Big mags can be hard to load, but that’s not so with the BEML.
Ben’s Easy Magazine Loader it's exactly as it sounds.
Loading magazines is a hassle. Loading high-capacity magazines, with few exceptions, is even more of a hassle. There are now machines, some even electrically powered, that load magazines. But they take up space, and they cost money.
How to save your thumbs and not bust the bank? BEML to the rescue.
So Easy
The BEML, or Ben’s Easy Magazine Loader, is one of those “Why didn’t I think of that!” devices that I find fascinating. It’s dead simple: a handle with two parallel rods.
To use it, you place the magazine on the bench, base down. Put a loaded round on the two rods. Use the rods to push the follower or top round down until there is clearance, and then slide the round on the BEML under the feed lips. Repeat as necessary.
Now, on something such as a 1911 magazine, this might not be the tool you need. Some magazines have sharp edges or corners, and it’s just easier to use the BEML. Some double-stack 9mm magazines are easier to stuff than others. Some are a real pain. (You know which ones they are; no need for me to call out the offenders … Mr. Polymer.)
Ben's Easy Magazine Reloader And Pistol-Caliber Carbines
Where it becomes a real aid is when you are loading up a pistol-caliber carbine. Getting the last rounds into a 17-round magazine is hard. But getting the last dozen rounds into a 33-round magazine or an extended-capacity 50-round magazine can bring tears to your eyes (yes, Virginia, there are 50-round magazines for PCC. Competition shooters use them every weekend across America. God, I love this country!).
The BEML is not caliber-specific, because the rod spacing allows use in 9mm to .45. The designer/company owner says the BEML can go all the way down to .25 ACP. However, I’ve got to say that if you find loading the last of six rounds into your .25 ACP pistol to be a chore, you really need to be eating your Wheaties.
Use Ben's Easy Magazine Reloader's rods to depress the top cartridge. Then, slide the next one off the rods and under the feed lip.
Once I had a chance to test the BEML in a few magazines, I found myself wondering where Ben’s Outdoor Design was when I was shooting PCC in the early days and used a carbine that required Sten gun magazines. That was a real monster to load—a double-stack magazine that fed from a single central point. I had an array of loading-assist devices to get those things filled up, and back in the “medium-old” days, none of them was very satisfactory.
A Word to the Wise
Fair warning: The BEML is small enough so that if you lose track of it at the range, it might not come home with you. It could easily “disappear” into someone else’s range bag if you’re at a range where such things are not dealt with via summary hangings! But there’s a convenient hole in the handle, so you can chain the BEML to your range bag.
The BEML costs only $12.95. As simple as it is, if your son or daughter has any shop skills (and their school still offers shop classes), they could make one once they had one to copy.
But why do that? This is America, where cleverness is supposed to be rewarded; and I can’t see saving a few bucks by ripping off someone’s clever idea. I’m going to buy a bunch more and chain one to each range bag I commonly use.
Fix It Sticks introduces competition-inspired 3-Gun and Long-Range kits, giving shooters the tools to troubleshoot their guns anywhere.
Drive around without a jack or jumper cables you’re courting fate. Not the good kind either. The dusty backroad variety, in the middle of the night, without a gas station or house light on the horizon. Likely, you’re doing the same every time you head to the range.
In all likelihood, you’ll throw a stubby flathead in your range bag when scoping in a deer rifle. Maybe, a cleaning kit is on hand—good enough to dislodge a stuck case in a pinch. But actual, to-the-quick gun tools meant to troubleshoot accuracy-eating, gun-stopping malfunctions are an afterthought, if that, for most shooters. That’s all changing.
In recent years, Fix It Sticks has taken it upon themselves to provide shooters with comprehensive gun tools that are no more trouble to tote along than an extra box of ammo. And now the company has introduced two purpose-built, comprehensive tool kits that handle hard-use and precision firearms. Developed with input from competitive shooters, Fix It Sticks Long Range Kit and 3-Gun Kit boast an extensive array of the most useful tools, bits and torque limiters required to maintain a gun's accuracy and performance.
Tailored to tune up rifles, shotguns and handguns, Fix It Sticks 3-Gun Kit is ideal for the multi-gun shooter—even if they aren’t competitors. In addition to a multi-section cleaning rod and the company’s redesigned Take-Down Ratchet T-Handle, the kit includes:
65 Inch/Lbs torque limiter
45 Inch/Lbs torque limiter
25 Inch/Lbs torque limiter
15 Inch/Lbs torque limiter
½-inch Socket/Adapter
Mini Pry Bar
Pin Punch set
Bronze Scraper
Steel Pick
Cleaning Brush Bit
Set of two 8-32 adapters
Aimpoint Bit
.223 BCG Scraper
.308 BCG Scraper
A2 Sight Bit
Castle Nut Bit
Choke Wrench
1911 Bushing Bit
Glock Front Sight Bit
24 Chrome Plated Bits
Magnetic Patch
Microfiber Lens Cloth
Soft Carrying Case
Fix It Stick Long-Range Kit
Designed to keep precision rifles pounding the X-ring, Fix It Stick’s Long Range Kit is a must-have for anyone who goes the distance. The kit also comes with the company’s versatile Take-Down Ratchet T-Handle, cleaning rod and a number of other useful tools including:
65 Inch/Lbs torque limiter
45 Inch/Lbs torque limiter
25 Inch/Lbs torque limiter
15 Inch/Lbs torque limiter
½-inch Socket/Adapter
Mini Pry Bar
Pin Punch Set
Bronze Scraper
Steel Pick
Cleaning Brush Bit
Set of two 8-32 adapters
Bubble Level Set
3/16 inch Extended Action Bit
5/32 inch Extended Action Bit
24 Chrome Plated Bits
Magnetic Patch
Microfiber Lens Cloth
Soft Carrying Case
Be it a loose action screw, rattling handguard or flighty scope rings, Fix It Sticks has you covered with its Long Range and 3-Gun Kits. The 3-Gun Kit runs $350, while the Long Range Kit is priced $368.
Be it self-defense or an afternoon at the range, most shooters turn to the tried-and-true semi-automatic pistol. Fans of this style of handgun presently live in a golden age, with more classic designs, new innovative models and performance-enhancing accessories available now then ever before. We’ve gathered up some of the top-pick of new pistols and pistol gear that’s recently hit the market, in every case likely to boost your performance behind the trigger.
Jak Slide 2.0 Belt Holster
Rolling out in the 1970s, the Jak Slide holster is nothing new in the world of concealed carry. But how Galco makes them now is. Turning to hybrid technology, the famed holster maker improves on the traditional design for a more responsive and safer hanger. In particular, Galco has placed a Kydex skeleton into the steerhide Jak Slide, giving it some subtle—but useful—attributes. Namely, the holster won’t collapse after the draw, making it easier and more intuitive to rehang a pistol. At the same tick, the Jak Slide is as concealable and fast as it ever was … perhaps more so. It still goes down as among the top options for those who tote a 1911. MSRP: $55, galcogunleather.com
Thyrm SwitchBack 2.0
Simple concepts oftentimes prove the most useful. That pegs the SwitchBack 2.0 perfectly. Evolving the way you manage a flashlight in a defensive situation, the intuitive attachment allows full control of your torch and handgun. It even facilitates a two-handed grip on your gun, while keeping a light on your target. Mounting securely between a flashlight’s tail cap and body, the ring hooks around a finger on the support hand, freeing up the appendage for other operations in the process. Reloading, working the slide, and even support-side shooting are all a possibility—definitely not the case with traditional flashlight techniques. If you need another selling point, a robust pocket clip is part of the package, as is compatibility with SureFire and DFT lights. MSRP: $19.99, thyrm.com
Springfield Armory Ronin Operator 4.25-inch 1911
Lightweight, rugged, and now more concealable, Springfield Armory hits the right notes with its next iteration of the Ronin Operator, configuring the pistol with a 4.25-inch barrel. Commander-sized, the pistol is the best of both worlds, easier to keep under wraps, but with bore enough to milk more ballistic potential out of the 9mm and .45 ACP rounds. Plus, it’s built to please even the most discerning 1911 snobs, complete with a traditional barrel bushing system and match-grade barrel. It’s a looker to boot. Two-tone, the aluminum-alloy-framed Ronin also sports Cross Canyon laminate wood grips, giving it an overall wicked appearance. MSRP: $849, springfield-armory.com
Proving wildly popular since its release, the Ruger PC Carbine has staked a claim in the PCC sphere. It only makes sense upgrades would follow. For practical use, the Jawbone Mag Release might be among the most practical. Little more than an extension, the lever has the potential to completely revamp how you run the rifle, making reloads lightning quick by placing the control within reach of the trigger finger—beats the heck out of straining forward of the trigger guard. Made from aircraft-grade aluminum, it’ll stand up to your abuse. Plus, it’s a snap to install. What more could you want? MSRP: $84.99, jawbonetactical.com
S&W Performance Center M&P9 Shield EZ
Opening semi-automatic pistols to a greater swath of the shooting world, the easy-to-manipulate M&P9 Shield EZ has proven to be a game changer. Now it’s available all decked out. Getting the Smith & Wesson Performance Center treatment, the 9mm has several upgrades that have it running like a top. Some of these consist of a ported barrel, flat-faced skeletonized trigger, aftermarket sights, and tuned action. Additionally, it’s available with some head-turning finishes that give the pistol a truly customized look, including black, silver, and gold accents. Best of all, the Shield EZ comes in at a price nearly any shooter can afford. MSRP: $588, smith-wesson.com
Sig Sauer P938 SAS
There’s more to a concealed-carry-friendly pistol than its height, width, and weight. There’s also a little question about deployment. Sig Sauer all but eliminates this concern with the release of the P938 SAS model, which is about as streamlined as you get. In addition to milling all potential catch points on the pistol’s frame and slide, it also wears what might be the lowest-rise sights on the market. Known as Flush-Mounted FT Bullseye sights, the fiber-tritium low-light option leaves almost no footprint on the 9mm, offering the peace of mind that you can get your gun in the fight at the moment of truth. MSRP: $856, sigsauer.com
Holosun HE508T V2
Not shooting with a reflex sight yet? You should consider it. Holosun gets you into the action with its new HE508T V2 optic loaded with features that’ll get you on the mark. Chief among them is the unit’s Multiple Reticle System, which offers a transition between a 32 MOA Circle and 2 MOA Dot. Plus, the optic is built for all the punishment you can dish out, constructed with a titanium body and a durable base that helps it withstand shock. And the V2 is always ready to roll when you are, with a backup solar charging system that keeps it up and running. MSRP: $435.28 red dot; $470 green dot, holosun.com
The Cold War saw many interesting firearms designs, but few are as unique as the Polish PM-63, now available in the semi-auto Pioneer Arms PM-63C pistol.
Some firearms have a utilitarian look; some can be classified as beautiful; some look plain vanilla; and some firearms are flat out odd-looking. The PM-63 falls right into this last category of very odd-looking firearms.
