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M1917 Enfield: The Unofficial U.S. Service Rifle

By
Doug Larson
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1

M1917 Enfield Right oblique rear white bg

The M1917 Enfield, or the “American Enfield”, was used in larger numbers than the official U.S. service rifle of the Great War. Today, it still a sweet shooter.

How Did The Unique M1917 Make It Into U.S. Service:

  • The rifle was issued and carried by more U.S. servicemen in WWI than the M1903 Springfield.
  • It is an American modification, chambered .30-06 Springfield, of the Pattern 1914 Enfield.
  • The rifles were used due to a lack of M1903 and Krag service rifles.
  • They were made by Winchester Repeating Arms Co., Remington Arms Company and the Eddystone Rifle Plant.

Its official designation was the “U.S. Rifle, Caliber .30 M1917,” but it was also known as the “Enfield” or “P-17”—both of which are technically incorrect (although many attached those nicknames to it).

The term, “P-17,” was most likely coined by workers at Remington, Winchester and Eddystone, which were previously contracted to manufacture the P-14, Great Britain’s replacement for the Short Magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE). To differentiate these two very similar guns, the P-17 name came into unofficial use. “Enfield” most likely surfaced because it rolled off a soldier’s tongue easier than M1917 and because the P-14 on which it was based was designed by the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield Lock in England.

No Love Lost

Regardless of what it was called, it was issued to, and carried by, more U.S. servicemen than the official U.S. military rifle—the M1903 Springfield—during that time period. And, many in the military didn’t like it much, preferring the Springfield.

Pistol grip: Characteristic of British-designed rifles of the time, the pistol grip is modified or abbreviated compared to those of American design which, when a pistol grip was present, was more pronounced.
Pistol grip: Characteristic of British-designed rifles of the time, the pistol grip is modified or abbreviated compared to those of American design which, when a pistol grip was present, was more pronounced.

For one thing, the M1903 had a sleeker look. It also had a windage-adjustable rear sight, making it easier to zero (although some would argue that the M1917’s rear sight was tougher, as was the front sight; both were protected by robust wings, or ears, to prevent dings or damage by rough handling in combat conditions). In addition, it just didn’t seem right to many Americans that this foreign-designed rifle—which finished cocking upon closing the bolt, unlike that of the M1903 that cocked when the bolt handle was lifted to open it—be used by American forces.(Actually, the M1917’s dual-locking lug bolt’s striker partially cocked on opening the bolt. It then completed the cocking process when the bolt was closed.)

Nevertheless, even with all the criticism, the M1917 served well. It was also the tool that saved many U.S. soldiers’ lives and took the lives of many of the enemy. And, after use and experience with the gun, many doughboys stopped complaining.

M1917 Chain of Events

Originally, it was never intended for the British-designed rifle to be used by American forces, but circumstances resulted in the gun being used in far greater numbers than the M1903. Reports vary as to exact numbers, but it’s estimated that three out of four rifles used by American forces in Europe were M1917s.

Stacking swivel: As was common with military battle rifles of the time, the front swivel is split and is used for stacking rifles, butt on the ground, together in the field.
Stacking swivel: As was common with military battle rifles of the time, the front swivel is split and is used for stacking rifles, butt on the ground, together in the field.

The chain of events began when the British, in an effort to replace the SMLE as their main service rifle, began developing the Pattern 13 (P-13) rifle early in the 20th century and chambered it in a cartridge of .276 caliber—actually, .282 inch. But when the Great War started, Britain’s Select Committee decided to alter the P-13 to chamber the .303 British cartridge, which was Britain’s standard service round at the time.

Only about 1,250 P-13s in .276 caliber had been completed at the Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield, and the Brits had difficulty finding enough British capacity to produce the .303-caliber P-13, which had been designated the Pattern 14 rifle. The urgency of the war led them to contact American manufacturers in a search for manufacturing capacity. In the end, Winchester and Remington signed contracts to produce the .303-caliber P-14. It so happened that Remington Arms Company of Delaware had a plant operated by a sister company in Eddystone, Pennsylvania, and that plant also became engaged in producing P-14s.

More Military Guns:

Then, when the United States entered World War I, there weren’t enough M1903 Springfield or older U.S. Krag service rifles on hand to meet demand. In addition, M1903 production at Springfield and Rock Island arsenals wouldn’t be enough fill the shortage.

Controls: Besides the trigger, the only other fire controls are the safety, a lever located on the right side just to the rear of the bolt and the bolt handle, which is bent to the rear to put it in a better position for rapid manipulation.
Controls: Besides the trigger, the only other fire controls are the safety, a lever located on the right side just to the rear of the bolt and the bolt handle, which is bent to the rear to put it in a better position for rapid manipulation.

Finding new sources and building the tools to manufacture the M1903 would take too long, so the only viable alternative was to modify and use the British P-14 rifle chambered in .303 British, which was being manufactured by Winchester Repeating Arms Co. (New Haven, Connecticut), Remington Arms Company (Ilion, New York) and the Eddystone Rifle Plant, which was operated by a subsidiary of Remington—the Midvale Steel & Ordnance Co.—and was located in Eddystone, Pennsylvania.

With the three manufacturers just completing contracts with the British for the P-14, manufacturing capacity was immediately available, and only small modifications to the P-14 were needed to rechamber the rifle for the .30-06 U.S. service rifle cartridge. There was a slight delay, but that route was the best alternative to quickly produce enough rifles for America, given the circumstances.

Design Changes

Design changes to the P-14 to chamber it for the .30-06 included different barrels with chambers cut to accept the .30-06; a change in the bolt face; and minor alterations to the magazine well. The .303 British round had a bullet diameter of .311 inch, compared to the .30-06 diameter of .308 inch, and the .303 was a rimmed case, while the .30-06 was rimless.

Rear battle sight: Like the front sight, the rear sight of the M1917 is protected by strong ears. The battle sight is an aperture that’s in position for use when the leaf is folded down. The battle sight is designed for a zero at 300 or 400 yards. Sources vary regarding this range.
Rear battle sight: Like the front sight, the rear sight of the M1917 is protected by strong ears. The battle sight is an aperture that’s in position for use when the leaf is folded down. The battle sight is designed for a zero at 300 or 400 yards. Sources vary regarding this range.

There was some bad information circulating at the time that the P-14 could not handle the pressure generated by the higher-velocity .30-06 round, but that was incorrect. In fact, the receiver and bolt of the M1917 and the P-14 were made of nickel steel and were stronger than those of the M1903. And while the change from a rimmed to a rimless cartridge resulted in the magazine accepting six .30-06 rounds instead of five .303 rounds, there were complaints that the M1917 didn’t have a magazine cutoff like the P-14. This made inspection arms when drilling more difficult to execute and rapid dry-fire in practice impossible because the magazine follower would lock the bolt back.

Workarounds were developed for both shortcomings, so although the M1917 might not have been perfect, it still got the job done.

The American .30-06 charging clip that was used to load the M1903 and the M1917 held five rounds, and the M1917 magazine capacity was six, but in the heat of battle, a soldier would typically load one charging clip of five rounds. If there were time and a loose round were available, the last and sixth round could be loaded individually—if the soldier chose to do so.

To facilitate drill and rapid dry-fire, it was common to insert a coin into the magazine to hold the follower down so the bolt wouldn’t be held open when caught on the square back of the follower. (Experiments with a sample M1917 used for this review showed that a nickel seemed to work best, while a penny or dime failed to sufficiently depress the follower.)

Rebuilds and Refurbishing

Judging from its serial number and other markings, the M1917 specimen used for this article was produced by Remington at its Ilion, New York, factory, most likely in August 1918. Serial number records are not entirely accurate, so the manufacture date is not certain.

Front sling swivel offset: The sling swivels, both front and rear, are offset to the right.
Front sling swivel offset: The sling swivels, both front and rear, are offset to the right.

During the Great War, the federal government was paying about $26 for each gun, but prices for used guns have increased considerably since then. As with many M1917s available today, this one isn’t original, because it was rebuilt or refurbished at the San Antonio Armory, probably during World War II. Nevertheless, it’s in very good condition, retains most of its finish, has a bright bore with distinct lands and grooves, and the wood has a very nice patina. The one-piece, English-style stock with a semi-pistol grip (as is the case with all M1917 stocks) is made of black walnut that is oiled and has a hole with a spring-loaded door in the butt to store cleaning equipment.

As was common with World War II rebuilds, the barrel was replaced with one made by the High Standard Company. Johnson Arms also made replacement barrels. Frequently, and because parts were mostly interchangeable among manufacturers, parts were intermingled. Some on the sample M1917 are marked with an “E” to indicate they were made by Eddystone in Pennsylvania.

However, not all parts of all M1917s are interchangeable. M1917s manufactured early on by Winchester suffered from parts interchangeability problems, so Remington and Eddystone delayed production until standardized manufacturing drawings were completed and a 95 percent interchangeability level was achieved.

