach 2 rifles, in my experience.

Four types of Mach 2 ammo were tested. The widely available CCI VNT, Hornady V-Max and Hornady NTX, plus the recently discontinued CCI V-Max and the long discontinued Eley V-Max, which has been out of production at least 10 years.

All told, 10 five-shot groups of each ammo type were sent into USBR targets at 50 yards. Every shot was chronographed with the Labradar system, which recorded the highest, lowest and average velocity, plus extreme spread and standard deviation. Groups were measured with a set of digital calipers edge-to-edge and 0.172—the diameter of a .17 bullet—was deducted and recorded.

More Rimfire Info:

Best .22 Ammo For Every Application
The .22 LR: Mini, Mighty And Many
The .22 LR And Its .22 Rimfire Cousins
Cartridge Debate: .17 HMR vs. .17 WSM
Ammo: Evolution of the Red-Hot .17 HMR
The .22 LR For Self Defense: Good, Bad Or Crazy?

Three notable things immediately jumped out:

Eley: Eley makes some of the very best rimfire ammunition in the world. That said, its older .17 HM2 offering doesn’t outperform current runs from CCI and Hornady. Why does this matter? Because it’s grown somewhat fashionable in rimfire circles to bemoan “no good ammo” when it comes to the .17s, and while it’s true that only select .22 LR is made to Olympic-level precision, it’s not accurate to think, “If only Eley or Lapua loaded the .17s we’d have better offerings.” In reality, all the Mach 2 ammo performs about the same, and it always has.

CCI VNT: My go-to hunting load surprised me by not printing the smallest groups, as it has done on other occasions in this rifle and others. Notably, the standard deviation is a full 20-fps less than all the rest, which, in my experience, equates to less vertical stringing at 100 yards with Mach 2, but it doesn’t seem to make much of an accuracy difference at 50. It’s also worth noting that at 150 and 200 yards, the CCI and Hornady 17-grain offerings punch clean holes in paper with my rifles.

Some shooters have noticed tumbling, a loss of accuracy, and the ugly tears in paper beyond 150 yards. Accuracy-wise, on good days with little wind, all my Mach 2s will print sub 1-inch groups at 100 yards, but more often linger around the 1.25- to 1.5-inch mark. Just like we’ve seen at 50 yards, it’s common to shoot a very nice cluster of four shots within an inch, with the fifth remaining round “way out” in left field, blowing the group.

Hornady: Hornady printed the best groups of the day, and my guess is their 17-grain V-Max is the best-selling Mach 2 ammunition out there. Interesting enough, Hornady labels their ammo with a velocity of 2,100 fps, whereas the CCI is marked 2,010 fps. All the Mach 2 ammo I’ve ever put through a chrono runs between 2,050 and 2,200 fps, whatever the gun. Pull a Hornady bullet and a CCI bullet, and you’ll see the powder looks identical. The V-Max bullets are identical, save the different-colored tips.

These days, SAAMI has ensured that ammo manufacturers are held to very high standards. Still, weighing and sorting individual rounds can make good accuracy exceptional.

Seeing how they’re all loaded in the same place, I didn’t see much difference until recently when CCI differentiated with the only VNT load. Hornady also has the only lead-free California bullet option, with the 15.5-grain NTX. Some Mach 2 rifles don’t shoot this little copper bullet very well, but the Summit shoots it great. Were it not for a blown group in the .800s (that was probably me), it may very well have come in second place accuracy-wise. It’s also a killing bullet.

Improvement Through Sorting?

One of the criticisms of the .17s is that they’re not made with match .22-level precision. This is true, of course, but it’s possible to improve groups by sorting. Sorting is largely a waste of time when it comes to .22 LR because Eley and Lapua do a much better job sorting their good ammo than any shooter with a powder scale ever could—and they package their most consistent, uniform ammo together under brands like X-Act and Tenex.

With the .17s, the manufacturers don’t get this intense, so it’s on the shooter to cherry pick the most uniform loads. To test this, I sorted a box of CCI V-Max by weight, and another box by cartridge overall length (COAL).

The CCI was very uniform by weight with 35 of the 50 rounds measuring to one-tenth of a grain, according to my RCBS powder scale. There was 0.5 grain extreme spread in weight over all 50, but 45 of those were within two grains of each other. That seems pretty damn consistent for non-premium hunting ammo.

When shooting light, .17-caliber cartridges, small variances between individual rounds can make a big difference. Lesson: It always pays to double-check.

On the other hand, COAL was more spread out. Interestingly enough, the 10 rounds that measured 0.991 COAL varied in weight by +-0.3 grains, so there doesn’t appear to be any deep connection between seating depth and weight. A shooter who wants to make themselves extra crazy or typically finds themselves bored on a Saturday night could do both.

When the sorted ammo was sent downrange to 50 yards in five-shot groups, the weight-sorted rounds proved the most accurate. This was an extremely limited test by only working with two boxes. A better look would involve a brick, or multiple bricks, plus multiple rifles and shooters, but it does show that there’s some value in sorting .17 HM2 for weight if peak accuracy is the goal.

Semi-Auto?

An early issue with Mach 2 was reliability in semi-auto actions, namely the Ruger 10/22. The pressure curve with .17 HM2 compared to .22 LR is dramatically steep. In the Ruger platform, this led to FTEs, out of battery ignitions and cracked brass. A solution was a heavier Ruger bolt, either with a block of tungsten attached on the underside as Volquartsen did, or with a heavy charging handle. Heavy charging handle kits can still be found online, and they work OK, but I’ve had more success by drilling out factory Ruger bolts and slugging them with tungsten.

This is an involved job and not for most everyone. A less involved alternative is finding an out-of-production Volquartsen Mach 2 bolt. Although the used-market price will certainly be more than the cost of a new Savage A17 HM2, a delayed blowback Mach 2 semi-auto works well right out of the box. For those who must have a semi-auto, the masochists will prefer modifying a 10/22. The sane should just buy a Savage.

Best .17 Mach 2 Rifles And Barrels

Savage A17 HM2

Savage has succeeded with semi-auto rimfires where most others have failed, thanks to their innovative delayed blow-back action. Most semi-auto .22 LRs have a direct blow-back action. That is, the detonation primer and powder sends the bullet down the barrel, and also moves the bolt back directly, ejecting the brass, then picking up and loading a fresh round from the magazine. The Savage does much of the same, but the bolt has a top lug that locks in place and delays the blowback a few critical milliseconds.