Nevertheless, although it might look pretty weird, it’s a very well-thought-out design, and it reflects solid build quality for that era, especially for a Combloc weapon. But the select-fire PM-63 has been out of the reach of most Americans … until now. Thanks to Pioneer Arms, it’s been redesigned as the PM-63C—a civilian-legal, semi-auto pistol.
The PM-63 Design
The original PM-63 is a Polish-designed submachine gun (SMG) that’s blowback operated, hammer-fired and select-fire, with a full-auto rate of fire of 650 rounds per minute. It’s chambered in 9x18mm Makarov.
Officially named the “Pistolet Maszynowy wzor 1963” (PM Model 1963), it’s often referred to as the PM-63 RAK. It’s one of the first SMGs to incorporate the magazine well into the pistol grip, following in the footsteps of the Czechoslovakian Sa Vz 48 (aka Sa 23/24/25/26 Series) and the Israeli Uzi.
To retain pistol status with the ATF, the folding stock has been spot-welded in place, and the foregrip is permanently fixed and cannot be opened to a vertical grip.
Development started in the late 1950s by Piotr Wilniewczyc, who died in 1960, before development was complete. A team from the state-owned factory completed development, and the PM-63 was adopted into Polish military and police service in 1965. Around 80,000 were made until production stopped in 1977. It would continue on in service until it was replaced in 1984 by the PM-84 Glauberyt. During its service life, the PM-63 was adopted for use by 13 different countries and fought in 12 different wars or conflicts.
The PM-63 is unique. It’s essentially a pistol/SMG hybrid. Where most SMGs are distinctly different designs than handguns, the PM-63 looks as if it started life as a handgun and was then half morphed into an SMG. What makes it so different is that SMGs typically have an upper receiver and a reciprocating internal bolt. The PM-63 doesn’t; it uses a traditional pistol slide assembly (slide, barrel, recoil spring, guide rod).
Another unique feature is the shovel-looking protrusion in front of the barrel. It’s a muzzle compensator that directs gasses up, forcing the muzzle down, thus helping make the gun more controllable in full auto. It also makes for a great, one-handed cocking mechanism—although I don’t recommend using it unless it’s for an emergency, because using it would mean pressing the muzzle of a loaded gun into an object you could potentially destroy.
Then, there’s the monstrosity in front of the trigger guard, which is a front grip. It can be used as a grip when folded or can be opened to be used as a vertical grip. Cleverly tucked away is a folding shoulder stock made of stamped steel. It closes by sliding forward, with the arm resting firmly against the receiver and the butt folded up, nestled in a cut in the rear of the receiver.
7.62x25mm Tokarev: The Many Copies Of The Combloc Icon
A Few Details
The relatively heavy weight of the gun, the compensator and the shoulder stock—combined with the mild-recoiling 9x18mm Makarov cartridge—make the PM-63 easy to shoot, even on full auto. To further enhance shooting, there’s an inertia buffer inside the rear of the slide that reduces the rate of fire from around 850 rounds per minute to 650.
To disassemble (and assemble) the slide from the lower receiver, the tick mark on the lower receiver (located between, and just forward of, the safety and rear sight) must be positioned between the two tick marks on the slide so the barrel can be rotated.
During the cycling of the action, the barrel doesn’t tilt like most handguns do; and, despite what some Internet sources say, the barrel doesn’t rotate during the firing process either. The locking ribs on the barrel lock with the locking ribs on the lower receiver, thus holding straight in line and fixed in place.
The mag release is located in the customary position used by European handguns of this era (the bottom of the grip/mag well). However, it’s better than most grip-bottom designs, because the release lever is thumbed toward the magazine instead of away from it, which is more awkward.
The rear sight incorporates an L-shaped flip sight with one side marked for 75 meters and the other for 150 meters. The front sight is blade-styled and machined into the slide. Despite the long overall length of the gun, the sight radius is only 6 inches (about the same as a Glock G19 compact pistol). The sights are pretty good for circa 1959, but by modern standards, they’re not very functional.
The PM-63C: Civilian Legal
What do you do when you find in your inventory guns that were produced for the military market, but they’re now obsolete? You do what Pioneer Arms Corp. did: You remanufacture them into a civilian-legal version for the U.S. civilian market.
U.S. gun owners and collectors can now purchase a semi-auto-only version called the PM-63C. The only downside? There will only ever be 650 of them … because only 650 are in existence.
The PM-63C looks odd, thanks, in part, to this large monstrosity in front of the trigger well. It’s a forward grip that has been permanently fixed into the folded position, per ATF rules. In the original select-fire version, the grip can be opened into a vertical grip.
There are four key differences between the original PM-63 and the civilian-legal PM-63C. First, and most obviously, it’s been remanufactured to shoot semi-auto-only. Second, to meet ATF requirements to qualify as “not a machine gun,” it fires from a “closed bolt”—or, in this instance, a closed slide. Third, to meet the ATF requirements for a pistol and not a short-barreled rifle (SBR), the folding shoulder stock has been bead-welded in the “closed” position so that it can’t be extended. Fourth—also to meet ATF requirements—the front grip is fixed in place so it can’t be unfolded into the vertical grip.
Markings include the original PM-63 stamping (on the right side of the slide) of the serial number: the circle-11 logo and “1971,” for the year of manufacture. Forward of that is the marking of the remanufacturing company (“INTERARMS, RADOM, POLAND, PM63-C cal 9×18”). On top of the slide and behind the rear sight is the mark of the importer, PAC’s U.S. subsidiary (“PIONEER ARMS CORP., FORT ORANGE, FL”). Just behind that is PAC’s archer (“Łucznik”) logo and “RADOM”, “POLAND” and an “11.”
PM-63C pistols can be purchased from PAC’s distributer, Classic Firearms, and includes the original-issue canvas holster, two magazines (one 15-round, one 25-round) and cleaning kit.
Range Time
The PM-63C is an interesting gun, but the biggest question I had was about reliability: It’s a difficult task to take a gun designed to be fired open-bolt and convert it to reliably fire from a closed bolt. It’s one thing to design a semi-auto version from the ground up, as with many MAC-11-style guns, but to convert an actual “already-made” military surplus gun is something different.
If this were the original select-fire PM-63, pressing the lever would allow the shooter to pull the shoulder stock to the rear. On this PM-63C, the lever still works. However, the stock bar has been welded in place.
If you’ve ever pulled the trigger on a Combloc handgun, it’s like pulling a brick through a garden hose! However, my PM-63C is very different from that; it’s good … maybe even very good. It’s long, but grit-free and surprisingly light, and it averages a pull rate between 4.0 and 4.3 pounds. It’s pretty smooth, with a clean break and a short reset.
For me, reliability isn’t a big concern with a gun such as this. I’m not buying it to perform flawlessly, and it will never be used for self-defense. I have other guns for that. I’m buying it because it’s unique, and it’s a piece of Cold War history.
With that said, reliability was … okay. I didn’t put a ton of lead downrange (again, I’m not testing it in order to use it as a carry gun). In total, out of the 60 rounds I fired, I had 11 feed malfunctions. In all cases, the fresh round was about halfway into the chamber, and the slide just couldn’t push it in all the way. I believe a stouter recoil spring would resolve the issue.
Accuracy was better than expected. The PM-63C has a compact pistol-length barrel, along with a compact pistol sight radius and 1950s-era sights. I set up 12-inch targets at 25 yards and 50 yards. At both distances, I managed to get 80 or 90 percent of the hits within the 12-inch target.
With the shoulder stock in the “closed” position, the butt plate folds up under the lower receiver. Note the bead weld at the junction where the shoulder stock and shoulder stock latch pin meet, preventing it from being opened.
At those ranges, It wasn’t bad. However, although the sights are marked “75 meters” and “150 meters,” the role for this is more of PDW, which would be mostly for closer ranges. Besides, let’s keep it real: It’s chambered in 9×18 Makarov, which has slightly more power than a .380 ACP; and no one is hurtling .380 downrange at 50 yards, let alone 75 or 150.
So, I set up some targets at 12 yards, and the PM-63C fared much better. I shot five-shot groups. The Hornady Critical Defense 95-grain FTX grouped at 2.12 inches; the Sellier & Bellot 95-grain FMJ grouped at 1.59 inches; and the Fiocchi 95-grain FMJ grouped at 1.57 inches. For me, that’s good enough for this gun to be fun to shoot.
Final Verdict
The PM-63C ranks pretty high in the “most-interesting” firearms category. Because I’m a history buff and gun collector, one of the genres/topics I’m most interested in is the Combloc/Eastern Europe. When both history and guns are combined, it’s tough for me to say “no.” And for the PM-63C, I wasn’t able to!
I paid $1,300 through Pioneer Arms’ distributer, Classic Firearms. Some might scoff at the price (“I can get a nice AR for that price!” is the popular refrain), but all my gun-purchase regrets are the guns I didn’t purchase (usually, because I thought the price was too high). For me, $1,300 is higher than I want to pay, but with only 650 of these PM-63Cs in existence, it’s likely the value will go up. I can’t guarantee that it will, but I can guarantee that either way, I’ll probably never get another chance to purchase one.
Pioneer Arms PM-63C Specifications CALIBER: 9x18mm Makarov ACTION TYPE: Semi-auto, blowback, closed bolt FRAME: Steel; Bakelite furniture SLIDE: Steel BARREL: Chrome lined, 5.9 in. TRIGGER: 4.2 lb. (average) SIGHTS: Flip rear sight (75 and 150 meters); blade-style front sight WEIGHT: 3.5 lb. (empty) OVERALL LENGTH: 13.1 in. ACCESSORIES: 2 magazines (15- and 25-round); original canvas holster; cleaning kit MSRP: $1,300 (distributed via ClassicFirearms.com)
For more information on the Pioneer Arms PM-63C, please visit pioneer-pac.com.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the August 2020 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Our 2020 Hunting Buyer's Guide takes a look at standout new products from some of your favorite manufacturers. Each manufacturer is also offering a giveaway every week for the next six weeks. Check back each week for a new giveaway.
Our first giveaway is from Black Hills Ammunition. Together with Gun Digest and RECOIL: Carnivore, Black Hills Ammunition is giving away 500 rounds of Black Hills Gold .308 Win Match 125gr Hornady GMX Ammo. Enter by subscribing to the sponsors' email newsletters.
Advice abounds when it comes to the ‘best' EDC gun. But only you can choose the one you’re going to trust your life to.
One of the most common questions I get is, “What kind of gun do you carry?”
I suppose, without trying to sound conceited, this is because folks want to know what a former cop—who’s trained extensively at Gunsite and tested a wide variety of handguns—might trust his life to. For those reasons, I guess there’s some merit to the question.
However, I firmly believe that if you base your defensive handgun choice on what I or some self-proclaimed expert might carry in their holster, you’re making a mistake. Your defensive handgun needs to fit you, and it needs to be one you can comfortably carry and swiftly and effectively employ.
That’s exactly why I stress the importance of using a drill such as the Forty-Five Drill—a drill I detailed in the January Gun Digest issue—to help you decide which EDC gun you can get along with the best. It doesn’t matter what I like, carry or use; what matters is what works for you.
Over the last 30 or so years, I’ve gone through a bunch of handguns. Maybe a look at my journey might help you in your search. Like me, you might be surprised where you end up.