Zeroed? Not Necessarily

During the refurbishing process, it was not uncommon for guns to be released without being zeroed. But it isn’t particularly difficult to zero an M1917; it just takes a little time, because the front sight must be drifted to adjust for windage. Once done, it’s staked in place.

Buttplate: Stocks on the M1917 are made of oiled black walnut. The steel buttplate has a spring-loaded door for storing cleaning equipment.
Buttplate: Stocks on the M1917 are made of oiled black walnut. The steel buttplate has a spring-loaded door for storing cleaning equipment.

The rear sight on M1917s has two apertures: one fixed for a battle sight zero (BZO) of 300 or 400 yards (sources disagree on the BZO range) and the other mounted on a ladder-type, flip-up sight graduated for ranges of 200 to 1,600 yards. The apertures make for a very good sight picture—although for aging eyes, they’re not perfect. For that reason, I fired test groups off the bench at 50 yards, rather than 100 yards.

The gun proved to be pretty accurate with several different loads, and the average group size was about 1.5 inches. There were no malfunctions of any kind, thanks to some expert gunsmithing performed by Tyler Gun Works. However, due to a headspace problem, the barrel had to be moved back slightly and the chamber recut.

Originally, the metal on M1917s was blued, but during the World War II refurbishing process, many were Parkerized. It appears that the finish on the sample gun is blue. The reason M1917s were arsenal-overhauled during World War II was to arm some U.S. military units, especially those stationed in the States, as well as to arm some allies, including Great Britain. And, following World War II, the United States supplied M1917s to a number of friendly countries. After all, the M1917 had proven to be an efficient battle rifle.

M1917 or M1903?

It’s often debated whether Sergeant Alvin York of the U.S. Army used a M1917 or a M1903 rifle in Europe during the action for which he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor (MOH).

M1917 Enfield Front sight rear white bg

His personal diary clearly says that after arrival in France, his unit, the 82nd Infantry Division, turned in its M1903s and was issued M1917s. But during an interview with York’s son by Garry James, a well-known gun writer and firearms historian, James says he was told Sergeant York preferred the M1903 and therefore traded his M1917 for one that later was used in the encounter in France during which York captured many Germans and for which the MOH was bestowed upon him. That’s pretty convincing evidence, but the controversy and uncertainty persist to this day.

M1917 Availability

M1917s found their way into the civilian market when the U.S. government sold some as surplus. Many were sporterized, and some were rechambered for more-powerful cartridges to take advantage of the M1917’s strong action. Today, they’re available on the used market, although prices have risen as more shooters begin to appreciate the history of these old war-horse rifles.

The article originally appeared in the December 2019 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

New Guns And Gear February 2020

By
Gun Digest Editors
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0

Looking to stock up your gun safe or need a new piece of gear to get you shooting straight, we've got 14 sweet shooters and accessories that are on target.

Ruger PC Carbine Chassis

Guns and gear Ruger PC Chassis

Ruger’s plucky PC Carbine has a new look: precision shooter. While precision match shooters might not run to it, the 9mm still has plenty going for it in its chassis configuration. It’s the first in the line to feature a pistol grip and adjustable, folding buttstocks (six-position, telescoping Matgpul MOE). It also features several other accuracy enhancements, such as a lightweight, glass-filled polymer chassis and CNC-milled/M-Lok-compatible aluminum handguard, which free-floats the barrel. Ruger didn’t sacrifice the other facets that made the PC line a hit, including the popular lever-operated takedown system and Dead Blow tungsten-weighted action. MSRP: $799, ruger.com

TargetVision Long Hawk

Guns and gear Long Shot Hawk

Opening a new dimension to honing your long-range shooting, TargetVision’s spotting scope-based camera might change the way you look at the bullseye. Fitting to any 36mm or 58mm eyepiece, the lightweight Hawk gives you an eagle’s-eye view of your shooting—without ever leaving the firing line. It delivers 1920×1080 resolution, allowing you to make out every hit or miss and adjust accordingly—all from your smart device. And, with seven hours of run time and the ability to save photos, the TargetVision app offers you all kinds of ways to save your best shots. There’s not a more productive way of seriously tracking your downrange performance. MSRP: $329, longshotcameras.com

Sig Sauer P365 SAS

Guns and gear SIG SAS

At first blush, it’s difficult to discern if the P365 SAS (Sig Anti Snag) even has an aiming system … until you get on its business end. There, what Sig calls its Flush-Mounted FT Bullseye Fiber-Tritium Night Sight pops like a bottle rocket at midnight. Unorthodox? Yes. But the re-engineered gutter sight, combined with a well-rounded slide and frame, all but guarantees the pistol won’t get hung up on the draw. Sig also took the unconventional route of porting the barrel and slide, reducing the 9mm’s recoil and making it potentially faster and more accurate from shot to shot. Sig also flattened the pistol’s controls, creating an overall trimmer gun that’s easier to conceal. MSRP: $599, sigsauer.com

Expand Your Gear IQ:

Griffin Armament 30SD-K Gate-Lok

Guns and gear Griffin

If your .30-caliber’s weight or balance is a concern, Griffin Armament has a deal for you. Moderately sized, its 30SD-K Gate-Lok Suppressor is closer in heft and length to most full-sized 5.56 rigs. Yet, it’s got the chops to handle your big dogs. Full-auto-rated, the suppressor has impressive signature reduction—thanks to Griffin’s HEDP baffle technology, which optimizes flow and achieves properly balanced blowback and muzzle performance. The 30SD-K also has convenience engineered into it, accommodating USGI-spec A2 compensators, as well as the company’s proprietary muzzle devices. MSRP: $945, griffinarmament.com

Trayvax Original 2.0 Wallet

OL OD Green

More organized, more secure, more convenient—there’s more of everything when it comes to Trayvax’s Original 2.0 Wallet. For example, it stops high-tech thieves from stealing your data via RFID scanners. But you’ll love it for lightening your EDC load. Made from high-tensile aluminum and Melonite-coated steel and held together by mil-spec parachute cord, this minimalist wallet is a rock. And, it’s multifunctional, with a pry bar, money clip, bottle opener and attachment point all part of the design. It’s time to throw away that ragged, old piece of cowhide and tote your cash and cards more securely and sensibly. MSRP: $29.99, trayvax.com

Primary Arms Gold Series

OL Primary Arms

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know first focal plane scopes are where it’s at in precision optics. And few companies have done more to defray the generally substantial sum theses scopes demand than has Primary Arms. Its Gold Series precision riflescopes continue this, offering shooters 2.5-10x44mm, 4-16x50mm and 6-24x50mm FFP options at very reasonable prices. Top-notch glass with high-quality coating delivers crystalline image clarity at all ranges, and an enlarged eye box enhances dynamic target acquisition. Night-vision compatible, the illuminated reticle features both day and nighttime settings that provide a sharp aiming point. And, with aircraft-grade aluminum tubes and stainless and hardened-steel components, these scopes are built for heavy-duty use in harsh conditions. MSRP: Starting at $749, primaryarms.com

Blaser R8 Ultimate

OL Blaser

Offering speed and accuracy, what’s not to love about Blaser’s straight-pull R8 Ultimate? The gun is a knockout, but a lot of adoration has to center on one of the most advanced adjustable stocks to hit the market: The German gunmaker has outdone itself with its thumbhole masterpiece. It’s a breeze to dial in, and a memory function all but eliminates fiddling with it once fitted. Length of pull, cheek rise and butt cant all pop precisely into place at the push of a button. If that’s not enough, the lightning-fast turn bolt is also a switch-barrel, making it any rifle you desire, from varmint to dangerous game. MSRP: $4,519, blaser.de/en

Heckler & Koch HK416 .22 LR Rifle

OL HK416

Unless you’re talking about busting, “HK” and “budget” aren’t usually found in the same sentence. But the German gunmaker pulled it off with the Umarex-made .22 LR version of its military thoroughbred rifle, the HK416. With the look, feel and handling characteristics of the centerfire rifle, this rimfire monster is a top-end trainer that doesn’t demand top-end cash. Adding to its authenticity, the .22 HK416 has a standard, A2-style birdcage flash hider and ½x28 threads for use with other popular .22 accessories (including suppressors and aluminum receivers), a retractable stock, flip-up sights, functional dust cover and M-Lok slots for accessories. It also has last-round holdopen. Any closer to the HK416, and you’d be squeezing the trigger on the real thing. MSRP: $449, heckler-koch.com

Bergara B-14R .22 LR

Guns and gear Bergara B14R

The B-14R .22 LR is based on Bergara’s popular line of centerfire rifles and includes the accuracy-enhancing bells and whistles: bull barrel, fully adjustable stock, oversized tactical bolt handle and threaded muzzle. This rifle’s stock deserves a bit more comment: In addition to its customizable length of pull and cheek rise, the HMR (Hunter-Match Rifle) system also features an integral mini-chassis, which provides superior rigidity, especially for a rimfire. Uniquely, the B-14R also feeds off AICS mags … kind of. The magazine is built to AICS specs and is a dead ringer. However, it’s actually a modified 10-round, single-stack system. Still, for an economical trainer, the full-sized feel of the mags is certain to add authenticity to the experience. MSRP: $1,150, bergara.online/us