In the case of 17 Mach 2 (and .17 HMR and .22 WMR), that hair’s width of delay lets the pressure curve drop back to earth, and the bolt can safely and reliably cycle in a new round. The A17 HM2 works, is inexpensive and can be made very accurate by glass bedding action to stock. The only “con” with this rifle is the trigger, which doesn’t live up to the famous AccuTrigger name.
MSRP: $379

Vudoo Gun Works Raven

When only the best will do, there’s Vudoo. The Raven is their dedicated small-game rifle, available in .22 LR, .22 WMR, .17 HMR and .17 HM2. The heart is the V22 action (V22m in the magnum calibers), attached to a 416R stainless ACE barrel in a “ranch” contour, which tapers down to 0.720 at the threaded muzzle. It sits in a custom Outlander stock by Grayboe, which shoulders, swings and all-around feels like a true sporter.

My .22 WMR is a wand of a rifle except for the big ACIS patterned magazine. Some love it, some don’t, but you cannot argue with the interchangeability of the ACIS and Remington 700 footprint, allowing for the entire ecosystem of aftermarket Remington triggers, stocks, etc. Many react to the price of Vudoo rifles, but as I told a friend recently, “Sell your huge collection of $500 rimfires you never shoot, and you can buy two.”
MSRP: $2,395

Volquartsen Summit

My favorite pure hunting rimfire rifle, the Summit from Volquartsen, is an odd duck. Basically, it’s a toggle-bolt 10/22. Primary Weapons System developed the straight-pull 10/22 concept for hunting and running 10/22 platform accessories (stocks, barrels and triggers) with a suppressor.

In 2018, as the ammo companies rolled out new runs of .17 HM2, they released the Summit in 17 Mach 2. Stock options are numerous, but you’d be hard-pressed to find one better in the field than the Magpul X-22 Hunter. It’s light, tight, fast and the tolerances are so legit that I’ve yet to find one that needed a bedding job. Volquartsen ships the rifle with their lightweight tension carbon-fiber barrel with a 0.920-inch bull profile. It’s a perfect balance, in my estimation, of hunting rifle weight versus accuracy.
MSRP: $1,225

Savage Mark II FV

Unless you’re made of money, this should be your first 17 Mach 2 rifle. Savage made the Mark II in .17 HM2 when all others abandoned the round—even the ammo companies. The rifle is accurate out of the box and can be improved with a high-quality stock and bedding job. The trigger is among the best compared to other sub-$500 rimfire rifles. It can also be worked on easily with a little kitchen-table gunsmithing. The Mark II FV is a heavy-barreled version, though it’s not a true bull barrel. The thin-barrel version with iron sights, the Mark II F, costs a few dollars less.
MSRP: $355

Lothar Walther

For those disposed to taking apart things, barrel maker Lothar Walther makes a variety of rimfire barrels chambered in 17 Mach 2, including tubes for the CZ 455/457, the Ruger Precision Rimfire Rifle, the Tikka T1X and the disgustingly awesome Zermatt Arms RimX action. In all of these cases, a barrel swap is a fairly easy process with minimal tools. Because the .17 HM2 is just a necked-down .22 LR, existing magazines tend to work fine.
MSRP: $299-$399

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the January 2021 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

First Look: Armscor 20-Gauge VR82 Semi-Auto Shotgun

Elwood Shelton

January 26, 2021

A little brother to the VR80, the VR82 moves the semi-auto shotgun line into 20-gauge territory.

Truth be told, the 12-gauge isn’t for everybody. Certainly that's blasphemy to most Americans, who by and large swear by the bore whether they’re knocking down ducks on the wing or confronting bumps in the night. Thing is, there's plenty of buck in the “Twelve”, enough to make it intimidating to some shooters, even outright unusable. Thankfully, there are other gauges doling out less punishment to the user with nearly as much punch downrange. The 20-gauge for example.

Armscor International was thinking along these lines with the introduction of a little brother to its popular VR80 box-magazine fed shotgun. Dubbed the VR82, the 20-gauge rendition of the tactical/competition semi-auto is certain to appeal to the recoil shy or anyone that appreciates what the lighter gauge brings to the table. Though, shooter will have to pay a smidgen more to get into the futuristic-looking 20-gauge, with Armscor setting the MSRP at $729, compared to the VR80’s $699. For a more endurable bore, it might be worth the extra dough.

Essentially, the VR82 is the same gun as the VR80, with the controls (very similar to an AR), ergonomics and operating system identical to the larger gauge. Good news, as those familiar with the line know. Reliable as the day is long, the smoothbore chews through what’s fed to it thanks to a slim, short-stroke gas-piston system that not only cuts down on felt recoil but keeps the shotgun pretty dang svelte. Its slender profile is a nice asset that opens up hand placement on the fore as well as makes for a responsive gun—quick target to target. (At least that was my experience with the VR80, an educated assumption with the VR82). The streamlined system also keeps the gun a light 7.5 pounds, not bad given it sports an 18-inch barreled.

Some of the VR82’s notables include fully adjustable flip-up sights, ample M-Lok real estate on the handguard, full-length Picatinny rail, Mobil choke compatibility and a 5+1 box magazine. Capacity isn’t a concern, given there are 10- and 20-round VR series magazines available. The receiver and handguard are made of aircraft-grade aluminum, thus stand up to regular abuse.

VR82 Specs
Bore: 20 gauge
Capacity: 5 + 1
Sights: Front/Rear Flip Up
Weight: 7.5lbs empty
Overall Length: 38 inches
Overall Height: 7 inches
Overall Width: 2 inches
Barrel Length: 18 inches
Barrel: Contoured
Choke: Mobil Choke
Stock: Thumb Hole Stock
Finish: Black Anodized
MSRP: $729

For more information on Armscor VR82 shotgun, please visit armscor.com.

Draw A Bead On Shotguns:

Classic Shotguns You've Got To Own
12 Affordable Pump-Action Shotgun Options
Understanding The Semi-Auto Shotgun
Lever-Action Shotgun: Past, Present And Future
7 Affordable Double-Barrel Shotgun Options
Practical Guide To The Tactical Shotgun

6 Top 6.8 SPC Ammo Choices

Elwood Shelton

January 26, 2021

Whether at the range or in the field, these 6.8 SPC ammo options will split the bullseye.

What Are The Best 6.8 SPC Ammo Options:

Hornady 100-grain GMX Full Boar
American Eagle 90-grain Varmint & Predator
Hornady 120-grain SST Custom
Silver State Armory 90-grain BSB
American Eagle 115-grain FMJ
Sellier & Bellot 115-grain Match

For many, the 6.8 SPC II is better off eating home-cooked meals. Given the cartridge’s—more exactly its chamber design—troubled history, factory-loaded ammo leaves many shooters wanting. Not that the stuff is ineffective, it’ll still put down game and hit the mark. But given the original 6.8 SPC chamber design is what’s on file at the Shooting Arm and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI) many offerings are a bit mild.

That said, not all is lost for those without a press and a die library. Those dedicated to turning out 6.8 SPC ammo at this point in the cartridge’s history cook up some pretty potent options. Purpose loaded to take game, split the bullseye or defend the homestead, there are quality choices fit for the cartridge’s primary purposes. Here are six we load up on when it’s time to dust off our 6.8 rifles.