The EDC Gun Journey Begins
My first handgun was a 4-inch Smith & Wesson Model 66. I was too young to buy it; I had to get my mom to do the paperwork. It was not intended as an EDC gun and, after handling it for a bit, I realized it never would be. It was too damned heavy … and big.
My next handgun was a 5-inch Colt 1911 in 9mm. It worked okay as a carry gun, but I found it too heavy and too big for all-day, everyday carry. It was replaced in 1991 with a Browning BDM.
The BDM was similar in shape and feel to the Browning HiPower and was created to compete in the service trials as the standard-issue pistol for the FBI. Its claim to fame was that it could provide multi-mode (single- and double-action fire) with the flip of a switch. It was also the only defensive handgun I’ve ever owned that, for lack of a better phrase, shot like shit. Groups were horrendous and nowhere near the point of aim. I traded it for a Walther PPK.
This 1950s-era Colt Lightweight Commander, fully customized by Novak’s, was the author’s off-duty gun throughout almost his entire law enforcement career.
I only carried the PPK was only my EDC gun for a short while. It was heavy for its size, the trigger was bad and, for that time, it was underpowered (modern .380 Auto loads are much better than they were in the early 1990s).
After I won the West Virginia National Guard State Pistol championship with a Beretta 92, I purchased one, but it, too, had a terrible trigger and was too large for comfortable carry. Nevertheless, the 92 inspired me to purchase a Beretta 85. Although it was another .380, it was one of the easiest-carrying and comfortable-to-shoot pistols I’ve ever owned.
At Work
When I went to work as a correctional officer, I had to provide my own handgun. I picked up a Ruger P90. It was a big pistol, but it was reliable and very accurate (I killed a groundhog with it at a bit past 100 yards). When I became a police officer, I was issued a 4-inch Smith & Wesson 686. It was way too much gun for EDC, and I was fortunate to find an early-model Colt Lightweight Commander in .45 Auto. After I had some work done on it by Novak’s, I carried that pistol for many years. It became the benchmark for what I considered to be a suitable defensive handgun for me: It fit my hand, I could shoot it well, and it was easy to conceal and carry.
At the time, I was also doing a lot of competition shooting, and our department had transitioned to Glocks. The Glock 22 I carried every day on duty was a very reliable sidearm, and so was the 27 that rode on my ankle. However, I never found a Glock—any Glock—comfortable to shoot, and I always struggled with my weak-hand thumb hitting the slide stop. In fact, I removed the slide stops from both of my duty guns. I continued to carry the Lightweight Commander, or at least some similar variant, for many years.
Competition Prize
I won a Browning HiPower in a shooting competition. I had the gun worked on by Robar and got Nighthawk to extend the beavertail to prevent the web-of-the-hand bite that Browning HiPowers are famous for. I carried that pistol until I was introduced to the Wilson Combat EDC X9. Sized like a Glock 19 and with a trigger like a 1911 and the feel and capacity of a HiPower, this seemed like the ultimate EDC gun. I carried—and still carry—the X9 when I needed deep concealment.
The author’s current everyday-carry gun is a full-custom Lightweight Browning HiPower. It’s now discontinued (as are all Browning HiPowers) and is what some would consider an “antique.” Nevertheless, it’s the pistol that provides him with the best balance of concealment, comfort and shootability.
Then, something extraordinary happened: A good friend gave me a fully customized lightweight Browning HiPower that had been worked on by Novak’s. Not only is this pistol rare, it’s also the easiest-to-carry high-capacity pistol I’ve every wrapped my hand around. And, more importantly, it’s reliable, and I shoot it very much better than any other handgun.
That’s quite a long journey to finally end up with a pistol that’s well-used and more than 50 years old. However, the brand, custom work, chambering and model are of no real consequence. What matters is that I get along better with that pistol than with any other.
That, my friends, is how you decide on the EDC gun you’re going to trust your life to and carry every day. Don’t let me—or anyone else—try to convince you there is a best carry gun for everyone.
Here’s some “hillbilly advice” for you: Suggestions are welcome, but EDC guns are a bit like underwear—you need to choose your own.
Nothing is as sweet as the sound of copper-jacketed lead slamming into hardened steel. With a quality AR500 steel target, you’re sure to enjoy this satisfying ping for years to come.
Why You Should Shoot AR500 Steel Targets:
Given their hardness, they are suitable for both rifles and pistols.
For high-volume shooters they are economical, costing less per trigger pull.
Easy to set up, AR500 steel targets offer you an infinite variety of courses of fire.
They’ll last for years if you take care of them.
Three words: Just. Plain. Fun.
Certainly, paper targets have their place. Heck, we’ve all been using them for decades. When zeroing your rifle for hunting season or analyzing the grouping of a new load you’ve worked up, the neat and useful grid of a sighting-in target can prove invaluable. But, over the years, the ol’ shooting-range standby hasn’t proven infallible to the march of progress. If you’re familiar with the sweet sound of copper-jacketed lead striking plate steel, then you already know exactly what I’m talking about.
Over the years, steel targets have become an increasingly popular option when it comes to pitching lead – pistol, rifle or otherwise. And while there are plenty of options on the market, they aren’t all created equal. Given that you’re throwing bits of metal at or close to the speed of sound, you need something capable of withstanding the punishment, while at the same time keeping you safe.
If you’ve done any shopping for steel targets, you’ve most likely heard or seen “AR500” crop up. But what exactly does it mean? Why should you care? And, what role does it play in getting the best steel to pelt away at with your favorite firearm? Let’s find out.
What Is AR500?
Steel, like most materials, comes in grades. Those familiar with AR-15 builds are particularly cognizant of this, given they want to get not only the best barrel steel possible but also receiver aluminum. Be it for a gun barrel or a blade for your ATV, grading of these metals makes this process much simpler and more straight-forward.
In the case of steel, much of the grading deals with the metal’s composition, its alloy, suitability for certain purposes and machinability. For steel plate, which is the stuff targets are made of, grading has much to do with its toughness. Enter the AR500 designation.
While it might sound like the plate steel is specially designed for America’s favorite rifle, the “AR” in AR500 actually refers to its primary physical property – abrasion resistance. The other half of the grade – 500 – connotates its certified Brinell hardness. Brinell testing is accomplished by impacting the steel plate with ball bearings to determine if it will chip or crack.
In the scheme of AR steel, AR500 is pretty dang tough, resisting denting, chipping and cracking. In addition to steel targets, AR500 is called in for some other rough duty: crushers, rock hammers, grapples, mining equipment and even armor. In short, it’s the perfect stuff to throw bullets at.
While longevity is one reason why AR500 is used in steel targets, there’s a more important factor that makes it preferred. Its toughness keeps its surface uniform, which in terms of shooting ensures a bullet doesn’t go flying somewhere it shouldn’t after impact. If AR500 steel targets deformed or were prone to pockmarks, the chance of a ricochet would increase and, tongue in cheek, they’d be a lot less fun.
As a side benefit, AR500 steel is fairly easy to work with … if you have the right tools. In turn, you the shooter aren’t limited to taking aim at little more than square plates. Peruse AR500 steel targets sometime if you haven’t already, and you’ll see the wealth of options. They're available in every conceivable shape and size – from enormous 16-inch-diameter round gongs to 6-inch-tall prairie dog silhouettes. At this point, the sky is the limit when it comes to styles of AR500 targets.
Why Shoot Steel?
If you’ve been perforating paper for the better part of your life, you might not believe you’ll get any more out of a good slab of AR500. That’s where we politely say, “You’re wrong.”
To start, they’re economical. Yes, you have to invest more on the front end, but with proper care, AR500 targets will last you years. This is especially true if you shoot a lot. Throw enough lead downrange and a good AR500 target can and will eventually run on par with many paper options – particularly the fancier ones.
Furthermore, AR500 targets provide instant feedback – usually. If you place one a country mile, you might have difficulty hearing your bullet’s impact, but that’s generally the only time. Even at 100 to 200 yards, an AR500 target will ring clear enough that you’ll hear your hit.
Honestly, steel targets are more versatile than almost every other type. Buy a number of them, and you can create your own course of fire. Invest in a dueling tree and you have the perfect system for you and a buddy to push each other to the limits.
Finally, they’re just plain fun. Look, everyone loves a tight little cloverleaf printed on paper, but even that pales to the sweet “Ping!” of steel.
Considerations In Buying AR500 Targets
Like a paper target designed to pattern your turkey gun would prove inadequate for long-range work, not every style of AR500 steel target excels for every shooting application. Sure, you might save money by buying a 4-inch round gong, but is that the ideal size when you're working your way up to a 1,000-yard rifle shot? Conversely, do you really need to shell out for a 17-inch tall silhouette if you’re setting up a causal pistol shooting course on your land?
This isn’t to say that a falling popper wouldn’t work as a rifle target – they’re plenty of fun when downrange from an AR. But to get the most enjoyment, you should aim for AR500 targets that work well at the range you anticipate shooting … and with the guns you plan to use.
The other consideration, one that has a direct impact on your wallet, is the thickness of the AR500 target you choose. Thicker is more expensive because you’re buying more AR500 material, but it required with some hard-punching cartridges. If you plan on exclusively running a .22 pistol, a 5/8-inch thick target is a considerable overkill.
Luckily, there are some general industry suggestions for AR500 target thickness based on a bullet’s energy:
Minimum Target Thickness
Energy (ft/lbs.)
¼-inch-thick
300-700
3/8-inch-thick
700-2,100
½-inch-thich
2,100-4,000
5/8-inch-thick
4,000-10,000
As you’ve probably deduced, you don’t necessarily have to shop AR500 targets at the top end of a bullet’s potential energy.
If you shoot, say, a 180-grain .30-06 round that leaves the muzzle at a middling 2,500 fps, at a few feet beyond 100 yards its energy is safe for a 3/8-inch thick target. On the other hand, it would not be advisable to throw a hot 162-grain 7mm Rem. Mag. round moving 3,200 fps at the target at the same distance. You either have to move the 3/8-inch target out to 200 yards to maintain its integrity or move up to a thicker, ½-inch target.
Safely Shooting AR500 Targets
Using AR500 targets isn’t exactly rocket science. At the same tick, there are certain precautions you must take to protect them and yourself.
The easiest part is buying a reputable brand you can trust. Birchwood Casey, among others, makes solid choices. They are built with longevity and safety in mind. Next up, you need to make sure the target is AR500 or the next level up in hardness AR550. Anything below this – AR400, etc. – is too soft and can yield unpredictable results.
A high-quality target is only one part of the equation: Using it properly is the other.
Always – I repeat, ALWAYS – follow the manufacturer’s instructions on setting up your steel target. They specify how close is safe for the type of firearm you’re shooting, as well as how to properly angle the target so the remain fragments of the bullet are safely deflected. You shouldn’t veer from these standards; the manufacturers have set them up to keep you safe and sound.
You must also use proper ammo. In particular, steel-core bullets are a no-no, as are solid copper. These projectiles can damage your target or, even more dangerous, penetrate it.