Crosman PCP Challenger

Guns and Gear Crossman

Airgun competitions are as deadly serious as any held at Camp Perry, and Crosman has the iron set to excel off the firing line. With the National Three-Position Air Rifle Council’s seal of approval, the Challenger PCP has everything you need to dominate the Sporter Class. Prime among these are an entirely upgraded fire control and barrel. The Challenger features a two-stage, match-grade, adjustable trigger you can tune to trip at a feather’s touch. Then, it keeps everything on target with a Lothar Walther barrel—renowned for its hair-splitting accuracy. The PCP functions with either CO2 or compressed air. Fans of the previous Challenger, the 2000, needn’t fear: Crosman hasn’t strayed very far, keeping the adjustable stock and ambidextrous bolt handle. MSRP: $630, crosman.com

Sig Sauer Air ProForce M17 Airsoft Pistol

Guns and gear AIR-PF-M17-HERORIGHT

Yes, this pistol is designed for professional training, but it’s also more fun than should be legal. Sig’s Air ProForce M17 Airsoft is the living image of the Army-issued P320-M17 9mm in look, balance and handling. Heck, the slide even actuates, and you load with mags that are facsimiles of the ones the M17 uses. The exception is that when you pull the trigger, you’re spitting out harmless polymer BBs fueled by CO2. Talk about the ultimate backyard trainer! Plink away, work your speed reloads, and have a load of fun. At the same time, the ProForce M17 will keep you razor-sharp with your full-powered Sig. MSRP: $160, sigsauer.com

Wiley X WX Aspect Eyewear

Guns and gear WX Aspect

Don’t think that just because you’re pitching BBs, you can skirt basic safety practices. Air rifle, rimfire or centerfire, you need to protect you’re looking orbs. Wiley X has you more than covered. A stylish option for the range, the WX Aspect glasses don’t skimp on protection; they meet and exceed ANSI Z87.1 industrial standards for high-mass and highvelocity impact protection. Plus, they offer unparalleled clarity by amplifying color and delivering crisp images—everything you need to keep on target. Did we mention that they’re also as light as all get-out? MSRP: $130, wileyx.com

Q Erector Suppressor

OL Q Erector

It’s nice to have options. With its completely modular and tubeless design, the Q Erector gives you plenty of them. The .22 suppressor is completely configurable for any application you cook up for it through its simple, screw-together design. Need a little something to take the edge off your pistol? Slap on a couple of baffles. Is your need for stealth at a premium while you’re out hunting? Then go whole hog and screw together the entire stack. The sky—along with the 10 baffles—is the limit with this 2.6-ounce suppressor. A bonus: The stainless steel-and-aluminum hush tube might be among the simplest-to-maintain noise-reduction devices you’ll find. MSRP: $449, liveqordie.com

Blazer .22 LR Bulk Packs

OL Blazer

You had us at “Bulk Packs.” What better way to keep range day going than a mountain of .22 LR ammo at your disposal? Now, Blazer offers this option with 525-count boxes of its topnotch plinking ammo. Actually, you don’t have to limit yourself to punching paper with this stuff: It cooks and is dandy for anything you might aim at with your .22. Blazer tops off the rounds with a 38-grain, roundnosed lead bullet and has it sizzling from the muzzle at 1,235 fps—more than enough to dust a pesky gopher or drill bull’seyes all afternoon. MSRP: $29.95 (box of 525), blazer-ammo.com

The article originally appeared in the December 2019 and January 2020 issues of Gun Digest the Magazine.

Reloading: The Endless Chase For Velocity

By
Philip Massaro
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1

Chasing velocity while maintaining accuracy is a maddening quest, one that requires the willingness to experiment and be flexible with expectations.

What You Need To Consider When Pursuing High Handload Velocities:

  • Even if top velocity isn't your No. 1 goal, a good chronograph is important to develop a full understanding of your handloads.
  • Be willing to experiment with your primer, bullet and powder choice to find the proper velocity formula.
  • Understand that not every rifle is configured for top-end velocity and you might not beat advertised factory velocities wit your particular make/model.
  • Aim for a sweet spot between accuracy and velocity.

Velocity, like all the parameters of reloading ammunition, can be a maddening thing. Those who don’t reload won’t understand the utter frustration of following the reloading manual’s “recipe” to the letter, heading to the range and seeing more-than-acceptable accuracy on the target … only to be confronted with those disappointing numbers on the chronograph.

Then, there are those who chase maximum velocity as if it were a lusty cheerleader on prom night. I’ve seen folks who will happily accept a screaming-hot load that prints 2 MOA, simply delighted with the velocity figures. Me? I tend to prefer an acceptable velocity, with the emphasis on accuracy—although I’m willing to compromise.

Allow me to be completely honest here: I am a hunter first and foremost and a target shooter second. Here, in New York, we don’t have a whole lot of places with the capability of 1,000-yard-or-longer shots. Consequently, much of my shooting/testing as a writer is done inside of 300 yards, simply because I’m confined by vegetation, terrain and property size.

Finding a Balance

When I get the chance to stretch things out, I do truly enjoy it. Target shooting is fun, and a rifle/scope/cartridge setup for that purpose is certainly intriguing.

But, as a hunter, I keep my shots at unwounded animals inside of 400 yards. This is a self-imposed limit, because I know myself, and I’ve spent enough time shooting in various hunting conditions to know my own limitations. My trajectory is barely affected by a 50- to 75-fps velocity drop within 400 yards, so I’m not crushed when I see a lower number on the chronograph.

My handloads usually end up a balance of sensible velocity and shootability. Or, perhaps I should say I’m more concerned with the ability to put my bullet where it needs to be than with squeezing out the last bit of velocity or trying in vain to match the velocities the test data produced with a 30-inch barrel in my 24-inch sporter.

Load Up On Reloading Info:

Sometimes, I can match the advertised factory velocities; other times, I beat the factory figures. But more often than not—probably due to the fact that we are all using canister-grade powders—my stuff ends up moving a bit below the published velocities … and that’s okay with me.

The .308 Winchester

The first cartridge I seriously reloaded for was the .308 Winchester. Traditionally, it’s a forgiving cartridge, capable of fine accuracy. To this day, I feel a reloader should start with a cartridge such as this, because it can bolster confidence and “set the hook” for a lifetime of reloading.

This was not exactly the case with my own .308 Winchester, because my Ruger 77 MKII proved to be a finicky rifle. I went a bit crazy trying to find a 165-grain load with the Sierra GameKing hollowpoint that would group inside 1½ MOA but finally found it right on the edge of pressure signs.

While plenty accurate, this factory 7mm load just didn’t give the velocities the cartridge was capable of producing.
While plenty accurate, this factory 7mm load just didn’t give the velocities the cartridge was capable of producing.

Pushing that bullet to slightly more than 2,700 fps, it’s not quite as fast as the Hornady Superformance and similar enhanced loads, but it is just on the cusp of difficult extraction and flattened primers in my rifle. The stout load of IMR4064 gives ¾-inch groups at 100 yards, and that load has accounted for quite a bit of New York venison. I would have been just fine if the velocity had been 2,600 fps or even a little slower. But, alas, the hotter load gave the accuracy.

The 7mm Remington Magnum

Loading for a 7mm Remington Magnum and using 175-grain Nosler Partition bullets, I developed a load that gave excellent accuracy: five shots in just over ½ MOA. Imagine the disappointment when the chronograph showed that these bullets were moving at a bit more than 2,500 fps. In spite of the excellent accuracy, that seriously low velocity (factory loads for this cartridge/bullet weight combo usually run about 2,850 fps) would have an adverse effect on both trajectory and striking energy, so my IMR4350 load had to be abandoned.

Happily, I was able to reproduce the accuracy using Reloder 23, with very consistent muzzle velocities averaging 2,815 fps. The load showed no high-pressure signs; and, because Reloder 23 is insensitive to temperature changes, it will work well in the heat of Africa or on the tundra in pursuit of caribou.

The .404 Jeffery

The .404 Jeffery—one of my favorite big-bore cartridges—was traditionally loaded with a 400-grain bullet to a muzzle velocity of 2,150 fps. Modern loads bring that muzzle velocity up to 2,350 fps, bringing the .404 Jeffery into the same class as the .416 Rigby and Remington factory loads.

When I started load development for my Heym Express, I first evaluated how the rifle liked factory loads. I found the accuracy with most 400-grain loads was acceptable, but I wanted to use the 400-grain Woodleigh Hydrostatically Stabilized solids, so I’d need to handload them.