Hunting

Hornady 100-grain GMX Full Boar

Hog hunting buoyed the prospects of the 6.8 SPC, a fact not lost on Hornady. Specifically tailored to get pigs squealing, its 100-grain Full Boar 6.8 SPC ammo is designed to hold together against the notoriously tough critters. This is thanks to Hornady turning to its rock-solid GMX monometal bullet.

A solid-copper projectile, the 100-grain bullet (.274 BC*), retains 95-plus-percent of its original weight, ensuring ample penetration, even through bone. At the same tick, the GMX bullet has a respectable expansion profile. An old trick by Hornady, the projectile’s polymer tip guarantees it mushrooms even at decreased velocities. Range-wise, like most 6.8 SPC ammo, 300-yards in is optimal—plenty enough for most dedicated hog hunters.

American Eagle 90-grain Varmint & Predator

Certainly, the 6.8 SPC doesn’t reach out like a .22-250 Remington or .204 Ruger. The right load, however, and the cartridge is solid in medium-range attempts at pint-sized critters and predators. Topped with Speer TNT bullets and loaded hot, American Eagle’s 85-grain small-game medicine is one such option.

TNT bullets are the real deal when it comes to varmint hunting. First off, the bullet’s terminal ballistics are in a word, explosive. A thin, internally fluted jacket around a core of soft lead leads to instant bullet disruption at the target producing dramatic and definitive hits on small game. An added bonus for fur hunters, there’s rarely pass through, thus a better pelt.

As to reaching the target, TNT offers an excellent ballistic coefficient—.275 in this case—leading to flatter trajectories. As to the 6.8 SPC ammo’s velocity, just shy of 3,000 fps at the muzzle (2,990 fps to be exact) it definitely gives the cartridge some reach.

Hornady 120-grain SST Custom

Hog hunters aren’t the only ones who benefit from taking the 6.8 SPC afield. Those shooting to fill a deer tag in environments where medium-range shots are the norm find the nearly two-decade cartridge a boon. Floating at the top of the weight spectrum for the 6.8 SPC ammo, Hornady’s 120-grain Custom fills this role admirably and perhaps expands its use—say elk.

Again, we’re talking about a close to short-medium range choice, 300-yard in for the best results. The SST (Super Shock Tip) bullet does boast a respectable ballistic coefficient—.400—and the ammo has decent muzzle velocity for the bullet weight—2,460 fps. Still, at 400 yards, the projectile falls in excess of 30 inches, which isn’t the easiest to control for.

Get the round on target and you can expect excellent results, however. The SST is essentially Hornady’s Interlock bullet with a polymer tip, an improved design of a projectile generations of hunters have trusted.

Learn More About The 6.8 SPC:

Does The 6.8 SPC II Still Have A Place?
6.8 SPC VS 6.5 Grendel: Intermediate Cartridge Rumble
4 Top 6.8 SPC Upper Options To Level Up Your AR
4 Best 6.8 Barrel Options For Your Next AR Build

Home Defense

Silver State Armory 90-grain BSB

Granted some of the more famed loads are no longer part of SSA’s catalog since it was acquired by Nosler. But the brand still maintains a dynamite selection of options, particularly in the realm of defensive 6.8 SPC ammo. For all intents and purposes, it’s 90-grain BSB (Bonded Solid Base) is a rehash of Nosler Defensive Rifle offering for the caliber. This is good, given the line has some desirable qualities.

First and foremost, the bullet design (the protected tip in particular) guarantees it functions flawlessly in nearly any rifle. An important quality, unless you live for the thrill of clearing malfunctions in life or death situations. Furthermore, the projectile hits hard and opens a devastating wound channel.

There are a couple of things at work here. The soft point tip is semi-flattened, in turn, offers more surface area to initiate expansion. Then there’s the bonded core. Done at the molecular level, the core and jacket stay in one piece pushing a greater amount of mass through the target on a straighter course.
Aim at vital, you’ll hit a vital and bore a neutralizing hole through it.

At 90-grains (.227 BC, 2,850 fps) the BCB is also extremely easy to manage, even out of a short-barreled rifle or pistol. In turn, it can run fast shot to shot.

Target/Match

American Eagle 115-grain FMJ

Range ammunition, despite its lowly status, has a tough job. It has to run reliably, shoot accurately and not tax a shooter’s wallet. American Eagle pulls it off. Its 115-grain 6.8 SPC ammo is topped with an FMJ bullet that offers a best-in-class BC at .378 and is kicked out at 2,675 fps. Overall, the stuff hits what it’s aimed at and doesn’t leave you broke in the process.

Sellier & Bellot 115-grain Match

Gaining popularity stateside, Sellier & Bellot has kicked a decent toehold in the range ammunition market. Its 115-grain 6.8 SPC match ammo isn’t the absolute cheapest it offers for the caliber, but the extra coin is worth the accuracy it delivers. The HPBT projectiles offer an excellent .324 BC that leaves the muzzle at 2,477 fps. A little milder option than some might desire, but certainly shootable and on target.

*All ballistic coefficients are off the G1 model.

First Look: 2021 Browning Buck Mark Additions

Elwood Shelton

January 25, 2021

With some slick new designs and tweaks, the Buck Mark Vision Plus URX and Countour URX are born to run.

While its name doesn’t get bantered about like some .22 LR pistols, shooters have long respected what the Browning Buck Mark brings to the table. Chief among these, accuracy and reliability. The slick and still futuristic-looking pistol is a lights-out option in its class. And with Browning not allowing the line to go fallow has only gotten better over the years. Case in point, the two new Buck Mark pistols the gunmaker unveiled for 2021.

Swelling the line’s numbers to 41 total pistols are the Buck Mark Plus Vision UFX and Buck Mark Contour URX 5.5-inch. Purpose-built and advancing the fundamental design, the guns stay true to the line’s roots while offering shooters some much-appreciated amenities and tweaks.

Buck Mark Plus Vision UFX

Nimble and striking in appearance, the Plus Vision UFX addition serve up one of the trimmest models of the Buck Mark line. At 27 ounces unloaded, the straight blowback pistol is among the lightest options, boasting some clever engineering to save weight. In particular, a tensioned outer and cut aluminum sleeve around the Plus Vision’s 5.9-inch stainless-steel barrel. Not only does the machining give the pistol a unique sporty appearance, but also removes material and weight, while promoting heat dispersion.

Browning’s main thrust with the Plus Vision’s weight savings is making the pistol more conducive to the addition of a suppressor. Yup, it has a threaded muzzle (1/2″-28 TPI). Though, if you forgo adding a can it does come with a factory-installed muzzle brake, helping make the already .22’s negligible muzzle flip nearly nonexistent. Also, the new Buck Mark comes outfitted with 16-click adjustable Pro-Target rear sight with white outline, TRUGLO/Marble Arms fiber-optic front sight, UFX rubber over-molded grips and Picatinny optics rail.