AR500 steel targets are designed to work with copper-jacketed lead and frangible bullets, so it’s smart to keep it that way. Thankfully, there’s a wealth of this ammo to shoot.
Finally, you need to get into a regular maintenance routine with your AR500 targets. Now, don’t clench your teeth: It isn’t much. Mainly, you want to inspect them before each use to ensure the surface is uniform and hasn’t developed any inconsistency that could result in a dangerous ricochet.
Furthermore, you should get into the habit of painting your target after every use. Even something as tough as AR500 has its weaknesses, and like all steel, without a proper coating it will rust over time. Besides, a quick hit with the rattle can makes it all the easier to see where you’re connecting, particularly at distance.
Parting Shot
Investing in solid AR500 targets might seem a bit pricy, especially compared to a stack of the regular old paper variety. But they’ll pay you back the first time you send a round flying. Beyond economics, AR500 targets are solid training tools, known for their longevity and ongoing ability to provide just plain fun. Above all … “Ping!”
Try it: You’ll instantly know what we mean.
Suggested AR500 Steel Target
World of Targets 10-inch AR500 Gong
A must-have for any shooter is a gong. Perfect for setting up a backyard shooting (if you don’t live in town) or taking on the road to your favorite shooting spot, these simple steel plates are as versatile as they come.
Plain as it is enjoyable, Birchwood Casey’s 10-inch gong is ideal. The AR500 target is 3/8-inch thick, in turn, it can stand up to both pistol and rifle fire. Additionally, it is right-sized for almost any range. It’s not too big for close quarters handgun work and not too small for some distance fire with your rifle. Plus, if you take care of it right, you’ll get nearly a lifetime out of this workhorse. The only question remaining is how many you’ll add to your collection.
Surplus AR500 Silhouette Target Package
Live near public lands or have enough space on your own parcel, a steel silhouette target is an ideal choice for self-defense training. They take a licking and keep on ticking. And few manufacturers turn out a better product than Shoot Steel.
Made from high-quality 3/8-inch AR500 plate steel, the company’s 12”x20” static silhouette package is perfect to get you training out of the box. In addition to the target proper, the setup comes with a sturdy stand and mounting hardware. All you need to provide is a 2×4 piece of lumber.
In addition to lasting nearly a lifetime, the A500 silhouette is a training enhancement. Not only does it give you visual feedback, but also auditory with that sweet ‘Ping’.
High Caliber AR500 Animal Silhouette Targets
Hey, no reason why pistoleers should have all the fun. Hunter can benefit from steel targets as well, and there is no better choice than High Caliber AR500 game silhouettes. Available in a variety of game animals—from prairie dogs to deer, even bigfoot—the targets are ideal for sharpening your skills to fill your tag.
Thicker—a full 1/2 -inch of AR500 plate steel—the targets absorb the impact from most high-power hunting rifles, of course at appropriate distances. And available in different sizes, the range doesn’t isn't such a constraint on getting a true-to-life shooting experience.
In addition to longevity, like other steel targets, High Caliber game silhouettes offer instant feedback. Plus, they’re a heck of a lot more fun than just plinking away at a grid target just before the season.
Magnum Targets 1/2 Scale IHMSA/NRA Metallic Silhouette Targets
No joke, Metallic Silhouette Shooting is a real bear. Hey, you try hitting a 28-inch tall chicken silhouette at 200 yards with a large-bore handgun. Yet, you needn’t drive yourself mad in competition to enjoy the classic targets used in International Handgun Metallic Shooting Association (IHMSA) matches.
Available in a single bundle, half-scale versions of the official targets are perfect for hours of pistol and rifle shooting fun. Yes, these are 3/8-inch thick AR500 steel, but at the right distance can endure rifle fire. But the stands are fine enough they’ll knock over with a .22 LR.
The IHMSA targets—chicken, turkey, bore and ram—are also great options for first-time shooters. Not only are they challenging to connect with, but offer a great amount of satisfaction when they tumble over. What could be better for a novice marksman?
With excellent lines and accuracy to boot, Kimber’s new 4-inch K6s Target has speed and performance worth bragging about.
What The K6s Target Brings To The Table:
Despite boasting a 4-inch barrel, the revolver comes in at a very manageable 25.5 ounces unloaded.
A slab-sided cylinder keeps the gun's width at 1.39-inches.
A fully-adjustable target rear sight allows shooters to dial in the handgun.
Dovetailed in, the rear sight can be swapped for Kimber's low-rise combat sight.
All stainless steel, the gun proves quite fetching.
Concealed carry calls the handgun market’s tune. So (a surprise to no one), when Kimber jumped into the revolver game four years ago, that’s exactly what it blueprinted and milled out. The K6s, in its original iterations (all eight of them the first couple of years), wasn’t good for much more … unless the Marquis de Sade in you revels banging away with a double-action-only knuckle-buster.
Yet, Kimber’s snubbies struck a chord, offering something a bit different than what pocket gun aficionados have seen in a spell: style, effectiveness and, above all, cold, hard steel.
The company also served up something else—the perfect platform to mature an entire revolver line. For all intents and purposes, that happened this year.
Creeping along, Kimber has grown the K6s line in number and stature, culminating in the company’s first full-sized wheelgun. But, don’t turn a jaundiced eye toward the 4-inch DASA Target as just another clone of the K-frame archetype. Whereas those .357 Magnums are the “muscle cars” of revolver-dom, Kimber’s big wheelie is a “roadster”; agile, quick and, yes, dashing. What’s more, it’s something to brag about.
Built for Speed … Among Other Things
Knock or compliment, early K6s iterations were notable hefty revolvers. A stainless steel frame, cylinder and barrel endow this attribute, but less so as the K6s has grown in size. Through the addition of a hammer and longer barrels, the frame and six-round cylinder have remained essentially the same. In turn, the revolver has grown bigger; but, relative to the rest of its class, the K6s Target is comparably small.
Unique barrel geometry simultaneously keeps the target slim and the weight of the gun forward.
Don’t take my word for it; measure it up against similar makes and models—say, the Smith & Wesson Model 19 and Colt Python. Booking at 25.5 ounces, the 4-inch Target is a full 12 ounces lighter than the Model 19. The Python is a full pound less. That’s substantial and quite a bit less burdensome on the hip. Add on that it’s also slimmer (1.39-inch width) and shorter (5.25-inch height), and this is a revolver that’s got the edge in a number of ways. Not only does it prove much more nimble—an advantage in a match for certain—but it’s also a better candidate for an on-person defense option. Concealed carry? Is he serious? Quite, and so is Kimber.
It’s evident, with the gunmaker smoothing every sharp edge to remove any snag point and flatten the surfaces that keep it pressed tightly to your profile. Need more proof? Well, the Target was released in tandem with the K6s Combat, an optimized defensive model with low-rise sights and finger groove grips. Either, however, is more than up to the job as a carry piece—and not just outside the waistband, if you know how to do it right.
Going big, or at least larger, is an advantage pistol-makers figured out awhile ago. Many in the ubiquitous striker-fired market reined back their subcompact catalog, emphasizing their 4- and 4.5-inch compact models. It’s not a ton more gun to tote, and its benefits are legion. A longer sight radius, less muzzle rise and better accuracy all make sense in that light—a similar ethos that the K6s brings to the revolver game.
Barrel, Cylinder … And Plenty of Them
Nevertheless, not everything about the 4-inch K6s is slight. The gun has both a substantial barrel and cylinder; yet, through some clever geometry, Kimber has kept both slender and manageable.
First, the barrel. It’s a single piece of stainless steel shaped like an inverse teardrop. The narrow bottom runs the length of the bore, creating a shroud for the ejector rod at its aft. At once, this design puts more material desirably toward the muzzle, thereby giving the gun leverage against muzzle rise. At the same tick, the profile remains trim enough to practically disappear on your person. As an added benefit, the barrel makes for an exceedingly smooth draw and re-holster—cutting like a knife in and out of your hanger.
The gun’s push-button cylinder release is quick and intuitive. Also note the flat sides of the cylinder: They keep the K6s slim yet give it some heft. The ejection rod isn’t full length, pushing .357 cartridges out about three-quarters of the way (bone up on your stress reloads!).
The cylinder is equally an oxymoron. A matter of physics, it’s as beefy as any other .357 Magnums, yet it cuts a leaner contour, thanks to how Kimber removes material. Fluting is out; slab-siding the cylinder is the order of the day. It’s an ingenious system.
Kimber situates the flat sides between the chambers so that where the cylinder needs the steel to withstand magnum pressure, it has it. The rest is milled away, making it a mere suggestion when concealed.
This combination does change the fulcrum of the K6s compared to similar revolvers I’ve shot, but not drastically so. The center of gravity is before the trigger, as opposed to behind. This actually balances it better in your hand—while leaving enough material forward to prevent it from becoming a beast when shooting hot loads.
In Control
With a self-defense pedigree, Kimber aimed at intuitiveness with the K6s from the start and carries it over to the Target. Its push-button cylinder release is especially welcome, making reloads fast when the situation calls for it. However, the gun doesn’t boast a full-length ejector rod. This is a point of contention for some (I personally prefer one), but perhaps a minor one, given that most emergency reloads involve tilting the rear of the cylinder groundward. Gravity helps make up the deficit.
The hammer spur is high—fractions of an inch below the rear sight when down. This is, I’m sure, a function of the gun evolving from a “carry” concept. Yet, it’s still within reach to cock the Target into single-action mode quickly with either thumb. It also has plenty of real estate to apply leverage. Additionally, Kimber includes a very positive conical pattern on the spur, which, with even minimal thumb flesh, is aggressive enough to ensure cocking.
A fully adjustable target rear sight allows the shooter to dial in the K6s. However, dovetailed in and a gutter at Target’s frame means the gun is compatible with Kimber’s low-rise combat sights.
The reward for doing so is an exceptional single-action trigger—which might be the highlight of the whole K6s setup. Kimber has won kudos far and wide for its early revolvers’ double-action trigger pull. I’ll attest to that as a result of my time with the Target and snubbie K6s models, it’s excellent. Yes, it’s long and heavy (around 10 pounds), but it’s also smooth as silk and stageable if you so desire.
As nice as it is, it pales to the revolver’s single action. Tripping at the low end of 3 pounds, it’s the nearest thing to a hair trigger you’ll get out of a production revolver. And, as you’d expect, it does wonders on upping the revolver’s overall accuracy potential.
Hand-Eye Coordination
What makes the Target model the “Target model” is its sights and grips. As you might have gathered, the sights are target sights with a fully adjustable rear for windage and elevation. Here, Kimber has textured the rear of the plate to flatten it and ensure no glare. Up front is a steep ramp front sight with a bold-orange fiber-optic pipe that really catches and keeps the eye. Conveniently, both are replaceable—the rear is dovetailed into the frame, and the front is pinned to the barrel. And Kimber does have a selection of sight upgrades, including night combat sights.
As to the K6s Target’s grips, they’re a rich walnut with a satin finish and ample diamond checkering. Combined with contours on the rear of the frame, they provide a fairly positive grip and excellent access to the controls. You can get a solid high grip with the layout, thanks to an undercut trigger guard (which, incidentally, is large enough to comfortably run with gloves). And, while the grips run on the small side, even for a guy with medium-sized hands such as myself, they won’t muddle up a traditional two-handed grip.