I looked through the reloading manuals and found a bunch of differing data. With 400-grain bullets, both monometal and lead core, and Alliant’s Reloder 15 powder, some books listed 74.0 grains as the maximum load, while others listed as much as 83.0 grains as maximum, yielding more than 2,400 fps.

I worked up, in 1-grain increments, from 72.0 grains to 80.0, which is where the Heym gave me the MOA accuracy I was after. The Oehler 35P showed a muzzle velocity of 2,280 fps, coinciding perfectly with the test data in the Woodleigh reloading manual, and that velocity worked out just fine for me: It was easy on the shoulder and quite effective on the business end. Did I hit the 5,000 ft-lbs of energy benchmark? No (but please don’t tell the elephant or buffalo about that).

The .470 NE Double Rifle

In my .470 NE double rifle—which was regulated by the Heym factory with Hornady factory ammunition at 2,150 fps—I needed to match a particular velocity in order to duplicate the accuracy. Trying different factory loads showed me just how velocity variations affected the accuracy of a double rifle.

For example, Federal’s factory load, with the 500-grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, proved to be very consistent in my rifle but was running at an average velocity of 2,251 fps and impacting about 3 inches high and nearly that much to the left. I could have adjusted the sights, but I opted to handload for the big gun. I did match the regulation velocity with a load of 88.0 grains of Reloder 15 and a Kynoch foam wad. That formula works with several different projectiles and has taken numerous Cape buffalo.

Find a Good Chronometer

A good chronograph is a necessity for the serious handloader, whether it’s for a handgun load, hunting guns or target rifles. I like the Oehler 35P chronograph, although there are other models that give reliable performance (for instance, many guys sing the praises of the LabRadar system, using Doppler radar). For the long-range shooter, knowing the muzzle velocity is as important as knowing the BC of your bullet; and even with those two pieces of information, corrections will need to be made to the projected trajectory.

Accuracy/Velocity Compromise

What’s the remedy for a rifle or handgun that gives its most accurate performance at a lower velocity? My only suggestion is to try until you find something you can live with. Just as some barrels give lower velocities with factory ammo, it can, and does, happen with handloaded ammo as well.

The accuracy of the 6.5-284 Norma is more than desirable, yet the velocities are about 200 fps lower than what is attainable.
The accuracy of the 6.5-284 Norma is more than desirable, yet the velocities are about 200 fps lower than what is attainable.

I have a 6.5-284 Norma in a Savage Custom Shop Model 116 that’s absolutely lights-out accurate. However, that occurs at velocities more often associated with the 6.5 Creedmoor. I have several hunting loads that still print under 1 MOA, but I have yet to find the load as accurate as the slow one at proper 6.5-284 velocities.

Nevertheless, I’m not giving up either; I know that accuracy/velocity combination is out there somewhere.

It’s certainly disappointing to buy a .300 Winchester Magnum and see .30-’06 Springfield velocities—just as it can be frustrating to try to push a .308 Winchester to magnum velocities. Try different primers to see the effect on velocity and accuracy; switch the brand/type of bullet; and/or change up the powder choice.

Be a bit flexible in your expectations, realize that not every rifle will deliver the perfect blend of velocity and accuracy, but be diligent in your development. I’ll wager you’ll end up happy with your chosen rig.

The article originally appeared in the August 2019 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

Classic Firearms: The Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector Revolver

By
Jerry Lee
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This Hand Ejector Second Model .44 Special is in excellent condition.
This Hand Ejector Second Model .44 Special is in excellent condition. Photo: Guns International

Introduced more than a century ago, the basic design of the Smith & Wesson hand ejector continues to define double-action pistols today.

What You Need To Know About Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector Revolvers:

  • The first hand ejector model was the .32 Hand Ejector Model of 1896.
  • Soon to follow was S&W's first K-frame revolver—the .38 Military Model 1899 or .38 Hand Ejector Military & Police.
  • The first Triple-Lock was .44 Hand Ejector First Model (New Century, Triple-Lock, .44 Military Model of 1908).
  • For many, this hand-ejector model is considered to be the finest double-action pistol ever made.

Among the many contributions Smith & Wesson has given to the firearms industry, the most significant would have to be the Hand Ejector revolver. This series of solid-frame, double-action models with swing-out cylinders and manual case extraction has certainly stood the test of time. Introduced in 1896, its basic design is still in production, not only by Smith & Wesson, but also by many other gun manufacturers around the world. Author Jim Supica wrote in Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson, “The Hand Ejector is the style of handgun that epitomizes Smith & Wesson.”

The focus of this column is on Hand Ejector models of the pre-World War II years with “Hand Ejector” in their official names. When referring to the basic design, all Smith & Wesson revolvers made since 1899 can be described as “hand ejectors,” but my plan here is to provide a bit of history on the original named models.

Toward the end of the 19th century, Smith & Wesson began work on a new-style revolver—one with a solid frame that would soon replace the popular top-break models the company had been known for since the 1870s. “Hand Ejector” is a reference to the loading and unloading procedure, whereby the shooter releases the cylinder to tilt out of the left side of the gun. This allows the cylinder to be loaded or for the fired cases to be “hand-ejected” by pushing back on the ejector rod.

Background: The .32 Hand Ejector

The first revolver to be given the name was the .32 Hand Ejector Model of 1896, its year of introduction. It was made on a new frame size called the I-frame, which had been designed for a new cartridge, the .32 S&W Long. Smith & Wesson lengthened the case of the .32 S&W by 1/8 inch to increase its powder capacity, and this required a slightly larger frame.

The Model of 1896—which would later be known as the .32 Hand Ejector First Model—was made for only seven years. It was not a big success on the civilian market, but a few major police departments, including Philadelphia’s, adopted the model as a service revolver.1

This Hand Ejector First Model belonged to a member of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Silver Mounted Posse in the 1950s. Its nickel finish was redone at the Smith & Wesson factory. The Bohlin silver grips add a fine touch. (Photo: Guns International)
This Hand Ejector First Model belonged to a member of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Silver Mounted Posse in the 1950s. Its nickel finish was redone at the Smith & Wesson factory. The Bohlin silver grips add a fine touch. (Photo: Guns International)

In 1903, the Second Model was introduced, along with several design improvements. The .32 Hand Ejector Model of 1903 remained in production until 1917, with a series of five changes over that time period.2 These differences were relatively minor for the first four model changes, with somewhat more significant variations internally with the fifth change.

The K-Frame Revolver

Another major contribution to firearms history from Smith & Wesson occurred in 1899 with the introduction of the first K-frame revolver—the .38 Military Model 1899 or .38 Hand Ejector Military & Police. K-frame models are still being made and are now well into their second century. They remain very popular; more K-frames have been manufactured than all other Smith & Wesson revolvers combined.3

At the same time the .38 Hand Ejector of 1899 was introduced, the most popular revolver cartridge of the 20th century, the .38 Special—or, to be precise, the .38 S&W Special—was introduced. Two of the most popular variants of this model with collectors are the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy models. These are marked “U.S. Army/Model 1899” or “U.S.N.” One thousand of each were made in 1900 and 1901.

The .32-20 was a popular cartridge in the late-19th and early-20th centuries and was another .32-caliber Hand Ejector. It went through six changes as the .32 Hand Ejector Model of 1902 and then, the Model of 1905.

The last variant remained in production until 1940. It was also made on the K-frame and could be considered the predecessor of one of the rarest Smith & Wesson models: the K-32 Hand Ejector First Model (K-32 Target). Chambered for the .32 S&W Long, only about 94 were made throughout the 1936–1941 period leading up to the beginning of World War II. Its rarity makes this version of the K-32 one of the priciest S&W collectibles.

The .22s

Several of the early Hand Ejectors were .22s. The first of these was the .22 Hand Ejector (LadySmith). Made on the tiny M-frame, it had a seven-shot cylinder and was chambered for the .22 S&W cartridge (which was the same as the .22 Long). It was in production from 1902 through 1921, with three model changes and serial number ranges.

Among the early Hand Ejector models were small-frame .22 models such as this Ladysmith.
Among the early Hand Ejector models were small-frame .22 models such as this Ladysmith.

Smith & Wesson resurrected the name, written “LadySmith,” in 1990 for a 9mm semi-auto and later for a J-frame .38 Special, which is still in the catalog.

The Bekeart Model

The .22-32 Hand Ejector had an interesting beginning. A San Francisco gun dealer named Philip Bekeart came up with the idea for Smith & Wesson to build on the .32 Hand Ejector I-frame a .22-caliber model with a 6-inch barrel and adjustable sights. He believed in the concept so much that he placed a special order in 1911 for 1,000 of these revolvers. These guns became known as Bekeart models and are highly collectible. Only 292 of the first 1,000 guns were delivered to Bekeart, and some went to other dealers. It was 1915 before Smith & Wesson put the model into regular production.