Available in with the choice of three barrel-sleeve colors—black, red and blue—there's an option for nearly any taste.
MSRP: $719

Buck Mark Contour Gray URX 5.5 Inch

The Buck Mark Contour is nothing new, neither is a 5.5-inch barreled option.
But how Browning sets shooters up for success with the new rendition of the highly accurate model is a twist. Breaking from the typical Picatinny optics rail, Browning has opted for a full-length Weaver-style rail on the pistol, offering nearly unlimited mounting options. Finished matte gray, the rail also gives the pistol a dashing two-tone look.

While the addition of an optic is in the books, shooters can also keep things simple with the new pistol, thanks to a 16-click adjustable Pro-Target rear sight and Patridge-style front sight. Furthermore, the gunmaker ensures the utmost control over the .22 handgun, outfitting it with URX over-molded grips. As its name suggests, the handle has finger contours, facilitating an intuitive and commanding grip on the pistol. The 5.5-inch barrel—there is a 7.5-inch barrel model as well—makes for a quick-handling pistol, but with enough weight (36-ounce unloaded) to erases almost all recoil. In short, the pistol has the chops to run fast, accurately.
MSRP: $579

For more information on the new Buck Mark pistols, please visit browning.com.

More Rimfire Info:

Best .22 Ammo For Every Application
The .22 LR: Mini, Mighty And Many
The .22 LR And Its .22 Rimfire Cousins
Cartridge Debate: .17 HMR vs. .17 WSM
Ammo: Evolution of the Red-Hot .17 HMR
The .22 LR For Self Defense: Good, Bad Or Crazy?

10 Best Rimfire Scope Options For Any Purpose

Michael Shea

January 25, 2021

10 top rimfire scope choices for plinkers, hunters and precision shooters.

What Are The Best Rimfire Scopes:

Tract Optics 22 FIRE 4-12x40mm BDC
Hawke Vantage 30 WA SF IR 4-16x50mm AO .17 HMR
Athlon Optics Argos BTR 6-24×50
Vortex Optics Diamondback Tactical 6-24×50
Bushnell Match Pro 6-24×50 FFP
Vortex Strike Eagle 5-25x56mm FFP
Athlon Cronus BTR 4.5-29x56mm FFP
Maven RS.3 5-30x56mm FFP
Nightforce ATACR 7-35x56mm F1
Nightforce NX8 2.5-20x50mm F1

When it comes to optics, “rimfire” is a nebulous term. The scope torqued onto a child’s first .22 LR isn’t anything like the feats of ELR engineering found at precision rimfire matches all across the country. Yet, in both cases, they’re riding a rimfire rifle, steering the fire of a 40-grain hunk of lead. This shows that when picking a new scope for a rimfire rifle, you have to consider end use. Is the rifle a plinker, a hunter or a precision competitor?

There are a few “rimfire” branded scopes that aren’t total junk—okay, just two—that work well for backyard plinkers and varmint hunters. For match shooters, the best rimfire scopes are simply the best precision rifle scopes, no matter the caliber. Taken together, these 11 scopes below are my favorite, listed in order of price, with the recommended use case for each one. These scopes range from under $200 to more than $3,500 … and none of them will let you down.

Plinker: Tract Optics 22 FIRE 4-12x40mm BDC

The 22 FIRE is one of two “rimfire” stamped optics worth a lick. (The second being the Hawke, listed next.) The BDC reticle is optimized for high-velocity ammo like CCI Stingers. Zero with Stingers or similar 1,400- to 1,600-fps loads at 50 yards and the hash marks show where to hold (more or less) out to 150 yards in 25-yard increments. It’s my go-to plinker scope for newbie shooters. The hashmarks being an easy way to explain bullet drop to new shooters. This is a “rimfire” scope in the realist sense—inexpensive, but not cheap. I’ve long wanted to build a custom sporter with a chamber cut for Stingers and top it with this scope. Some day. MSRP: $174; TractOptics.com

Varmint Hunting: Hawke Vantage 30 WA SF IR 4-16x50mm AO .17 HMR

Like the Tract above, this Hawke has a BDC reticle, but with hash marks tuned to .17 HMR. It’s the only reticle out there marked as such. With a 100-yard zero, it shows holdovers to 350 yards when on 13x magnification. Hawke says the aim points are precalculated for 2,500-fps loads. It’s worked well for me out to 300 yards with CCI VNTs (listed at 2,650 fps) in a Tikka T1x MTR. If the BDC isn’t your jam, this model has big-honking MOA turrets for elevation and windage adjustments. If you want a rimfire reticle for the .17s doing distance plinking or varmint work, Hawke is where it’s at. They make this scope and a few others with reticles for .22 LR subsonic, .22 LR high-velocity, 17 Mach 2 and .22 WMR, too. MSRP: $399; US.HawkeOptics.com

NRL22 (Option 1): Athlon Optics Argos BTR 6-24×50

You can’t do anything in the rimfire space these days and not bump against NRL22, the National Rifle League’s national precision rimfire series. In that sport, among base-class shooters whose combined rifle and scope MSRP can’t exceed $1,050, this has long been the most popular scope. Spend a few minutes behind the Argos, and the reasons are clear. The parallax runs down to 10 yards, it’s a 30mm tube with first focal plane (FFP) internals and illuminated reticle all for a real-world price around $300. If there’s a better deal anywhere, I don’t know what it is. Shortcomings on this one are clarity and low-light ability, but a typical NRL22 match is run late morning or early afternoon, so brightness or lack thereof is never a factor. The Argos BTR works great. If you’re looking to get into precision rimfire shooting on a budget, this is one of three scopes to consider. MSRP: $379; AthlonOptics.com

Base-Class NRL22 (Option 2): Vortex Optics Diamondback Tactical 6-24×50

The Diamondback Tactical from Vortex fills the same need as the Athlon above, but for about $100 more. That extra Benjamin buys you noticeably clearer glass and a Vortex industry-leading, no-questions-asked warranty. At the NRL22 match I directed in upstate New York, the number-one question I’m asked by new shooters is, “What scope should I get?” My number-one answer is this Vortex. I’m particularly fond of the intuitive EBR-2C (MRAD) reticle, which packs a lot of information into a clean sight picture. It has FFP guts like most modern precision optics, but there’s a second focal plane model in 4-12x40mm that some of the “old guns” shooters in my NRL22 club have leaned into. Older eyes can struggle with an FFP reticle like the EBR-2C at low magnification. MSRP: $499; VortexOptics.com

More Rimfire Info:

Best .22 Ammo For Every Application
The .22 LR: Mini, Mighty And Many
The .22 LR And Its .22 Rimfire Cousins
Cartridge Debate: .17 HMR vs. .17 WSM
Ammo: Evolution of the Red-Hot .17 HMR
The .22 LR For Self Defense: Good, Bad Or Crazy?