Dropping the Hammer
For my range exercise, I ran four different rounds through the K6s Target, striving for a cross-section of target and defensive ammunition. Given that the gun is more than fit for either, it seemed fair to go this route. The choices included 158-grain Speer Gold Dot, 130-grain Federal HST in .38 Special +P, 125-grain Sig Elite Performance FMJ and 110-grain Winchester white box JHP.
No matter what the gun grazed on, it didn’t disappoint. Across the board, the 4-inch K6s produced the results you’d expect from a gun in this class, with no group average exceeding 2.5 inches when shooting at 25 yards off a fixed rest in single-action mode. It particularly shined with the Winchester ammo, which produced the best single group at of the day—1.6 inches—and the best overall average, at 1.8 inches.
Running the gun closer in free fire, the double-action trigger lived up to my expectations from dry-firing and previous encounters with other K6s snubbies. Especially with lighter to moderate loads, I could run the gun fast and accurately—a tribute, in part, to the excellent sights Kimber has mounted on the gun. This, in my book, further heartened my belief that the K6s has the chops as a well-equipped self-defense gun.
One concern I had heading out was the lack of texture in the sight radius, given the stainless steel construction. This was unfounded: The frame’s satin finish was more than enough to dissuade any glare, even on a cloudless, bluebird day. Overall, the grips were the only hang-up for me.
As mentioned earlier in this article, they were slimmer than I prefer—a fact backed up when I shot some of the hotter and heavy ammo. However, I don’t believe this is a deal-breaker; it’s simply more of a personal preference.
Parting Shot
Bringing a full revolver lineup to fruition, Kimber has done a great service to the gun-shooting world … for a price ($989 MSRP). Is the gun worth that? Yes: I very much think so. Bringing it to this point with a full-sized revolver fit for concealed carry is a boon for the armed citizen.
Apex Tactical Specialties allows you to go long with the FN 509 with its new LongSlide upgrade.
How The LongSlide Enhance The 509:
Outfits the pistol with a 5-inch barrel.
Premium internal parts, including barrel, extractor and striker.
Optics ready and compatible with all RMR-pattern sights.
Busy as ever, at this point FN USA has turned out a 509 for every occasion. Well, almost. Have a hankering for some sweet, sweet long-slide action from the polymer-frame striker-fired you’re plum out of luck. Despite the pistol’s admirable trigger and on-the-mark accuracy, FN hasn’t seen fit to turn out a supersized configuration, though they have for other models … ahem, the FNS.
No need to aimlessly twiddle your thumbs waiting for FN to go long, however, since Apex Tactical Specialties have done it for them. The Arizona aftermarket parts specialist unveiled its much anticipated 509 LongSlide this week and the upgrade certainly appears to have been worth the wait. Though interested parties will have their wallets considerably lightened extending their FN pistol, the base price for the Apex Tactical Specialties component is $600. But there’s plenty of bang for the buck in the LongSlide.
First things first, what you essentially get with the Apex component is a fully-assembled 5-inch slide (with barrel) compatible with all variations of the 9mm pistol. From there, the LongSlide boasts several impressive design points that should optimize the elongated element once on the frame. Most notable, at least at first blush, are the slide cuts, meant to reduce the mass of the slide to mimic the factory iteration. But there are some nuances as well, including a topside cut that makes the LongSlide compatible with all RMR pattern optics and very positive chevron-shaped cocking serration fore and aft.
Apex Tactical Specialties extends its engineering prowess to the internals, using top-shelf, in-house parts. These include the company’s Heavy Duty Striker, the Apex Failure Resistant Extractor and premium hammer-forged 9mm barrel with a 1:10” twist rate. A nice touch, customers can select between a standard length 5.00” barrel or a 1/2-28 threaded barrel with thread protector and captive O-ring. Also up to the shooter are sights, with a choice between standard height XS 3-Dot night sights or suppressor height sights (black/black). Finally, you can choose between either a black Melonite or stainless steel finish.
At the time of writing, Apex Tactical Specialties was taking pre-orders on the 509 LongSlide and expect to deliver within three or four weeks.
For more information on the Apex Tactical Specialties LongSlide, please visit apextactical.com.
The author waited nearly 40 years to make his Remington XP-100 dream a reality. It was love at first sight, and the long wait proved warranted, because the handgun has more than lived up to the expectations of his desires.
The unique 57-year-old bolt-action Remington XP-100 Long Range Pistol forever changed the pistol-shooting world for the better.
Why Was The XP-100 Such A Substantial Hunting Pistol:
The pistol was the brainchild of Remington’s Wayne Leek and was the first handgun designed for long-range shooting.
Leek's based the XP-100 on Remington’s tack-driving Model 40X short-action.
The original XP-100 design featured a 10¾-inch, vent-ribbed barrel, rear-positioned dogleg bolt and Du Pont Zetel 101 nylon stock.
The pistol was officially launched in 1963 with 5,564-gun run.
It intensified interest in handgun hunting and inspired subsequent pistol designs such as the break-action Thompson Contender (1967) and Savage Striker (1999).
As a teen enjoying the fur market spike of the late 1970s and early ’80s, pockets bursting with trapping cash, I coveted a Remington XP-100 chambered in the enticingly labeled .221 Remington Fireball (RFB). But alas, my stepfather, a three-tour Vietnam veteran with conspicuous PTSD, forbade me to own any handgun, no matter how rifle-like. He only grudgingly allowed long-arms in his house—and only after I’d been trained to shoot military style (assuring all potential fun was removed) and had passed a New Mexico hunter’s safety program.
I left home at 17, the XP-100 still in my thoughts, but I was too busy making a living and attending university to run one down. By the time I graduated from college and climbed out of abject poverty, original XPs chambered in .221 RFB had been discontinued.
They would soon achieve collector status. A gun I could have bought in the 1980s for perhaps $200 (they retailed for $99 upon release in 1963) today fetches $1,200 (on average) if it’s in good working order.
Some have called the original Remington XP-100 Long Range Pistol a “bullpup” handgun, because its bolt is located at the rear of the firearm, behind the shooting hand.
Yet, the XP-100/.221 RFB yearning persisted. That desire began to fester as a result of my newfound obsession with small-varmint shooting in the last decade; this obsession included a growing collection of custom rifles, high-magnification optics, the entire handloading program and even authoring a varmint-shooting book, The Predator & Varmint Hunter’s Guidebook. The Fireball cartridge still fascinated me. I eventually purchased a .221 RFB barrel for my T/C Contender, which was quite accurate in its own right, to temporarily satisfy my Fireball “itch.”
Nevertheless, the realities of marriage, a mortgage and miscellaneous living expenses continued to postpone my XP dreams. I’d actually reached a point at which I believed I owned all the firearms needed (heresy—I know). But an XP-100 in .221 RFB remained on my must-have list.
A bargain finally appeared in the form of an XP-100 transformed into a Fireball rifle, its original pistol parts kept safely in storage. Securing a working XP-100 then involved finding a gunsmith to turn back the clock (I now own a 26-inch stainless bull barrel and am contemplating another rifle) and the long wait inherent to gunsmithing.
The Remington XP-100 Long Range Pistol’s centralized grip was revolutionary upon release, giving it a distinctive “space gun” profile and providing excellent stability while shooting.
I took possession of that pistol on a Friday and mounted a scope (Burris’ incomparable 2-7x32mm Handgun), sighted it on Saturday using proven Contender loads (printing sub-1-inch groups) and collected a called-in, 100-yard coyote with it on Sunday. This serendipitous beginning convinced me that all those years of yearning had been warranted.
Remington’s XP-100 Handgun
Remington’s 3.75-pound XP-100 (eXperimental Pistol #100) holds many unique distinctions, including ushering in the age of chambering pistols for powerful, bottle-necked cartridges, introducing unprecedented long-range handgun precision, spawning the highly efficient .221 Remington Fireball cartridge.
The brainchild of Remington’s Wayne Leek, the single-shot, bolt-action XP-100 was the first handgun designed for long-range shooting, which, in 21st century context, means 200 yards or slightly more in experienced/practiced hands—considerably more reach than provided by revolvers that dominated before its arrival.
The Remington XP-100 Long Range Pistol shared the same white diamond-inlaid nylon stock as Remington’s Model 66 .22 LR auto-loading rifle. It was a design some found esthetically … unappealing!
Leek based the XP-100 on Remington’s tack-driving Model 40X short-action, which would eventually influence Remington’s Model 600 rifle. The original XP-100 design featured a 10¾-inch, vent-ribbed barrel, rear-positioned dogleg bolt and Du Pont Zetel 101 nylon stock (mirroring Remington’s Nylon 66 .22 LR autoloader … including inlaid white diamonds and white spacers). It also offered a revolutionary, ergonomic, center-mounted grip to provide excellent balance and stability while shooting offhand during the silhouette matches that inspired its design. Its overall geometry seems more sawed-off rifle than handgun.
A few prototypes (approximately 13) left Remington in 1962, with the official 1963 launch introducing 5,564 firearms. Although many hard-core traditionalists labeled the XP-100 “the ugliest firearm ever conceived,” the handgun helped fuel an intensifying interest in handgun hunting and inspired subsequent pistol designs such as the break-action Thompson Contender (1967) and Savage Striker (1999).
Introduced in the classic XP-100 Long Range Pistol, the line eventually expanded to include the XP-100 Silhouette Target Pistol in 1980 (it had a 14.5-inch barrel, including 7mm BR chambering); the XP-100 Varmint Special in 1986 (14.5 inches; no iron sights; .223 Remington chambering); the XP-100 Custom Long Range Pistol in 1986 (carved walnut stock; introduction of 7mm-08 and .35 Remington options); the XP-100 Custom Long Range Pistol Heavy Barrel in 1988 (15.5-inch heavy barrel; .22-250 Remington, .250 Savage, 6mm BR and .308 Winchester options added); the XP-100R Custom KS Repeater in 1991 (rear-grip Kevlar stock; blind box magazine); the XP-100 Hunter in 1993 (ambidextrous laminated stock); and the XP-100 Silhouette Pistol, also in 1993 (10.5-inch barrel; walnut stock).
The author’s 1978-vintage Remington XP-100 is stamped with .221 Remington Fireball markings—the round that was designed specifically for this handgun in 1962–‘63.
These were some of the releases, and many were only available through Remington’s Custom Shop. The rear-grip blind magazine Remington XP-40 (apparently, there are legal issues with the original XP-100 label) survives today as a Custom Shop offering.
Remington’s .221 Fireball
The .222 Remington, the company’s “darling” cartridge going into the 1960s, was initially chosen to fuel the XP-100. Yet, the handgun’s 10¾-inch (1:14-inch RH twist) barrel created excessive muzzle blast and flash. To remedy this, Remington trimmed the .222 Remington case to 1.40 inches and loaded a 50-grain bullet to 2,600 fps. The created .221 still produced substantial muzzle flash, and the “Fireball” moniker was added as an open joke. Recoil proved mild, despite the wicked muzzle blast and flash.