Bekeart models were not marked, so identifying them can be confusing. Serial numbers were included in the range of those for the .32 Hand Ejector (from 138226–139275), but there was a special and separate series of serial numbers stamped on the buttstock of the first 3,000, beginning with the letter “I.”4 Some collectors consider any .22-32 Hand Ejector with a letter showing shipment to Bekeart’s gun shop to be a Bekeart model. This revolver remained in production until 1941.

The N Size

The largest frame for Smith & Wesson revolvers for nearly 100 years was the N size. It was designed for a new cartridge, the .44 Special, and came aboard the S&W train in 1908. Based on a lengthened .44 Russian case, the .44 S&W Special could hold three more grains of black powder under a round-nosed, 246-grain lead bullet.5 (Some .44 Special fans might disagree with the statement that the cartridge was originally loaded with black powder, but six-gun guru John Taffin says so in Gun Digest Book of the .44.)

More Gun Collecting Info:

The Triple-Lock

The complete name of this revolver was quite a mouthful: .44 Hand Ejector First Model (New Century, Triple-Lock, .44 Military Model of 1908). Buried in the name is a feature that referred to the lockup of the cylinder; this feature became one of the nicknames of the model: the Triple-Lock. It was also often called the New Century.

In the Gun Digest Book of the .44, Taffin describes it as “the epitome of double-action six-guns: The New Century, alias the .44 Hand Ejector First Model, which would forever be known to its loyal followers as the Triple-Lock … In addition to enlarging the frame, two other improvements were made. A shroud was added to the bottom of the barrel to enclose the ejector rod, thus not only protecting the ejector rod, but also improving the looks of the S&W revolver. The second, unfortunately short-lived, improvement was the addition of a third lock, giving the Triple-Lock its unofficial name. Before, the .44 Hand Ejector First Model S&W cylinders locked only at the rear of the cylinder and at the front of the ejector rod. On the New Century, a third lock was brilliantly machined in the front of the frame at the yoke and barrel junction to solidly lock the cylinder in place.”

SW Values

Interestingly, the Triple-Lock was in production only seven years. Apparently, in 1915, someone at Smith & Wesson decided that the third lock was too expensive to manufacture, and it was eliminated—as was the shroud around the ejector rod. Following the changes, the price of the revolver was reduced from $21 to $19.

About 15,375 Triple-Locks were made before the changes took place; most, but not all, were .44 Specials. A limited number was chambered in .38-40, .44-40, .445 Colt and .455 Mark II.

The .44 Hand Ejector Second Model—as it was now known—was made from 1915 to 1917, when wartime work called a halt to large-frame revolver production. The model returned to the S&W line in December 1920 and remained there until 1940.

The Third Model

Another popular .44 Hand Ejector model, called the Third Model or the Model of 1926, was added in that year. It was identical to the Second Model except for the return of the ejector rod shroud. Smith & Wesson received a large number of inquiries asking for the heavier barrel lug—many from law enforcement agencies wanting a slightly heavier revolver. The Third Model was a special-order gun until July 1940, when it was listed in the Smith & Wesson catalog shortly before it was discontinued. It was reintroduced in 1946, following the war.6

For more historical and technical information on these great revolvers, the books listed below in the footnotes are excellent sources.

FOOTNOTES
1, 6: History of Smith & Wesson, Roy G. Jinks, Beinfeld Publishing, 1977
2, 4: Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson, Jim Supica and Richard Nahas, Gun Digest Books, 2004
3, 5: Gun Digest Book of the .44, John Taffin, 2006

The article originally appeared in the August 2019 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

The Most Prevalent Revolver Myths Dispelled

By
Patrick Sweeney
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Revolver power at the .357 Magnum level is just the start. Pistols top out pretty quickly after that, but you can get revolvers that have as much power as some rifles.
Revolver power at the .357 Magnum level is just the start. Pistols top out pretty quickly after that, but you can get revolvers that have as much power as some rifles.

Despite its longevity, the wheelgun continues to be misunderstood. We set the record straight on seven of the most common misunderstandings concerning revolvers.

What Are The Revolver Myths:

What Are The Revolver Truths:

Despite the inroads pistols have made, there’s still a place for revolvers as carry guns, and a lot of people carry them. But, we need to make sure you don’t walk around in a fog of misconceptions about revolvers—because a lot of gun store guys are not as up on their wheelgun knowledge as you (and they) might think.

Myth #1: Revolvers Never Jam

As someone who has carried revolvers off and on for some 40 years now and competed with them for 30-plus years, that just ain’t true. You can have a bullet jump forward on recoil, stick out the front of the cylinder and prevent rotation. You can have unburned powder flakes fall under the extractor star on a reload so that you can’t get the cylinder closed. Heck, I even flat-out broke a revolver at the IPSC World Shoot in Greece and had to finish with a loaner.

If it’s made by the hand of man, it can break.

Myth #2: They Are Both Easy And Difficult To Shoot

Easy, as in “all you have to do” is squeeze the trigger. And hard, because “the trigger pull is heavy.” Yes, a double-action revolver is easy in concept. Squeeze, repeat. But most people don’t squeeze; they clutch. And the jerky slapping of the trigger is what causes them to miss.

Stroke smoothly through the trigger and don’t anticipate the loud noise to come, and you will hit what you aim at. Doing it quickly is a matter of repetition in practice.

Myth #3: They Are Always Slow To Reload

I’ll admit that, compared to a pistol, it does take more time to get the ammo supply topped up in a revolver. But you can speed up that process. The exemplar here (and pretty much in all things revolver) is Jerry Miculek. He can reload a revolver faster than most pistol shooters can reload their 9mms. It is a matter of practice and proper technique. That so many revolver shooters are so bad at it is more a matter of not having been taught right than any inherent inadequacies of the wheelgun.

Pistols depend on magazine springs to work 100 percent. Modern magazines are the best they’ve ever been—but they’re still not up there with the longevity of revolver springs.
Pistols depend on magazine springs to work 100 percent. Modern magazines are the best they’ve ever been—but they’re still not up there with the longevity of revolver springs.

If you are using a concealed carry revolver, you can learn from police from decades ago: the “New York Reload.” Simply put—a second gun. Rather than try to stuff five or six more rounds into the now-empty gun, drop it, draw the backup, and continue solving your problem.

Truth #1: Revolvers Are The Lowest-Cost Practice To Be Had

You can practice at zero cost. It is called “dry-firing”; and, unlike with pistols, you don’t have to break the sequence to re-cock the striker or hammer. You simply double-action-stroke the trigger again and again. Thousands and tens of thousands of repetitions of the DA stroke not only strengthen your hand and improve your aiming, they also smooth the parts. Called “burnishing,” it is the polishing of metal surfaces by rubbing them against each other. A revolver that has been dry-fired a bazillion times (and not abused) has a trigger feel that is really smooth.

Mike Karbon, the owner of the gun shop I started at, dry-fired his Colt Python so much that he broke the firing pin. Even Colt was amazed at that. When it happened, I did a quick estimate of how many times a day I heard click-click-click and realized Mike had done hundreds of thousands of dry-fires. A new firing pin was cheap practice, and not all revolvers will break a pin, even under that volume of clicking.

Truth #2: They Do Not Depend On Magazine Springs

This is not as big a thing as many people make it out to be … but it is a thing. No, leaving your magazine (a good one, anyway) loaded for long periods of time is not a problem. It will work. I have personal knowledge of magazines left loaded for not fewer than 17 years, and they worked just fine.

Take Another Spin With Our Revolver Content:

Nevertheless, you are still depending on a magazine and its spring. With a revolver, the five or six rounds that rest in the chambers do not depend on springs to the extent that a pistol does. Yes, there are springs involved, but the coil or leaf spring in your revolver will be up to its task for centuries to come.

Truth #3: They Are Accurate

A pistol depends on the relationship between the slide and the barrel for accuracy. If the barrel does not come to rest in the slide in a consistent manner, accuracy will suffer. On a revolver, the sights are firmly fixed to the frame and barrel, and they don’t move. As long as the cylinder comes up in line with the bore in a reasonably consistent manner, you have accuracy. As a result, even an inexpensive revolver will be accurate. And the best are brilliant at it.

Both pistols and revolvers can be had in the inexpensive-to-feed .22 LR, but revolvers can be dry-fired much more readily than pistols can.
Both pistols and revolvers can be had in the inexpensive-to-feed .22 LR, but revolvers can be dry-fired much more readily than pistols can.

Truth #4: They Offer A Wider Power Range Than Pistols

Both go down to the lowly .22 LR in power. Pistols max out at the .45 ACP in the usual designs, with some going up to .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum and bigger. Big-bore revolvers start at the .357 Magnum and go up from there—up past the .44, to .480 and .50. It is easy to find a gun shop with a selection of .44 Magnum revolvers, but try finding a gun shop with an equal selection of equal-powered pistols.

The important thing to keep in mind is this: Revolvers and pistols are not better or worse than each other. They are different. Each has strengths and weaknesses. Learn about them and learn to shoot them, because your level of practice and preparedness is more important than the particular type of gear you are carrying.