Base-Class NRL22 (Option 3): Bushnell Match Pro 6-24×50 FFP

As the new kid on the block, Bushnell is the new title optics sponsor for NRL22 and much of the marketing push behind that new partnership centers around this scope. The 30mm tube has 18 mils of windage and elevation, so with a 30-MOA rail it makes a fine ELR optic, too, with enough guts to hit with a .22 LR to about 400 yards. The Christmas tree-style Deploy MIL reticle is first rate, if a little busier than the Vortex, with heavier stadia lines that older eyes might like. Much more so than spinning in elevation, NRL22 is a game of running the reticle. My guess is this will be the new dominant base-class tube—and for good reason. The glass has a sharpness to it, and I expect savvy shoppers will soon be able to find them online for less than $400. MSRP: $449; Bushnell.com

Extreme Long-Range: Vortex Strike Eagle 5-25x56mm FFP

To call this new optic from Vortex a “budget” or “price point” scope will make a lot of people groan. After all, $800 is no small sum. But what Vortex has done is pack features found in scopes that cost two and three times as much, making it accessible to the rest of us. For extreme long-range shooting, riflescope tubes have ballooned from 30mm to 34mm, and this new scope from Vortex is the best 34mm optic out there for less than a grand. You’re getting good glass, 25x magnification, the famous Vortex warranty and a crazy 31 mils of elevation. With the right rail and some knowhow, you can get on steel with a .22 LR to 500 yards with this sucker. (I did just that recently, with the Strike Eagle riding a 30-MOA rail atop a Zermatt RimX action with a Proof barrel.) Whether for rimfire or centerfire ELR, Vortex is going to sell a pile of these scopes. MSRP: $799; VortexOptics.com

Bang For Buck: Athlon Cronus BTR 4.5-29x56mm FFP

Don’t let the MSRP of this monster scope from Athlon deter you. While the MSRP looks high, it’s listed correctly here between $800 and $1,600 options. Athlon’s business model works something like this: Build a great scope, put a high MSRP on it, slash the price by 40 percent or more online. So, this listed $1,999 scope can be found in many places for $1,200 or better. But, enough about money. The Japanese-made Cronus BTR is as good as PRS scopes that cost twice as much. When shopping for “a sky’s the limit” optic for a Vudoo Gun Works .22 LR in a JP APAC chassis setup strictly for ELR work, this is what I bought. With the Nightforce ATACR (also listed), it’s possible to get more top-end magnification and maybe the best glass on Earth. But is the Nightforce three times better than the Cronus BTR? No way. This is a do-it-all precision rifle scope worthy of the very best rifle builds, and compared to the competition, it’ll save you at least a grand in the process. MSRP: $1,999; AthlonOptics.com

Long-Range Hunting: Maven RS.3 5-30x56mm FFP

Maven built its brand on direct-to-consumer hunting optics with an incredible price-versus-performance ratio. The RS.3 does exactly that, with a high-wattage 30x magnification on the top end in an impressively compact package. (At 13 inches long and 26 ounces, it might be the most compact 30x scope out there.) Because of its size, I put it atop a CZ 457 Premium re-barreled with a stainless Lilja in 17 Mach 2. It’s among the best-looking, best-performing snipers of tree squirrels ever created—not that I’m biased or anything. (See, Shea’s CZ 457 story on page 58.) This year, Maven introduced a 34mm version of this scope—the RS.4—which does everything this hunter does and more, with the edge on match shooting. They aren’t cheap, but on a go-for-broke small-game rimfire rig, they’re my favorite option. MSRP: $1,600; MavenBuilt.com

Best-0f-The-Best Long-Range optic: Nightforce ATACR 7-35x56mm F1

Budget be damned. If you’re building a custom .22 LR with the likes of a Vudoo, RimX or the Ultimatum Deuce, and you want the very best long-range precision riflescope, this three-year-old ATACR is still it. At the NRL22 Nationals in 2019, five of the top seven open-class winners ran this big beast of the ATACR. (It’s equally at home—and was designed for—big centerfire rigs and is a favorite of King of Two Miles shooters.) Yet the parallax on this bad boy spins down to 10 yards, making it as dominant in-close as it is way out. The ATACR line from Nightforce is widely considered the current peak of small arms optics engineering. This is the peak of the peak. MSRP: $3,600; NightforceOptics.com

Latest And Greatest: Nightforce NX8 2.5-20x50mm F1

This new riflescope from Nightforce represents the bleeding edge of precision optics. The 8x erector allows for that incredible 2.5-20x magnification window, making it the ideal price for a no-concern small-game scope or a compact PRS wonder. And compact it is. With a 30mm tube, the NX8 measures 12 inches long and weighs just 28 ounces. Thanks to the wizards at Nightforce, you’re not losing any real elevation in that 30mm tube compared to most larger 34mm scopes. The NX8 has 32 mils of elevation adjustment. There’s a first-focal-plane model, the F1, and also a second-focal model, the F2, which older eyes can appreciate. Nightforce made its name by pushing optics innovation forward. The NX8 keeps that tradition alive and well. MSRP: $1,950; NightforceOptics.com

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the January 2021 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

First Look: X Model In .30-30 And Henry’s Other New Guns

Elwood Shelton

January 22, 2021

Henry Repeating Arms' X Model in .30-30 headlines the release of four new guns for 2021.

Henry Repeating Arms turns heads. Why not? Embracing tradition, while providing thoroughly modern firearms, the company has carved an enduring niche in the gun world. And it continues to grow bigger.

The lever-action rifle specialist announced four new guns for 2021, all centered around hunting. Walnut and brass fans might be a bit disappointed, given the three rifles and one shotgun drift from the classic designs that built the company’s renown. That said, shooters who hang aesthetics a few branches down their decision tree certainly won’t have their noses bent out of place. On tap, Henry Lever Action Magnum Express .22 Mag, X Model .30-30, All-Weather Picatinny Rail .45-70 Side Gate and Henry Single Shot Turkey Camo Shotgun.

The model that particularly jumps out is the newest addition to the X Model line, a .30-30 Winchester that nicely rounds out the series of polymer-stocked lever-actions. Unveiled last year, the dark and rugged guns included five models, including the Big Boy (.44 Magnum/.44 Special, .357 Magnum/.38 Special, .45 Long Colt), .45-70 Government and .410 bore shotgun. A middle ground in the line, the .30-30 X Model should appeal to hunters not constrained by straight-wall cartridge regulations for harvesting deer, want more reach than a PCC or just plain don’t enjoy the thump of the Government.

One thing is for certain, the .30-30 certainly isn’t your granddad’s Henry—none of the X Model line are. Designed to appeal to modern shooter’s tastes, the gun boasts several features that are notable breaks from the gunmaker's more traditional stock. Perhaps the most radical, aside from polymer furniture, it’s suppressor-ready. The .30-30 has a threaded muzzle (5/8×24 pattern), with a knurled cap to protect it when a can isn’t mounted.