The cartridge all but faded away in recent decades, although it seems to be making a limping resurgence as dedicated varmint shooters rediscover its extreme efficiency and undeniable effectiveness. That efficiency translates into a cartridge producing 90 percent of the wildly popular .223 Remington’s velocity—while burning only 60 percent of the powder and producing conspicuously less rifle noise and recoil. The Fireball’s efficiency is further illustrated by the fact that it produces 170 to 212 fps per grain of powder to the .222’s 163 to 169 fps per grain of powder (averaged maximum loads, 40-grain bullets, 24-inch barrels).
My XP-100
Remington (serial number B7510184) marks my Remington XP-100 with a 1978 manufacture date—ironically enough, about the time my XP aspirations began to blossom. This also means the bolt can be worked while the safety is engaged, unlike models manufactured before 1975 (there was a recall to remedy this safety issue in 1979).
The author received his Remington XP-100 Long Range Pistol and mounted a scope one day, sighted it in the next and dropped this called-in mountain coyote with it the day after.
The .221 Remington Fireball soon developed a reputation for lacking enough punch to reliably tip over 200-meter rams in the silhouette game and obviously lacks the horsepower to serve as a big-game cartridge. This relegates it to varmint-shooting choirs. This is what attracted me to the XP-100 and .221 Fireball chambering initially, because I was looking for a compact, highly accurate firearm to deal with ground squirrels, prairie dogs and the occasional coyote, bobcat or fox. In this arena, the XP-100 and .221 Fireball combination excels.
My 10¾-inch XP-100 barrel gives up about 500 to 600 fps to my 24-inch-barreled Fireball rifle. In the real world of burrowing rodents or furbearers, what this indicates is uncertain terminal performance when shooting sturdier bullets—meaning dismantling impacts or anchoring energy transfer, respectively.
For this reason, I choose highly frangible pills with either polymer tips or aggressive hollow-points or those with Hornet labels. This also means I lean toward 40-grain bullets for small varmints, assuring anchoring hits instead of critters reaching their “expiration date” underground.
A 45-grain Hornady Hornet SP over 18.5 grains of classic Alliant 2400 powder produced this .59-inch group when shot from the author’s Remington XP-100 Long Range Pistol.
I love my classic Remington XP-100. I learned to love the .221 Remington Fireball cartridge long ago. Together, they create a varmint-/predator-shooting juggernaut. The pistol is ergonomically perfect and includes a smooth, crisp trigger to accentuate the XP-100’s inherent precision. The Fireball cartridge has what it takes to dismantle 100- to 200-yard burrowing rodents and to drop larger, call-responding predators where they stand. Some have called the XP-100 “ugly.” I, however, call it a “beauty” in every way that counts.
For more information on the Remington XP-100, please visit remington.com.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the September 2020 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the March 2020 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Loaded hot, the round remains super sonic past 100 yards.
Fun as they might be, rimfires are typically dirty guns. Fouling—lead and carbon—accumulate nearly as quickly as you pull the trigger. Not only does this result in diminished performance, but left un-addressed builds up into more serious problems—such as failure to cycle or chamber rounds.
CCI mitigated this issue somewhat in recent years with its Clean-22 coating technology, a polymer coating that greatly reduces copper and lead fouling in the bore. Now the ammo-maker has kicked it up a notch, offering this advantage for one of the heaviest-hitting rimfire calibers on a bullet meant to dole out serious damage. CCI Maxi-Mag Clean-22 Hollow Point .22 WMR is the first ammo of its kind, offering clean-coating technology on the company’s advanced segmented hollow-point bullet. Should prove quite a combination.
“New Maxi-Mag Clean-22 SHP is the industry’s only segmenting hollow-point bullet in 22 WMR.” said CCI Product Line Manager Dan Compton. “Personally, I like its Olive Drab Green color on the bullet which gives it a hunting look, and I can’t wait to hear stories and see photos from our happy customers who use this new magnum rimfire round on prairie dog towns, in the squirrel woods and for their fur trapping efforts.”
Much as its name suggests, the segmented hollow-point bullet in the CCI Maxi-Mag ammo is designed to fragment upon impact. To be exact, the projectile breaks into three equal parts, creating three separate wound channels, increasing the likelihood of hitting a critter's vitals. This being rimfire, we’re talking small varmints, by and large. To this end, the CCI Maxi-Mag provides another great advantage, generally leaving only a small entry wound and no exit. Those who pursue small furbearers are certain to see the positive in this.
Adding to the usefulness of the ammunition, the 46-grain bullet is designed to separate even at lower velocities and longer distances. Not always the case with copper-jacked options. And the CCI Maxi-Mags have the stuff to reach out, leaving the muzzle around 1,875 fps and remains super-sonic well past the 100-yard mark. As to the price, presently the ammo is selling for $18.99 per box of 50 at the company’s website.
For more information on CCI Maxi-Mag Clean-22, please visit cci-ammunition.com.
A simple laser diode, G-Sight’s ELMS device gives you a way to measure accuracy while dry-firing.
No ammo? No problem! G-Sight ELMS allows you to sharpen accuracy while dry-firing for minimal startup cost.
Firearms training … there is life away from live fire and the shooting range. In fact, if you get to the brass tacks of the matter, the work you put into sharpening your skills with nothing more than your gun and an empty chamber might do more to get you down the road to mastery than anything else. Look at some of the greatest gun gurus in the history of firearms, and you see that each had a rigorous and uncompromising dry-fire regime; it didn’t matter their pursuit.
Why is pulling the trigger on an empty firearm so fruitful? One word: repetition. Excelling at a physical endeavor—from a wrist shot in hockey to a bull’s-eye in darts—requires doing it right over and over and over again (and again).
Shooting is no different: Dirt-cheap and highly productive dry-fire training allows you to get that many more shots—even if there’s no bang! in the end.
But there’s a caveat to what is otherwise a sound addition to anyone’s firearms drilling: doing it right. And, for the longest time, outside of self-evaluation, there’ve been few ways to truly get a grip on how well you’re boning up your sight picture, trigger pull, follow-through and aim.
Now, the times are changing.
Rise of the Machine
In addition to keeping us constantly connected and serving up an endless litany of cat videos, the digital age has vastly enhanced the shooting world—no more so than for training. From devices that connect your gun for digital analysis of trigger pull to how you manage recoil, there’s a wealth of diagnostic equipment that helps you get on target. In this cutting-edge world, one of the most useful is also one of the simplest.
There’s not a ton to G-Sight’s Expert Laser Marksman System (ELMS). Yet, this elegant, little piece of equipment goes a long way toward improving your aim. Much as its name implies, ELMS is a laser diode meant to help you sharpen your marksmanship in the comfort of your own home. Simply load it up into your handgun and “go to town,” so to speak.
Well, there’s a little bit more to it than that … .
Far from leaving you craning your eyes to see where each blast from the laser lands, you have the ability to record your shots and evaluate them. Utilizing the camera on your Android or Apple smart device, the G-Sight app records your shots, giving you a crystalline idea of whether you’re banging the 10-ring or if you need a bit more work.
Getting the ELMS device up and running is as easy as sticking it in your gun’s chamber.
On the free version of the app, you get a 10-shot mode, along with a grouping mode that measures how tightly you’re grouping. While these are enough to get you going, you can upgrade the app to include a shot timer and unlimited shot recording functions. At around $5, it's well worth it if you find that the device enhances your training.
The shot timer—an upgrade—is especially nice, because it adds a level of urgency to training with voice commands to “ready” and “shoot.” Anything that turns the screws—while demanding accuracy—is generally a worthy addition.
That said, it might not be the ideal spend (the MSRP starts at $54.99) if you’re a striker-fired or single-action pistol shooter. The issue here is that you’ll have to work the slide or cock the hammer after every shot to break the subsequent one. In turn, you’re not measuring how quickly you can accurately place shots on target … although, if you happen to favor a Sig P226, Beretta M9 or any other DA/SA pistols, it might be worth the investment.
As many might recognize, G-Sight’s ELMS isn’t the first crack at laser training. Yes, there are other similar marksmanship systems out there. Many of them are solid—but almost all of them are lacking.
The big gap, in almost all other cases, is the absence of your own pistol. While it might be fun to squeeze off a few rounds with a plastic facsimile (and there’s no arguing that you’re getting some accuracy training via that method), it’s a pale alternative.
Every gun has its nuances, from balance to trigger break to overtravel. Building the muscle memory to accurately shoot—well and consistently—a particular make and model requires you have that particular gun in hand. That’s the great advantage of ELMS: You have exactly this; and that’s no small thing.
Working in conjunction with your smart device, ELMS gives you instant feedback on how your shots are grouping.
The ELMS device also has a large reach in improving your marksmanship, no matter your firearm. G-Sight makes ELMS devices that fit all the popular self-defense handgun calibers, including 9mm, .38 Special, .380 ACP, .40 S&W and .45 ACP. Additionally, there’s a .223 variant available, in case you want to solidify your aim with your AR-15 or AR pistol.
Parting Shot
Even without a device of some kind to keep tabs, dry-fire is an important part of your training regime. Famed gun writer Jack O’Connor was said to have snapped off countless trigger pulls at a particular brick in his neighbor’s chimney with his .270 Winchester. And competitive shooters spend many of their leisure hours at home, honing every facet of their shot behind an empty chamber. They don’t do it for kicks; they do it because it gets the job done.
The opportunity now exists to get even more out of this vital style of training—which is saying a lot. Technological advancements have made dry-fire more important and productive than ever before. Sure, it’s not quite on par with live fire, but it’s getting closer.
ELMS is a step down this path. We, as shooters, would be fools not to take advantage of it.
For more information on the G-Sight ELMS, please visit g-sight.com.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the February 2020 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
The gas system has two settings: “normal” and “suppressed.”
Over-engineered and made battle tough, the FN SCAR 20S offers a superb trigger and great accuracy, as well as a lot of fun.
What Makes The FN SCAR 20S So Accurate:
A Geissele Super SCAR two-stage trigger breaks like thin ice.
Stock is fully adjustable to fit the user.
11-pound weight makes it somewhat milder mannered.
Cold hammer-forged barrel is chrome lined, making it stress-free barrel, accurate and wear-resistant.
Short-stroke piston operation is extremely reliable.
Back in the earlier years of the 21st century (geez, I’m referring to the 21st century! That still isn’t old), FN designed a set of rifles for the military. The military wanted it all—the sun, moon, stars … and a decaf, no-calorie latte.
The SCAR rifle series ended up being the SCAR-L (for a while, the SCAR 16) and the SCAR-H (for a while, the SCAR 17). The L/16 was an indestructible 5.56 rifle, but it was a bit chunky and heavy for 5.56. The other was an indestructible 7.62 NATO that was, well, a bit chunky and heavy, but not for a 7.62.
At the time, I predicted the end result, and time has proven me right: If you let the end users (the SOCOM heavy-hitters) pick and choose, they’d rather have the 7.62 than an indestructible 5.56.