The article originally appeared in the August 2019 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

Truth About Straight-Walled Cartridge Ballistics

By
Josh Wayner
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HB4116

Even with modern advancements, straight-walled cartridge ballistics remain very consistent, which keeps them a short-range affair.

What Are The Characteristics Of Straight-Walled Cartridges:

  • While they can be pushed further, they are essentially short- to short-medium-range options.
  • Their velocity tends to dissipate quickly.
  • At their optimal ranges, they can deliver a load of energy on target.

Today’s hunter has a plethora of cartridges to choose from. Certain states and regions have limitations on what caliber and type of gun can be used. As a result, there’s innovation in lots of areas that would otherwise have been left behind by the march of technology.

Straight-walled cases offer a tremendous amount of utility in a surprising number of firearm types. They were among the first successful self-contained munitions developed. It was the advent of the self-contained metallic case that allowed for the first repeating arms to be manufactured and distributed on an industrial scale. Many of these cartridges are still in widespread use today—despite being more than 100 years old.

Why Straight-Walled Cases?

In recent years, a number of regions began allowing the use of straight-walled cases, mainly as an alternative to the use of shotguns. Shotguns have tremendous recoil and are not especially accurate, even with top-shelf slugs designed for rifled barrels. Recoil-sensitive hunters were essentially deterred from hunting as a result.

Because rifled shotguns are basically rifles, the idea came about that straight-walled cases would be an ideal substitute; most are, when compared to bottle-necked cases, low-pressure and have limited range. Many of today’s straight-walled cases have the same general effective range as that of a rifled shotgun—around 150 to 200 yards at a maximum (but more on that in a moment).

Modern straight-walled cartridge options: Hornady American Whitetail 170-grain .350 Legend and 245-grain .450 Bushmaster.
Modern straight-walled cartridges: Hornady American Whitetail 170-grain .350 Legend and 245-grain .450 Bushmaster.

The legal requirements surrounding straight-walled cases often dictate what type of rifle can be used. Some areas (such as Michigan) have physical restraints on the size of the case itself. A cartridge case—and note that the bullet is not included here—must be between 1.16 and 1.8 inches and .35-caliber or larger. This means that rounds from .357 Magnum to .500 Smith & Wesson can be used.

Straight-Walled Characters and Characteristics

The most common and popular straight-walled hunting cartridges are the .357 Magnum, .45 Colt, .44 Magnum, .450 Bushmaster and the newly released .350 Legend. There are other rounds that fill the requirements, but there are no significant ammunition makers or common, reliable rifles made to fire them. As an example, the .500 and .460 Smith & Wesson are great rounds, but there are really no common or affordable rifles made to make use of them. S&W makes great revolvers, but not every hunter wants the challenge of handgun hunting or possesses the fortitude of wrist to master such hand cannons.

The traditional lineup comprises .357 Magnum, .45 Colt, .44 Magnum and .45-70. I consider these cartridges “traditional” straight-walled cases. The first three are geared toward revolvers, but there are great hunting rifles made to take advantage of their qualities. The .45-70 is generally considered a rifle cartridge, but today, you can find handguns that chamber it.

.357 Magnum

The .357 Magnum is the smallest straight-walled case in common use for hunting. There aren’t many semi-automatic options out there, but there are wonderful lever-action rifles and bolt guns made to fire it. The .357, while powerful in a concealed-carry revolver, is limited to about 50 to 75 yards in a hunting scenario, so large deer should be avoided.

This is a customized Brenton USA Ranger Carbon Hunter in .450 Bushmaster with a Sig Sauer Tango4 Scope in a Creedmoor Sports mount.
This is a customized Brenton USA Ranger Carbon Hunter in .450 Bushmaster with a Sig Sauer Tango4 Scope in a Creedmoor Sports mount.

The .357 Mag. is best in a compact, 16- to 18-inch lever-action with either a red-dot sight or open irons. Most ammunition offerings are loaded to handgun power, which means that many don’t generate a tremendous amount of speed. Buffalo Bore loads several very powerful options, including a 158-grain JHP that can achieve more than 2,000 fps from a rifle-length barrel.

.45 Colt

The classic .45 Colt was once the choice of the U.S. Calvary in General Custer’s era. It was made famous early on and today enjoys a healthy following and a wide range of ammo and gun choices. Today’s .45 Colt ranges from old-school, 255-grain cast lead to advanced, 230-grain Sig Sauer V-Crown self-defense loads.

For hunting, I like to go big and somewhat slow. The .45 Colt can sling some serious lead—but with low recoil and fairly low noise, because most heavy ammo never gets supersonic. Just like the .357 Mag., the .45 Colt is best in a lever gun with a red-dot or open irons. Effective range from a lever-action rifle is about 75 to 100 yards on medium to large deer. The ideal range is 50 yards.

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The best part of the .45 Colt is that it is a low-pressure cartridge that allows for easy practice while having high bullet mass. The fact that most factory ammo is slower than 1,000 fps means that it will run out of gas very quickly. It has good penetration qualities with hard-cast lead bullets. If you want that nostalgic hunt with a classy lever-action and red flannel, this is your cartridge.

.44 Magnum

The .44 Magnum is what most people consider to be the best of the “old-school” straight-walled cases. Developed by Elmer Keith from the .44 Special, the .44 Magnum boasts .45 Colt bullet mass at .357 Mag. speeds. I tested a Ruger 77/44 bolt-action rifle at one point and found it to be among the best and fastest-handling straight-walled rifles available today. Hornady 225-grain FTX loads clock at about 1,800 fps in that rifle, meaning that the effective range is bumped past the .45 Colt and .357 Mag. to around 150 yards.

Here, a Ruger American Ranch Rifle chambered in straight-walled cartridge .350 Legend with a Sig Sauer Romeo 5 red-dot sight.
Here, a Ruger American Ranch Rifle chambered in .350 Legend with a Sig Sauer Romeo 5 red-dot sight.

The .44 Mag is available in lever-actions and bolt-actions, but there’ve been some great semi-auto rifles made in years past. The .44 Mag. is best used with scopes in the 4x range, although irons and red-dot sights are also great.

Most hunters who use a “traditional” straight-walled case are going to be using .44 Magnum. The .45 Colt and .357 are fun and easy to use in a rifle, but the .44 Mag. is just as easy-handling, faster and more powerful in every way.

.45-70 Government

The old .45-70 is just as popular today as it was when it was first introduced in 1873. There are numerous rifles that chamber it—from single-shot Sharps replicas to brand-new, all-weather Marlin lever-actions.

The .45-70 boasts a wide range of bullet options, sometimes in excess of 500 grains. The massive amount of lead the .45-70 can deliver in a somewhat small package makes it a tremendous performer against all game on Earth.

It should be noted that the .45-70, while only slightly more powerful than .450 Bushmaster, isn’t legal in all areas that allow straight-walled cases because, at 2.105 inches, it is longer than the stipulated 1.8 inches.

The Modern Straight-Walled Cartridge

The interesting part of the modern straight-walled case is that it’s something of an evolutionary throwback in the “tree” of cartridge development. While the .450 Bushmaster and .350 Legend are new cartridges relative to the .45 Colt and .45-70, they share a number of the same features and performance.

Straight Walled Cartridge Chart

The .450 Bushmaster is the preeminent straight-walled hunting cartridge available today. As a generalization, it typically offers a 250-grain bullet at 2,200 fps. This means it has an effective range of 200 yards and no real upper limit on the size of North American game it can be used for. Bullet type for the .450 Bushmaster is geared for deer, but there are other offerings that can be used for larger, heavier animals that are tested in this article, such as the Buffalo Bore 360-grain Hardcast Flatpoint.

As far as performance and rifles are concerned, the .450 is something of a hybrid. The cartridge was originally developed for the AR-15, but because it shares the same case head size as the common .308 Winchester, it was readily adapted to bolt-action rifles. If you’re a handloader, you can make very, very powerful loads in your bolt-action that are otherwise unsafe in the fragile AR action.

Many AR rifles today struggle with reliability when it comes to the .450 due to subpar magazines and unsuitable gas system and buffer setups. I’ve fired every, single .450 AR made commercially today, along with many other custom options. I’ve found exactly one that works with perfect reliability and accuracy: the Brenton USA Ranger Carbon Hunter (featured in this article). Brenton USA also makes the most reliable .450 Bushmaster magazine on the market. Again, I tested all known options and have yet to find one that works better.

Bolt-action rifles such as the Ruger Gunsite Scout are available in .450 BM. Bolt-actions are generally more accurate than semi-autos and are more reliable, especially feeding the short, fat rounds such as the .450. One can make a case that, despite being made for the AR, the .450 is best in a bolt-action. The round is basically a large handgun cartridge and makes use of magnum pistol powders. As a result, it can offer challenges in the complex inner workings of an AR. In a .308 bolt gun with standard AICS pattern mags, all that’s required is a simple barrel change to fire .450 Bushmaster.