Additionally, the rifle also has a section of Picatinny rail at the forestock, perfect for a bipod. Furthermore, just above the rail at the 3- and 9-o’clock positions, are single M-Lok slots for the addition of an accessory. Pretty handy assets for some hunters, and certainly elevates the .30-30’s tactical cred. Other notables include sling swivels, side loading gate, drilled and tapped receiver, fully-adjustable rear sight and fiber optic front, and a 5-round tubular magazine. As to price, Henry has tagged a $1,019 MSRP on the X Model .30-30.

Load Up With More Henry Rifle Knowledge:

The 5 Must-Have Henry Rifles
1860 Henry Rifle Past And Present
Big-Bore Lever-Actions: Steel Henry .45-70 Is Golden
Henry Big Boy: The Best Pistol-Caliber Long-Gun?
Henry Shotgun Options In .410 Prove Quick Fun

More From Henry Repeating Arms:

RICE LAKE, WI – January 22, 2021 As part of an ongoing effort to give customers more options when choosing to “Hunt With A Henry,” Henry Repeating Arms is pleased to announce four new models that fit the needs of modern hunters, whether in pursuit of small game or large, feather or fur.
Lever Action Magnum Express .22 Magnum
The Lever Action Magnum Express .22 Magnum (H001ME) is a purpose-built small game and varmint hunting rifle with a feature set catered towards use with magnified optics. This rifle is void of any iron sights, so the receiver cover is topped with a Picatinny scope base to accept a wide variety of scope rings. Because a scope sits up higher on the rifle than barrel-mounted iron sights, the buttstock is shaped with a Monte Carlo style for a higher cheek weld and more natural shooting position. A rubber recoil pad is added for additional stability. The Lever Action Magnum Express .22 Magnum has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $622.
Lever Action X Model .30-30
By popular demand, the Lever Action X Model .30-30 (H009X) is the newest entry in Henry’s X Model line of modern, feature-packed lever actions first introduced in January 2020. Most notably, this new model features full synthetic furniture with integrated sling swivel studs, Picatinny and M-Lok accessory slots, and an industry-standard 5/8×24 threaded barrel to accept a suppressor or other muzzle device. The rifle is topped with fiber optic sights, and the blued steel receiver is drilled and tapped for optional scope use. The Lever Action X Model .30-30 has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $1,019.
All-Weather Picatinny Rail .45-70 Side Gate
Borrowing elements from Jeff Cooper’s scout rifle concept, the All-Weather Picatinny Rail .45-70 Side Gate (H010GAWP) is topped with an extended section of Picatinny rail for mounting a scope further forward on the barrel to free up more peripheral vision and make for quicker target acquisition. The rail also includes a peep sight that is fully adjustable for windage and elevation. Henry’s All-Weather finish consists of a satin hard chrome plating on most metal surfaces and specially treated hardwood stocks for temperature and moisture resilience. The All-Weather Picatinny Rail .45-70 Side Gate rifle has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $1,221.
Single Shot Turkey Camo Shotgun
For the dedicated turkey hunter, Henry is now offering the 12-gauge Single Shot Turkey Camo Shotgun (H015T-12) fully decked out in Mossy Oak Obsession camouflage. In addition to the full-coverage camouflage, this shotgun comes with a removable turkey choke to extend the effective range, fiber optic sights, and a drilled and tapped barrel for optional optics mounting. To help mitigate some of the recoil associated with firing 3 ½” 12-gauge shells from a lightweight single shot platform, the pistol gripped buttstock is capped with a soft rubber recoil pad. The Single Shot Turkey Camo 12 Gauge Shotgun has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $687.

For more information on Henry Repeating Arms, please visit henryusa.com.

First Look: Winchester/Browning 6.8 Western Cartridge

Elwood Shelton

January 22, 2021

Designed to pitch heavy-for-caliber bullets, the 6.8 Western aims to extend the rifleman's reach.

Somewhere Jack O’Connor is smiling. Long an advocate of the .270, the iconic gun writer and outdoorsman used the caliber to great effect around the globe. Now it’s getting another look of sorts in the hunting world. Last year it was the 27 Nosler and Sig Sauer’s .277 Fury, for 2021 it’s Winchester/Browning’s 6.8 Western.

Freshly accepted by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute, the cartridge looks to up the ante for the caliber, giving shooters heavy-for-caliber bullet options. As some might have guessed, the revolution with the 6.8 Western isn’t so much the cartridge itself as it is twist rate. With a 1:7.5 and 1:8 twist rates, it’s faster than what’s typically found in the realm of .270, which by and large is a 1:10” twist. Though not exclusively. Nosler recommends a 1:8” twist for its heavier offering in the 27 Nosler, and short-barrel 6.8 SPC IIs are found as fast as 1:7”.

Kicking things off, Winchester and Browning are offering three loads ranging in weight from 165 grains to 175 grains. On Browning’s end, it’s serving up a 175-grain Sierra Tipped GameKing Long Range Pro Hunter, and Winchester is offering a 170-grain Ballistic Silvertip, a 170-grain match boattail hollow point and 165-grain Accubond Long Range. In all cases, the ammo is loaded in the lower 2,800 fps to upper 2,000 fps muzzle velocity range and boast ballistic coefficients as high as .620 (G1). Mainly, the cartridge is billed as a hunting round playing into the trend of long-range hunting. Though the match ammo for Winchester does suggest the bands see precision shooters—perhaps not dyed-in-the-wool competitors, who are much more recoil conscious—embracing the beltless magnum.

Complimenting the cartridge, both brands have released rifles chambered for the Western, complete with appropriate twist rate. Winchester offers five models of its storied Model 70 and seven models of its XPR, while Browning has eight iterations of its X-Bolt chambered for the cartridge. The majority of the rifles are sizable, boasting 24- to 26-inch barrels. Though there are exceptions with a Sporter Model 70 and two suppressor-ready XPRs with 20-inch barrels and shorter.

As to the need for the 6.8 Western, Winchester/Browning name a few advantages, including:

Heavier bullet weights than 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC & 270 WSM
More energy than 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC & 7mm Rem Mag than 300 WSM, 300 Win Mag & 300 PRC
Long, heavy bullets ideal for Big Game Hunting & Long-Range Precision Shooting
Short action for fast cycling, high accuracy & reduced rifle weight

For more information on the 6.8 Western, please visit winchester.com and browningammo.com.

Take Aim At Hunting Content:

4 Classic Hunting Bullets To Fill Your Tag
Long-Range Hunting: Times And Tactics Have Changed
.350 Legend Vs .450 Bushmaster: Does One Win Out For Hunting?
Best Hunting Rifle Reviews To Get On Target For The Season (2020)

First Look: Stoeger STR-9S Combat 9mm Pistol

Elwood Shelton

January 21, 2021

Stoeger cooks up a pistol ready to take on anything the world throws at you in the STR-9S Combat.