Mile-Long Top Rail
FN didn’t stop there, so we now have the SCAR as a 7.62 precision rifle. The 17 is still there, but this is the 20S, a rifle built to be a long-range precision rifle … OK, a sniper rifle.
And, to that end, FN didn’t leave anything to chance, as far as making it suitable for long-range precision use was concerned. The stock is adjustable in both length of pull and cheek height. The trigger is a two-stage trigger, with a pull weight that’s factory-set between 3½ and 4½ pounds.
The upper receiver (which is the firearm on the SCAR, unlike the various AR-15 and AR-10 rifles most readers are familiar with) has a top rail that runs the full length of the receiver.
This provides plenty of “rail estate” (and yes, I did invent that term almost two decades ago) to mount optics, iron sights, and thermal and night vision optics. Now, the bare weight of the SCAR 20S is 11½ pounds. Ouch! Adding a full suite of optics can probably push that up close to 20 pounds. And, add on a bipod, laser targeting designator, suppressor, full magazine and a sling, and you’re up to the weight of some of the lighter belt-fed machine guns.
There’s also a rail at the 6 o’clock position on the handguard; so, you could, if you owned one, mount a grenade launcher there. The rest of us will simply use it as a generous length of rail to which we can attach a bipod.
Disassembly is easy: Push one pin across and then take the rest of it apart with your bare hands.
For most of us, this is a heavy rifle. But, for the end users for whom the rifle is built (those hard, fit, 20-somethings who can do pushups until they’re tired of counting), this isn’t a problem.
But—and this especially in the 6.5 Creedmoor chambering—with the 20S you have pinpoint precision out as far as you can hit … or as far as the caliber reaches before the bullet goes subsonic. And, if I might be permitted an aside here: While the 7.62 NATO, with pretty much any loading, will go subsonic at a bit past 1,000 yards at most, the best loads of the 6.5 Creedmoor stay supersonic out to 1,600 yards, even 1,700, depending on atmospheric conditions.
More About the SCAR 20S
OK, back to the 20S details.
The gas system is a short-stroke piston setup, and the original users wanted reliability. To that end, FN made the working parts robust and ensured dimensional stability (that is, everything is made to very tight specs, even when there are generous tolerances for crud to blow out).
If the reciprocating charging handle is a problem, you can easily swap it out for an angled one from HDD Tactical.
One detail I’ve heard about from those who’ve used their SCAR rifles hard is that the rifles are hard on optics. This is mostly the 7.62 crowd—the SCAR 17 users. The 17’s generous gas throttle, along with its robust cycling parts, means that on every shot, the operating system bottoms out in the rear of the receiver … with enthusiasm.
Now, for the shooter, that’s not a big deal. The SCAR is reasonably comfortable to shoot, and the stock, either standard or the 20S, is adjustable, so you can set it up to fit you. A side note here: The SCAR 17—the L—has a folding stock that’s adjustable for length of pull and cheek height. The 20S has adjustable length of pull and cheek height, but it doesn’t fold. The recoil-and-bounce cycle of vibration acts not unlike that of some air rifles. The double-hit and vibration can rattle apart lesser scopes, so you should really make sure you use top-notch scope brands when kitting-out your SCAR.
The bolt and carrier are robust; that’s a lot of weight cycling back and forth. After shooting the 20S for a while, I installed the HDD Tactical buffer, which took a bunch of the sting out of the recoil. The recoil is “reasonable,” but for a 21st-century rifle of this weight, I was expecting more comfort. That I needed a shock buffer to “civilize” it indicates that the end users are a lot more interested in “always-reliable” than they are in “easy-to-shoot.”
The gas system is adjustable, but the adjustments extend to “normal” and “suppressed.” It isn’t as if you can dial down the gas flow until you get a softer recoil. (Hmmm, perhaps that’s something FN should look into.) The “suppressed” setting isn’t to ease up on felt recoil (remember that hard-chargers are the users in mind) but to keep the cyclic rate at normal levels when firing it with a suppressor on. Yes, the military models are select-fire, but we only have the option of one shot at a time. Still, setting it to “suppressed” when using a suppressor is the right thing to do.
On the SCAR, the upper is the firearm, not the lower.
The barrel is cold hammer-forged and then chrome lined. This gives a straight, smooth, stress-free barrel that’s both accurate and shrugs off use and wear.
The SCAR short-stroke piston system works the same way as on an M1 carbine (as compared to the long-stroke system of the M1 Garand, for example). The gas is vented out of the barrel and into the gas block, where it strikes the piston. The piston drives back and pushes the carrier assembly back. The piston stops but, having driven the carrier assembly, its job is done. The carrier cycles back, rotating the bolt, then taking the bolt back, ejecting the empty and, on the return trip, stripping a round out of the magazine, rotating and locking.
One detail you must be aware of: the charging handle. It’s reversible to either side of the receiver and does reciprocate. That is, the handle cycles with the carrier, to which it is attached. If your thumb or hand happens to be up there in the path, you’ll get hurt, and the rifle will fail to cycle. (HDD Tactical also offers an angled charging handle to help keep it out of the way. It, too, is reversible.)
The magazines are modified FAL magazines, because FAL magazines were the starting point at which FN began. However, they’re not interchangeable in either direction (i.e., FAL to SCAR or SCAR to FAL).
The selector and mag catch are ambidextrous, while the bolt release isn’t. Not a big deal on the latter.
The controls are where you’d expect them to be, with an ambidextrous magazine catch behind the magazine well, a bolt release only on the left and a safety selector (also ambidextrous) above the pistol grip.
Testing the SCAR 20S
The accuracy testing for the 20S involved installing a Leupold VX-3i LRP 8.5-25x50mm on top and in a Geissele Super Precision scope mount. Yes, this is pricey gear, but it provides a whole lot of performance for the money, and it’s not out of line with the cost of the rifle—or the ammo, per shot, really.
Shooting for groups with such a rig can be nerve-wracking. With a three-shot cloverleaf or a four-shot tight group, the thought, Don’t slap the trigger and ruin this group! looms large. In the course of testing, I was able to get to a private range at which there was steel out to 688 yards. Oh yes, that was fun! And even I, a hosing IPSC pistol shooter, could easily go nine out of 10 on the steel at 688 yards.
At no time did the SCAR 20S fail to function, and it was generous, but not excessive in its ejection.
The Good, the Bad, the Pricey
So, where does the SCAR 20S fit into the pantheon of rifles? Well, if you’re looking for a modern .308 thumper of the carbine and no-sniper variety (although still plenty accurate), you’d go with a SCAR 17. The M14 is long out of the military system, and the SCAR 17 fills the bill there. (There are AR-10 based rifles contesting the position of the SCAR 17. If and when that’s settled, we’ll all be the better for it.)
That’s a lot of mass reciprocating on every shot. That, and a generous flow of gas, is why you install a shock buffer in the rear of the receiver.
If you want a long-range, self-loading sniper rifle, you’d be hard-pressed to beat the SCAR 20S. However, you’ll have to deal with some issues.
First off, the bottom handguard assembly isn’t the same as that of the 17. So, what about all those accessory rails, handguards and add-ons for the SCAR 17? They won’t fit. Until aftermarket makers, or FN, makes lower handguards for the 20S, you’ll get what there is. The stock doesn’t fold—and the adjustments, while useful, don’t make the 20S any handier. In addition, you have to use the FN magazines. I don’t know of anyone else who’s currently making magazines for the SCAR, so you’ll have to stock up through FN or some other supplier … at almost $50 each.
A minor complaint: The flash hider rings like a tuning fork on every shot. Now, if you’re swapping it out for a muzzle device to mount your suppressor, it’s not a problem. But if you aren’t, you’re going to want to change that just as fast as you can, because it’s damned annoying.
And then, there’s the cost: $4,500. Now, to be fair to FN, you’d eat up a significant amount of that buying an AR-10-based rifle of the same or nearly the same quality—and then you’d have to change what you needed to change to make it the functional and detail equivalent of the SCAR 20S. So, you aren’t going to save much money by “almost equaling” it with some other rifle. Just be prepared for the sticker shock.
The annoying, pinging flash hider—a tuning fork on every shot.
On the good side, there’s the plethora of rails. The full-length rail on top is almost too much. There are rails on the sides, and the bottom of the handguard offers plenty of space to mount whatever else you need. You have plenty of options, but they’re all Picatinny—no Keymod or M-lok.
For the bulk and weight, once you get the stock adjusted, the rifle fits like a glove. And then, there’s the trigger. FN is coy and understated on the trigger weight on its website, simply stating that it breaks crisply at 3.5 to 4.5 pounds (that’s like saying Sofia Vergara is a “nice-looking” lady).
I’m a spoiled gun writer. I usually consider any trigger installed in a factory-built firearm as a starting point; one that’ll be changed as soon as possible. The trigger on the 20S that FN sent to me doesn’t need changing. I don’t think you would, either. But then, you wouldn’t have to, because upon opening the action, what do I find? A Geissele Super SCAR two-stage trigger … which is what I would’ve put in had the trigger disappointed.
Fun’s fun, but I can’t pay the mortgage by trading guns to the bank. As a result, the 20S will have to go back to FN. If this one ends up in the commercial stream—and not to another gun writer—someone is going to find a superb trigger and cracking good accuracy, as well as a lot of fun, with this 20S. And, given the longevity of FN’s barrels, it’ll still be whacking steel at 700 yards, even after it has passed through the hands of a half-dozen gun writers.
FN SCAR 20S Specs Type: Gas-operated, self-loading rifle Caliber: .308 Winchester/7.62 NATO (also available in 6.5 Creedmoor) Capacity: 20+1 rounds Barrel: 20 in. Length: 42.5 in. Weight: 11 lb., 3 oz. Trigger: 3 lb., 7 oz. Finish: Anodized aluminum, black-oxide steel MSRP: $4,499
For more information on the FN SCAR 20S, please visit fnamerica.com.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the September 2020 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Boasting a bit more weight than the orginial and longer barrels, the Krieghoff K-80 Parcours-X looks to be a clay-busting machine.
The enthrall of double-barrel shotguns is often lost to those outside wing and clay shooting communities. Why in God’s name would someone spend so much on a couple of tubes and a bit of wood? Fair enough point, but one glazing over the utmost engineering poured into the best examples of over-unders and side-by-sides. Perfecting the mechanical, ergonomic and aesthetic aspects of a firearm, then producing a specimen capable of outliving your grandchildren—perhaps even your grandchildren’s grandchildren—is nothing to thumb your nose at. Quite simply, it’s the acme of the gunmaker’s craft, one certain shooters are willing to shell out the biggest of bucks to enjoy.
At the forefront of this niche is German manufacturer Krieghoff International, who recently had competitors drooling over its most recent addition. Presented a the 2020 NSCA Sporting Clays National Championship at San Antonio’s National Shooting Complex, the K-80 Parcours-X has already started to make waves. Of course, the evolution of Krieghoff’s highly popular K-80 Parcours the over/under should prove a clay-busting machine.