HB4116
HB4116

Precision Rifle Company is a rifle builder that makes the most accurate .450 Bushmaster rifles in the world—period. It was also the first company to introduce custom .350 Legend rifles. This company knows more about these two cartridges and what makes them accurate than any other riflesmith. Making straight-walled rifles that are accurate and reliable is a challenge, and Precision Rifle Company dominates the bolt-gun scene. I strongly recommend talking to the folks there about your straight-walled hunting rifle build.

The .350 Legend is the latest straight-walled cartridge to make waves on the hunting scene. This round was designed by Winchester primarily to address some perceived shortcomings associated with the .450 Bushmaster.

A prime selling point of the .350 Legend is that it boasts low recoil and low expense when compared directly to the .450 Bushmaster. Is it better? Well, the .350 has yet to have its public trial. As you’re reading this, thousands of hunters are preparing for their traditional excursions, and many will be taking the .350 Legend to the field for the first time. Time will tell how effective it is.

Should you invest and take the dive right away for a brand-new cartridge such as the .350 Legend? That depends on what you want to get out of the deal. The .450 Bushmaster is a very powerful cartridge that can generate some serious energy, but it’s too much for some shooters as a result. This was the exact problem that existed with high-recoil slug guns before straight-walled case regulations came into play.

The .350 offers about half the recoil of the .450—but at the price of bullet mass and energy. The low recoil and cost of the .350 are not enough to make it superior to the .450 Bushmaster, but it will be enough to get people to try it out. It’s been said in some hunting circles that the .350 Legend will do to .450 Bushmaster what 6.5 Creedmoor did to .308 Win., but I seriously doubt it’ll cause as widespread a stir.

HB4116

Overall, the .450 Bushmaster will continue to dominate the straight-wall game for the foreseeable future. If you’re getting into serious hunting with straight-walled rifles, the .450 BM is king. There’s no other commonly available medium-to-large-game, straight-walled round that delivers as well as the .450 at the maximum range straight-walled cases are good for.

Effectiveness OF Straight-Walled Cartridges

I’ve been hunting with the .450 Bushmaster for a number of years and was one of the first to write about the need for .450 bolt-actions well before Ruger released its Gunsite Scout and American rifles. There are many misconceptions—and outright lies—about these cartridges and rifles that need to be addressed.

First and foremost is that all the straight-walled cartridges in this article max out at somewhat close range. Yes, they can, of course, be fired farther, but the design, mass and speed of the bullets are what really determine effective range. The .357 and .45 Colt are best at bowhunting distances inside 50 yards. Any farther, and you encounter massive drops in energy and substantial bullet drop. The .44 Magnum can stretch that a bit more, with the ideal range being 50 to 100 yards—only a marginal increase over .357 and .45 Colt.

The .45-70 is commonly thought of as a long-range round. However, in today’s rifles with today’s bullets, it’s assuredly not. Again, it can, of course, reach a target at long range, but that’s not the point of hunting. The .45-70 is best at 75 to 150 yards on most game, but it drops significantly at any range past that.

Even modern straight-walled cases are not beyond this. It’s commonly seen that the .450 BM is advertised as being accurate to 300 and 400 yards, but this is entirely untrue. The trajectory is like a rock in a sock, even with good loads. The .450 is the same as the .45-70, in that it’s best at ranges inside 150 yards. There isn’t tremendous bullet drop from 150 to 200 yards, but beyond that, the round falls off rapidly.

The .350 Legend is no better. It’s essentially the same as .357 Magnum—on steroids—which means it’ll stretch out the range to about 100 or 150 yards (roughly the same as the .450 Bushmaster). The low bullet mass is the reason the ideal distance is about 100 yards.

Just to make sure the point is made: There’s a major difference between how far a bullet can travel and what a bullet does when it arrives. Long shots can be made but should not be sought out with straight-walled cartridges.

As far as accuracy is concerned, most ammo made for .357 Mag., .45 Colt and .44 Mag. is made for handguns. The tolerances and bullet quality vary widely. Expect most rifles of any action type to group at about 3 inches at 50 yards. In the case of most replica lever-actions, this is great performance. Modern bolt-actions, such as the Ruger 77 Series, will do slightly better, usually grouping at 2 inches at 50 yards.

The big boys tend to do better at longer ranges. Most .45-70 rifles can be quite accurate. A Ruger No. 1 single-shot rifle I tested would group at 1 inch at 100 yards with 405-grain soft-points, but this wasn’t the norm. Most other rifles I tested have been in the 3-inch range at 100 yards.

The modern rounds, such as the .450 Bushmaster and .350 Legend, can be had in much more accurate guns—but again, they’re not the norm. Most factory .450 BM and .350 Legend rifles will shoot about 2 to 4 inches at 100 yards. Custom rifles, such as those from Precision Rifle Company, will shoot sub-MOA all day in those calibers but are still limited by the cartridge, as far as effective range is concerned. This means that while the rifles are accurate, the bullets still run out of gas at the same ranges as factory guns.

Most AR-pattern rifles firing .450 Bushmaster will group at about 3 inches at 100 yards. This is good performance for the most part, and if your gun does better, consider yourself lucky. Brenton USA’s rifle in this article performs extremely well for a gas gun and is able to put five shots into 2 inches at 100 yards. This isn’t a usual case for either the .450 AR or most .450 ammo available today.

Terminal Effectiveness

Because there’s an obvious correlation between bore size and bullet mass, bigger bullets will always be objectively better. Due to the fact that the straight-wall game is inside 200 yards for most people, it’s akin to playing dodgeball with everything from tennis balls to exercise balls: You’re always going to be better with a bigger ball, given that the game is at a set distance.

A deer will be equally as dead if shot by a .357 Mag. or a .500 S&W, so it all depends on shot placement and the individual rifle, bullet and animal. Because we’re playing with limited options, penetration is key. In the straight-wall game, a solid bullet is sometimes better than an expanding one, in that it can make up for low mass or low speed by punching in deeply. I switched to solids in my own .450 rifles after seeing lackluster terminal performance in the field with soft, expanding bullets.

Hardcast lead is very, very hard to beat at penetration, which is the only reason that .45 Colt made it onto this list. Those big cowboy loads are slow, but a 255-grain wadcutter at 900 fps can floor a deer on penetration alone. I’ve seen soft .450 BM loads shatter in two deer after hitting only a shoulder blade.

More technology isn’t always better, and bullets aren’t where you want to start adding moving parts when that trophy buck is on the line.
The goal of the straight-wall regulations was, for the most part, to open the hunting field to more hunters of various ages and ability. The straight-walled cases allowed are thus close to the power of a modern slug gun— sometimes, a little more and other times, a little less. The across-the-board effective ranges are the same as most slug guns—that being inside 200 yards.

Despite the advances made and new cartridges being introduced, straight-walled hunting is a fairly short-range game.

The article originally appeared in the October 2019 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

First Look: MPA BA PMR “Pro” Competition Rifle

By
Elwood Shelton
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MPA BA PMR “Pro” Competition Rifle

Designed for Production Class precision rifle competition, the MPA BA PMR “Pro” Competition Rifle trims down on the price tag, yet offers all the accuracy.

What The PMR Brings To The Table:

  • Masterpiece's BA Competition Chassis
  • X-Caliber stainless-steel barrel
  • Curtis Custom 3-lug short action
  • Five chambering options, including 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, 223 Rem. or 308 Win

Generally speaking, when you’re talking a Masterpiece Arms (MPA) rifle, you’re talking about a chunk of change. A favorite among some of the best precision match shooters out there, the Georgia manufacturer demands top dollar. Though, those seeking the advantages Masterpiece allots now have the opportunity to get behind the business end of their rifle without taking a second mortgage.

Meeting Production Class competition stipulations, the MPA BA Precision Match Rifle (PMR) “Pro” Competition Rifle comes in at a more affordable price point, but doesn’t compromise on accuracy. So how much? We are talking about a specialty made precision rifle for competition, so not as inexpensive as your everyday long-range shooter would hope. But, relatively speaking, the PMR’s $2,499.99 price tag is much lighter on the pocketbook and stays under the Precision Rifle Series’ revised threshold of $2,500.

The heart of the MPA BA PMR “Pro” Competition Rifle is the company’s BA Competition Chassis. Made from machined 6061 aluminum, the chassis is held to tight tolerances and provides the rigid platform required for consistent accuracy. Boasting a V-bedding system, the chassis provides excellent metal-to-metal mating with the action, eliminating and wiggle or walk. Yet, MPA provides clearance in the BA Competition Chassis for glass bedding, both the action and the straight section of the barrel.

Get On Target With Precision Rifles:

The chassis also includes several features precession shooters look for in a rig, including thumb rest, lower mounting rail and 20-MOA scope rail. Handily, it’s also outfitted with a built-in inclinometer, V4 spigot mount and data cardholder. Incidentally, the BA Competition Chassis is RAT (Rapid Adjustment Technology) compatible, so it’s should prove lightning fast to adjust to any particular shooting position. Of course, the buttstock is fully adjustable for length of pull and comb height.