The rise of red dots and suppressors have spawned the popularity of tactical pistol models. If a shooter is going to gas up a gun, it’s good to get one configured to accept the accessories. Downside these style of handguns, generally they run into second mortgage territory price wise. This makes Stoeger’s latest expansion of its STR line of striker-fired pistols so welcome.

The STR-9S Combat Pistol boasts all the bells and whistles shooters look in this class of gun, but is priced so as to make it affordable for most. The MSRP is $549, which, relatively speaking, is rock bottom for a tactical pistol. Furthermore, the STR line punches well above its price tag. We tested the first generation of the 9mm and walked away highly impressed (read the STR review for more details).

More from Stoeger:

ACCOKEEK, Md. (January 19, 2021) – Stoeger recently entered the striker-fired, semi-automatic pistol market with the introduction of the STR-9. The latest update to the affordable and durable pistol line features performance upgrades and features to create the STR-9S Combat pistol. The pistol combines high suppressor sights, threaded barrel, flared magwell, optics-ready slide, three backstaps and three magazines, producing an all-around solution for everyday carry, home defense or fun at the range.
The STR-9S Combat features a corrosion-resistant black nitride finish, included interchangeable backstrap grips for a custom fit and 4.17-inch, threaded barrel to attach a suppressor for quiet shooting. The pistol’s accessory rail accepts a wide variety of pistol lights and laser sights for low-light conditions. The reversible magazine release supports right- and left-handed shooting. With an overall length of 7.44 inches and weighing 1.6 pounds, the STR-9S Combat is designed for personal protection without breaking the bank.
Rugged and reliable, the STR-9S Combat’s grip angle is engineered to match the drift-adjustable, raised suppressor fiber-optic sights for true target alignment and combines with a low-bore axis for reduced muzzle rise to quickly reacquire targets for follow-up shots. Aggressive front and back slide serrations provide a firm grasp with or without gloves. A smooth-pulling, crisp trigger houses an internal safety for extra security.
The pistol also features four interchangeable plates for attaching some of the most popular after-market red-dot sights to the top of the slide. These sights provide fast and accurate target acquisition in a wide range of lighting conditions and also allow shooters to focus on the target instead of their iron sights. Available with a 20-round magazine or a 10-round magazine for states with capacity regulations, the STR-9S Combat combines form and function for a variety of shooters at an affordable price.

Stoeger STR-9S Combat Specs
Caliber: 9mm
Action: Striker-fired, semi-auto
Barrel length: 4.17 inches
Overall length: 7.44 inches
Weight: 1.6 pounds
Grip: Three interchangeable backstraps
Safety: Trigger safety
Sights: Raised fiber optic
Finish: Black Nitride. Capacity: 20+1, 10+1
Warranty: 5 years
MSRP: $549

For more information on the Stoeger STR-9S Combat, please visit stoegerindustries.com.

Get More Handgun Reviews:

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Does The 6.8 SPC II Still Have A Place?
By
Elwood Shelton
-
January 21, 2021
2
The 6.8 SPC II isn't afraid of going small. An example, Wilson Combat's SBR Tactical.
For a true intermediate cartridge that delivers a punch, look no further than the 6.8 SPC II.
The 6.8 Remington SPC doesn’t get its due in the pantheon of AR-15 cartridges. It’s a shame. The 6.8 is a regular do-all. A hunting whiz for varmints and medium-sized game. Absolutely on target at close to medium range. And fitting nearly seamlessly—there are a few tweaks—into the everyday, average AR platform.
It would seem shooters with a yen for a jack-of-all-trades rifle would jump all over the 6.8 SPC. So, why aren’t they? While there are staunch devotees, a troubled past put it in the shadow of the standby 5.56 or the specialist 300 Blackout. However, with new life breathed into the 6.8 the past 12 or so years, the intermedia round definitely deserves a second look.
6.8 SPC Genesis
A typical refrain for AR-inspired cartridges, the 6.8 SPC came about as a military venture. In the early days of the War On Terror, special operators were displeased with the performance of the 5.56 NATO. Reports rolled in of Taliban fighters killing or wounding U.S. soldiers after being shot multiple times with the 5.56. Not good. What was required was a cartridge that put the enemy down on the mean streets of the Middle East and kept him there. At the same tick, utilized the compact M4 platform.
The SPC's parent case, the .30 Remington (left), was all but forgottent. Here it is next to a (from left) .300 Savage and .280 Remington.
Honestly, not the easiest of tasks. The AR-15 family of arms was specifically designed around small-bore, high-velocity cartridges—initially the .223 Remington, later the 5.56. Incorporating an option with more of the mythical “stopping power”—read a larger caliber bullet—is tricky. Though, in concept, the 6.8 SPC provided an elegant solution.
A joint effort between Remington and the U.S. Army’s Marksmanship Unit (top-shelve competitive shooters that just don’t lose) came up with an intriguing solution.
First off, they turned to the defunct .30 Remington case for the new cartridge’s parent. While the rimless .30-30 sports a larger case head (.422 inch) than the 5.56 (.378), it a smaller diameter than, say, the 7.62×39 (.445). The advantage in this is bolt-head dimensions. Yes, it required an upgrade from the standard M4, but its breadth wasn't so great as to inject structural integrity issues.
As to caliber, fitting for the 6.8 SPC, it was the middle ground. South of .30-caliber, the U.S. Military has long known the superior terminal performance of the 7mm. On the other side, extensive accuracy testing in the 6.8 project found 6.5-calibers offered greater accuracy. The 6.8 rode the line at intermediate ranges, proving as on target as the smaller caliber, yet as damaging as the larger. Potent mix.
Thus the 6.8 SPC was born. All an M4 required was a new bolt head and caliber-specific magazines and it was right as rain. Except it wasn’t.
While the pieces were there for a more effective intermediate cartridge, the execution was not. In short, the chamber was fudged in a rush to get the brand-new hot shot into military testing. The bug, free bore.
On the original Remington design, there was .050 inches of it. Combine with the original twist rate, 1:10, pressure was an issue. Various corners of the 6.8 world claim they were minor, perhaps 200 psi over the 55,000 psi limits of AR systems. Nevertheless, military brass are sticklers for specs—especially since the Vietnam M16 debacle—therefore the pressure issue was a bridge too far.
Remington’s solution was nearly as bad as the problem—underload the cartridge. Eesh, who wants a system that can’t live up to its full potential? Apparently not the military. While there are reports of the 6.8 SPC seeing action, and acquitting itself well, it was soon given the “better luck next time” treatment by the military.
Worse yet, the hubbub of the development of the cartridge spread around the greater gun world. Gunmakers are businesses, and each wanted their slice of the 6.8 SPC pie. Except rifles began rolling out before the cartridge was officially sanctioned by the Shooting Arms and Ammunition Manufactures Institute (SAAMI). A very big problem.
SAAMI 6.8 SPC Chamber Drawing
With so many firearms floating around with the faulty chamber, the governing body had no recourse but to sanction the flawed design. This isn’t to say the original 6.8 SPC design won’t function; it does, but only safely with the downloaded ammunition that doesn’t put the rifle and subsequently shooter in peril.
It might have spelled the demise of the cartridge, once folks caught on to its underperformance. Thankfully, help was on the way.
Learn More About The 6.8 SPC:
6.8 SPC VS 6.5 Grendel: Intermediate Cartridge Rumble
4 Top 6.8 SPC Upper Options To Level Up Your AR
6 Top 6.8 SPC Ammo Choices
4 Best 6.8 Barrel Options For Your Next AR Build
Long Live The 6.8 SPC II
If a shooter goes out today and purchases a brand new 6.8 SPC rifle, most likely it isn’t the original design. Instead, they’re getting a 6.8 SPC II—it will say so on the barrel roll mark. Essentially, it’s the ironed out version of the original design. It was also a labor of love by a number of individuals and companies who had a belief the cartridge could be more.
In retrospect, the fix was pretty simple—.050-inch of free bore to be exact. That was what was tacked on, making the grand total of the 6.8 SPC II's .100 inch. Additionally, 1:11 twist rate was incorporated in most new rifles. This isn’t universal, short-barrel 6.8 SPC II rifles and pistols are much faster—they need to be to stabilize the bullets. But by-and-large, the 1:11 is what’s used in most carbine-length guns.
Problem solved, it should have been clear sailing. Except that pesky original design loomed over the improvement. This time with ammunition.
Loading Up The 6.8 SPC II
Hot factory loads for the 6.8 SPC II are few and far between. That’s because it’s a maverick of sorts. While almost every new gun chambered thus utilizes the improved design, the original is what’s on file with SAAMI. Liability laws what they are, not many ammo makers have jumped at improving their loads with the chamber.
There have been exceptions. Silver State Armory (now owned by Nosler) is the 6.8 SPC II’s oldest cheerleader. In turn, the company turned out loads that brought out the cartridge’s best. One of its most notable, a load boasting a 140-grain Berger VLD (Very Low Drag) bullet that it claimed stayed supersonic past 1,000 yards. Impressive, given inherent case capacity limits.
Yet, most shooters can expect much more moderate specs from store-bought ammunition. Most factory loads are topped with 85- to 120-grain bullets, sent from the muzzle at anywhere from 2,300 fps to 2,600 fps.
6.8 SPC factory ammo doesn't typically bring out the best in the cartridge.
In all honesty, for many this is more than enough for most purposes. At the same tick, it’s not everything the 6.8 SPC II can offer. Thus the reason why handloaders have fallen in love with the exclusivity of the cartridge. They’ve got the stuff to make it sing.
For the most part with most loads, handloading improvements net 100 fps to 300 fps more velocity than factory ammo and expands bullet selection up to 140 grains. Though, there are exceptions. The more daring have pushed the limits of the cartridge milking as much as 3,000 fps plus at the muzzle, which is screaming.
Yet, shooters should temper their overall expectations over the 6.8 SPC II. Simply because hot loads exist, doesn’t mean its purpose has modified. It remains an intermediate cartridge.
Ballistic Capabilities
Limited by its mission parameters, what should shooters expect from the 6.8 SPC II? Not a long-range round. True to its roots, even with most handloads, its maximum effective range lingers around 600 yards in most circumstances, but it operates best 300 yards in.
What’s at issue is a pull between ballistic coefficient and case capacity. Lightweight 85-grain bullets are more than capable of being pushed in excess of 3,000 fps, but inherently are not good at bucking wind resistance. Heavier bullets are good a cutting the air, but take up space in the case, thus have less propellent pushing them.
As its trajectory shows, the 6.8 is an intermediate round.
In turn, a wall is hit generally around 700 yards. At this point, the bullet goes sub-sonic and it’s ballistics go to pot. But even out to 500 yards and moving faster than the speed of sound, the 6.8 isn’t the flattest-shooting critter.
The trajectory graph (above) provides a good example. The two “HL” loads are handloads at maximum velocity, per Accurate Powder’s reloading data. The third is a Hornady factory hunting load. Across the board, the loads are relatively flat out to 300 yards, but by 500 yards have fallen by 60-inches or more—the 90-inch range for the heavier bullets. Furthermore, in each case, the loads go sub-sonic by around 700 yards. The 85-grain load maintains supersonic flight to a tick past 700, but the heavier two peter out around 600 yards.
This raises the question, why not just 300 Blackout? It’s renowned for its close and short-medium range effectiveness. True enough, and if it were simply a factory-ammo game this proposition would hold true. However, add handloading in and shooters get more bang for their buck with the 6.8 SPC II.
6.8 SPC II vs 300 Blackout handloads
Another example. Take two handloads (second graph), both taken from Accurate Powder data, with the same type of bullet for each cartridge—a 110-grain Hornady V-Max. Loaded for maximum velocity, the cartridges stay neck-in-neck out to 200 yards, with around a 2-inch difference in drop. By 300 yards, the difference has grown just shy of 10 inches with the 6.8 SPC clearly with the flatter trajectory. Plain and simple, the SPC has more potential to reach out and fulfill its intermediate role.
6.8 SPC II On The Hunt
With its military career DOA, another group deserves credit for boosting the 6.8 SPC II’s fortunes—hunters. Most famously, hog hunters.
Texas pig poppers are the folks who’ve most buoyed the cartridge in recent years, reaping porcine like ripe wheat with the 6.8. The caliber has improved cross-sectional area compared to all AR-15 cartridges, outside of the 300 Blackout, which means even before bullet expansion it punches larger holes.
Hunting-wise, the cartridge that gives the 6.8 SPC a run for its money is the 6.5 Grendel, another intermediate round that has a slightly longer effective range. However, to enjoy everything the Grendel offers a barrel north of 20 inches is recommended. Not so with the 6.8 SPC. A majority of rifles chambered for the cartridge are carbine-length or pistol.
Those who avoid humping extra weight on the hunt appreciate this advantage. As do the defensive-minded. While not as suppressible as the 300 Blackout, the 6.8 SPC is comfortable in short-barreled configurations. With improved velocities—the determining factor of bullet expansion—the SPC is a mean close-quarters option more than fit to protect hearth and home.
Parting Shot
A troubled start sullied the wide-spread popularity of the 6.8 SPC and the improved SPC II. Unfortunate. The cartridge is perhaps the truest intermediate option for the AR-15 and delivers what it promises. Shooters willing to give the 6.8 another look will likely find their efforts well rewarded.
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