In particular, the custom gunmaker's new creation offers a weight choice—undefined at the moment—between the original 8-pound Parcours and standard 8 ¾-pound K-80 Sporting model. Additionally, the 12-gauge boasts 32-inch barrels outfitted with a tapered flat rib and utilizing the company’s new Thin Wall Chokes. Interestingly, this comes on the heels of a 34-inch barreled, competition-focused Parcours Krieghoff introduced just a couple of months ago. The new gun might seem marginally different from some of the existing models, but these subtle modifications have been in demand for some time.
“Our dealers give us the most valuable feedback on what the market is looking for,” says Nick Boerboon Krieghoff International Sales Manager. “In response, we designed a Parcours model that gives shooters a bit more weight in their hands for a smoother swinging option on the robust K-80 frame.”
As to the Parcours line itself, the shotguns are top-of-the-line. The legendary K-80 receiver's lockworks are renowned for the precision at which its parts are milled, as well as the exceptionally hard steel Krieghoff uses. They brag it will last into the millions of rounds. As to the stock, expect high-grade walnut, shaped similarly to the terse lines on existing Parcours as well as some engraving on the receiver.
As to price, Krieghoff didn’t spit one out at the launch, but it’s very much an “if you have to ask, you can’t afford it” sort of company. For example, the book price on its standard-grade K-80 Skeet—among the most affordable in the line—is $11,795.
For more information on the K-80 Parcours-X, please visit krieghoff.com.
The nearly forgotten, ultra-fast, ultra-flat revolver round, the .357 Remington Maximum pushed the boundaries.
How Does The Hot-Rod .357 Remington Maximum Stack Up:
This cartridge is a .310-inch elongation of the .357 Magnum.
It's capable of pushing a 125-grain bullet up to 1,800 fps at the muzzle.
Revolvers chambered for it tended to develop excessive gas-cutting on the top strap.
Historical Notes
The .357 Remington Maximum was announced as a joint venture between Remington Arms Co. and Sturm, Ruger and Co. This cartridge is a .310-inch elongation of the .357 Magnum case.
The first handgun to chamber the round was the Ruger Blackhawk .357 Maximum single-action revolver, introduced in 1983. This was followed, in 1984, by the Dan Wesson double-action revolver, the Seville single-action, stainless steel revolver and finally, the Thompson/Center Contender single-shot pistol. During the same year, Harrington & Richardson chambered its Model 258 single-shot rifle for the round, as did Savage in its Model 24V and Model 24VS Camper over/under rifle-shotgun combination guns. Although Remington developed the commercial .357 Maximum, a similar wildcat cartridge was actually developed by Elgin Gates at an earlier time.
Unfortunately, the .357 Remington Maximum revolvers all developed excessive gas-cutting on the top strap just forward of the cylinder within 1,000 rounds or so when fired with full factory loads. Ruger withdrew its Blackhawk .357 Maximum revolver from production, pending additional research and possible engineering changes. When Dan Wesson revolvers were still in production prior to the company’s purchase by CZ, it eliminated the problem by establishing a .002-inch barrel/cylinder gap for its .357 Maximum revolvers (the Dan Wesson revolvers have interchangeable barrels that are easily replaced and fine-tuned by the customer using a furnished gap tool). Top strap erosion, of course, isn’t a problem with the single-shot Thompson/Center Contender or the rifles chambering the .357 Maximum.
Efforts to develop ultra-high-velocity revolvers haven’t been crowned with unbridled success. The .22 Remington Jet in the Model 53 Smith & Wesson revolver is another example of a combination that was discontinued because of mechanical troubles. In the case of the .357 Maximum, the cartridge differs from the standard .357 Magnum only in case length, so one can drop back to shooting the .357 Magnum in any Maximum revolver or simply handload to lower-velocity levels using the Maximum case.
Factory ballistics were taken in a 10.5-inch, vented test barrel, and actual muzzle velocity from a revolver with the same-length barrel is about 200 fps slower than the advertised figure.
The .357 Remington Maximum was conceived primarily as an ultra-velocity, flat-trajectory silhouette cartridge. That it would also make a good field cartridge for hunting small and medium game is obvious. Many would consider it a good deer cartridge, but when used in a handgun, it would be rather marginal for that purpose. Of course, a good deal depends on the skill of the person using it and, as noted elsewhere, the older, less-powerful .357 Magnum has killed its share of big game. Certainly, the .357 Maximum has been used as a big-game handgun cartridge, but the measure of success has reflected more upon the person behind the gun than the cartridge.
With more than 40 years of experience as a competitive shooter, hunter, gun builder and businessman, Wilson has guided Wilson Combat to being known as one of the finest firearms manufacturers in the world.
Perfectionism is a ‘disease’ that can drive anyone crazy, but it also drove Bill Wilson and Wilson Combat to the very forefront of the firearms industry.
If you want a firearm to last a day, buy it from someone who just wants to build a gun. If you want it to last a lifetime, buy it from someone who wants to build a reputation.
Since 1977, few brands have worked harder than Wilson Combat to establish and maintain one of the most revered reputations for quality, performance and innovation within the firearms industry. The first five minutes of a conversation with Wilson Combat’s founder, Bill Wilson, will leave no doubt as to why. Because most of America isn’t likely to have that chance, Gun Digest has done it for you.
To know and understand the Wilson Combat brand, one simply needs to know Bill Wilson, who’s never known a life without firearms, despite it not running in his family.
“I really don’t have a mentor for hunting or shooting,” said Bill Wilson. “No one in my family was a shooter or hunted. I’ve always been interested in guns and got my first .22 rifle when I was 10 or so. My first involvement with the firearms industry was in 1974 with a retail store called Sportsman’s Headquarters in Berryville, Arkansas. Wilson Combat came from my competition shooting career and was started in 1977.”
The front of the catalog of what was then known (1977) as Wilson’s Gun Shop.
Bill’s career as a competitive shooter was critical to establishing Wilson Combat’s reputation as a champion’s brand—the perennial “If you’re going to talk the talk, you’ve got to walk the walk” kind of thing. It’s a challenge Bill Wilson takes seriously to this day. When a customer buys a Wilson Combat firearm instead of another brand, to Bill, there should be a difference, and his standard is designed to ensure exactly that.
“I want the brand to represent the highest-quality defensive and tactical firearms and accessories, backed by the best customer service in the industry,” Bill explained.
Competitive Shooter, Hunter and Businessman
Bill’s early competition in 1973 was shooting police PPC with the law enforcement in Harrison, Arkansas, which led to shooting bowling pin matches and eventually to shooting IPSC/USPSA in 1977. From the beginning, Bill won … a lot.
“As I became a high-level competitor, I needed a better pistol,” he said. “When guns from the top pistolsmiths of the day didn’t satisfy me, I used my jewelry and watchmaking skills to work on 1911s.
“As a competitive shooter, I learned what it takes to make accurate, reliable and durable firearms and accessories,” Wilson added. “As a hunter, I learned patience and determination. As a businessman, I added in customer service.”
One of the most problematic parts of 1911s is their magazine. Wilson Combat is especially attentive to this crucial gun part and has earned a reputation as one of the finest magazine manufacturers in the world.
Wilson refused to build a “good-enough” firearm that simply had his name on it. For any firearm to carry the name, “Wilson,” it needed to satisfy one of the industry’s most famous perfectionists who infused a little bit of his heart and soul into each gun’s components.
“My goal was always to build the best product I could, charge what I had to in order to make a living and take care of my customers with a forever customer satisfaction policy,” Wilson said. “I knew that if I did this, everything else would work out fine.”
He thanks and credits Armand Swenson and Jim Clark Sr. for helping him during the early days of Wilson Combat. And for more than 42 years, it’s fair to say things have been more than fine for Bill and the Wilson Combat team.
Quality and Service
“First, I don’t consider the firearms Wilson Combat builds to be ‘factory’ or ‘semi-custom’ guns,” Wilson stated. “While we produce a substantial quantity of firearms each year, we are a true custom shop and will build the customer exactly what they want … and to their specifications. I believe our quality and attention to detail are equal, or superior, to the smaller custom shops that only produce a few guns a year—and cost two or more times what a comparable Wilson Combat firearm costs. We haven’t forgotten what brought us to the dance.”
Bill Wilson is much more than just a businessman who sells world-class firearms; he’s also a world-class competitive shooter and hunter. This photo was taken on his first African safari.
So, when does a firearm go from being “just a gun” to a Wilson Combat gun? Bill pointed out that it’s when it survives his custom manufacturing gauntlet.
“A gun becomes a Wilson Combat firearm when it passes our extensive test-fire procedure and quality control. The company is built on a core philosophy of quality and customer service. As our company slogan says, ‘Quality you can trust, service you deserve.’”
Wilson Combat began with custom competition 1911s, which were hand-built by Bill himself. Now, 1911 handguns with the Wilson Combat name on them are still built one by one—not by Bill, but by a team of specialized gunsmiths who scrutinize each and every aspect of the build as if Bill himself were standing over them.
“Our gunsmiths are among the most experienced in the industry; many have more than 25 years of service hand-building custom pistols,” Bill said. “More than 40 years of experience have shown us that this proven team-building philosophy builds more-consistent, higher-quality custom guns than a ‘single gunsmith’ approach.”
Never ‘Good Enough’
The integrity that powers Bill Wilson’s work ethic, drive and personality is something you’re born with; and champion shooter Bill, who’s also a husband, father and grandfather, simply runs Wilson Combat the way he runs his life—without compromise. Bill Wilson’s goal for everything he does is to not just be the best—but to be a little bit better than whatever his best was yesterday.
Bill Wilson’s world-class firearms are the direct result of his world-class competitive shooting performances. At his private ranch in Texas, his walls are covered with championship-winning plaques, trophies and medals from shooting competitions all over the world.
“If we stay true to our roots and our policies, and at least one of my five grandchildren ends up running the company, it should be successful until we are legislated out of business,” Bill said.
I’ve been fortunate enough to spend time with Bill Wilson while he was developing his beloved .300 Ham’r cartridge. This man pays attention to every detail, and he simply doesn’t let up. No one buys a Wilson Combat gun simply because it works; they buy it because it works as well as Bill Wilson demands it does.
I can guarantee that Wilson takes a customer’s disappointment—no matter how slight—not only to heart, but also to the drawing board, where he’ll remedy whatever caused the problem. If there’s a problem with a firearm, it eats at him until he figures it out.
WC: Now and Beyond
Wilson Combat now makes a lot more than custom 1911s. You can get small 1911 parts to improve the 1911, such as the company’s 1911 magazines. You can also get customized Beretta 92s, AR-10 and AR-15 models, shotguns and ammunition—and even innovative cartridges such as the .300 Ham’r, created by Wilson Combat.
One of the many competitions Bill Wilson participated in regularly was the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) World Championships. This plaque is from 1979, when Bill competed with the American team. He finished fifth overall that year.
So, what comes next for Wilson Combat?
“Hopefully, the future for Wilson Combat is more innovative products that excite our customers and produce a profit for the company,” Wilson explained. “We have an extremely good new-products team, with some very bright people, so I’m excited about the future. Stay tuned!”
For more information on Wilson Combat and Bill Wilson, please visit wilsoncombat.com.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the February 2020 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
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