As to the action and barrel on the MPA BA PMR “Pro” Competition Rifle, they’re both top-of-the-line. The pipe is an X-Caliber stainless-steel blank, button rifled with M24 Contour, which Masterpiece cambers 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, 223 Rem. or 308 Win. MPA tops it off with the company’s DN3 muzzle brake, to manage recoil. And the action is a Curtis Short Action, a three-lug affair with an M-16 style extractor, that’s as smooth as silk to run and fast as the dickens, with a 60-degree throw.

A few other notables of the MPA BA PMR “Pro” Competition Rifle are a rotating barricade stop, 2-round holder and black or tungsten Cerakote finish. New hand or a seasoned pro at precision match shooting, Masterpiece Arms has whipped up something special to get them on target.

MPA BA PMR “Pro” Competition Rifle Specs:
Caliber: 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor, .308 Win, .223, 6.5 PRC
Action: MPA/Curtis Short Action
Bolt: 60 Degree Bolt Throw
Chassis: MPA BA Competition Chassis
Chassis Weight: 5 lbs.
Rifle Weight: 12.5 lbs.
Barrel: X-Caliber Hand Lapped 416R Stainless Premium Barrel Blank
Barrel Twist: Caliber specific
Barrel Length: 26” (6.5mm and 6mm)

For more information on the MPA BA PMR “Pro”, please visit masterpiecearms.com.

Rifle Scope: Picking The Right Power

By
Philip Massaro
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Rifle Scope Power 4

Too much magnification can be a waste of money and too little an impediment to accuracy. What you need to know is how to select a rifle scope based on your magnification needs.

What To Look For On Specific Scopes:

  • A general hunting scope should have flexible magnification.
  • Here, the low end proves as important as the high, for shots made in thick timber and other dark places.
  • Power counts in target/varmint scopes, so the look for high magnification ranges.
  • A large objective lens is helpful, giving a clearer image and gathering more light.
  • For dangerous-game rifles a scope with low power and a maximum field of view pays dividend.
  • Look for tough makes and models that won't fail in a pinch.
  • Depending on what you'll use it for, a rimfire will excel with any of the above mentioned optics.

In my not-so-humble opinion, there are two major facets of a rifleman’s gear that have made huge improvements in the past three decades: projectile design and construction, and optics. The former is a topic I’ve spent a great amount of time studying, but the latter is a topic I feel equally passionate about. I’ve heard many reiterate the phrase, “Your riflescope should cost twice what your rifle does.” While in certain circumstances that might be true, the overall quality of riflescopes has seen remarkable improvements.

I remember the story of my father (in his early 20s) actually removing the riflescope from his .308 because it simply wouldn’t hold zero. He replaced it with one of the best scopes he could find: a Redfield Widefield 3×9 variable. It sits atop that rifle to this day. At that time, variable riflescopes were sketchy at best, often shifting point of impact with a change in magnification. Thankfully, almost all of that is over.

We have scopes that are so rugged, they can double as a finishing hammer without losing zero, and we have scopes that can detect life in another solar system. There are zero-magnification models—a bit more effective than iron sights, because they put the target and crosshairs on one focal plane—and there are scopes with magnification up into the 30-plus range.

The author’s favorite rifle—a Heym Express in .404 Jeffery—with a Swarovski V6i 1-6x. Due to its straight bolt, it must be mounted higher than he likes.
The author’s favorite rifle—a Heym Express in .404 Jeffery—with a Swarovski V6i 1-6x. Due to its straight bolt, it must be mounted higher than he likes.

There are scopes with 3x, 4x, 5x, 6x and even 8x magnification ranges, scopes with 24mm (1 inch) main tubes, as well as 30mm, 34mm and even 35mm. Some scopes have no flared bell end (they use a front lens that fits into the main tube), and some have a lens large enough to gather more light than your eye can use.

All in all, it can be a bit overwhelming to pick out a riflescope, especially if you want one to fill several different roles.

Scope Out More Optic Information:

I feel comfortable saying that most of us—and that includes me (on certain rifles)—use too much magnification. Perhaps it’s the idea that higher magnification is better. In some instances, it is. But I’ve come to rely on the quality of the glass rather than larger objective lenses and higher magnification.

The All-Around Hunting Scope
All right, you’ve done your homework and picked out what you consider to be the consummate all-around hunting rifle; one you plan to take with you on a good number of hunting trips, both at home and abroad. While the idea of picking a pair of scopes—keeping them zeroed in a good set of detachable rings—for the same rifle is one I’ve embraced in the past, let’s try to pick one that will give good service in nearly any situation.

A Bushnell Rimfire 3-9x on a Savage MarkII BRJ .22 Long Rifle. Optics for rimfires can be very diverse, depending upon your desired use for the setup.
A Bushnell Rimfire 3-9x on a Savage MarkII BRJ .22 Long Rifle. Optics for rimfires can be very diverse, depending upon your desired use for the setup.

The classic 3-9x still makes perfect sense after all these years, because at the lowest setting, even close shots are manageable. Yet, at 9x shots, they can be made out to the 400-yard mark and beyond. These scopes are generally the most affordable, but they offer quite a value to the hunter. I’d rather have a 3-9x of the best quality than a higher or wider magnification range of lesser quality, because the former will give the clarity and reliability you want, especially if you own one hunting rifle. Now, while a generation ago 3x was the standard magnification range, today, things have changed, with the 6x and 8x scopes giving what might be the ultimate in flexibility to the hunter.

All—2-10x, 2.5x-10x, 2-12x, 1-8x, 3-12x—fit nearly the same bill, and what you’re looking for is flexibility. Let’s imagine a few very real situations in order to best explain why I feel you need the flexibility.

Your favorite deer rifle—let’s assume it’s an all-around big-game cartridge such as the .270 Winchester, 7mm Remington Magnum, .30-06 Springfield or .308 Winchester—can, and will, make a solid choice for almost all your hunting. That means the same rifle will be with you in your favorite deer stand and also might get the nod for bear hunts in the spring in Canada and the northern U.S. states.

The Leupold VX-6 2-12x, set in low rings, pairs well with this Winchester 70 Classic Stainless in .300 Winchester Magnum.
The Leupold VX-6 2-12x, set in low rings, pairs well with this Winchester 70 Classic Stainless in .300 Winchester Magnum.

While a 12x scope might be helpful for anchoring a whitetail across a 350-yard hay lot, it wants a good low end in order to pick out the proper shot on a fuzzy, black animal in the shadows. As I get older, I find I’m more comfortable with a low end no higher than 2x or 3x and will sacrifice the top end before the bottom.

There is also a definite shift in the scope designs, and we’re seeing more 30mm main tubes. I don’t think this is a bad move, providing that the scope you choose can be mounted low enough to obtain a good cheek weld on the stock. Riflescopes seem to be growing in both size and weight. While this might be fine for a target rifle or a varmint rifle, it can drastically affect the balance of a hunting rifle.

Bigger scopes need to be mounted higher, and chin weld (as opposed to cheek weld) greatly increases felt recoil. There’s an emphasis placed on taking shots only from supported positions, but the reality that any deer hunter will attest to is that you’ll invariably need to make a fast offhand shot at some point in your hunting career. A well-balanced rifle with a low-mounted scope—with a wide field of view—will greatly help you connect. Before buying a scope, see which ones can be mounted in low rings on your rifle. And, if you can’t get a 50mm objective lens, trust me: You can do just fine with a 40 or 44mm.

Higher-magnification riflescopes, such as this NightForce, are often best suited for target shooters and varmint/predator hunters.
Higher-magnification riflescopes, such as this NightForce, are often best suited for target shooters and varmint/predator hunters.

There are several models I’ve come to truly appreciate, including the Leupold VX-6 2-12x42mm and the VX-5HD 2-10x42mm—both having 30mm tubes—and the VX-3i 3.5-10×40 with a 1-inch tube. Yes, I have an unabashed penchant for Leupold’s glass, although I use other brands, but to me, these three represent just about the best value in an all-around rifle scope. There are higher-end models, such as the Swarovski Z8i line, and lower end models as well, such as the Bushnell Nitro 3-12x44mm, but I like the way Leupold blends size, weight and strength. As a result, its scopes balance perfectly with a good rifle.

An adjustable objective is an option you might want to consider, depending on how far you feel comfortable shooting. My own self-imposed limit is 400 yards maximum, and I can get the job done without worrying about parallax issues at that range. If you feel more comfortable with an AO, so be it; I won’t argue.

Long-Range Target/Varmint Scopes
Here’s where the behemoth scopes belong, because you’re looking for pinpoint precision on a very small target and usually at longer distances. You’ll see larger main tubes—not for their light-gathering capabilities, but for their adjustment ranges—and an adjustable objective lens, as well as higher magnification ranges. These scopes (5-25x, 7-35x, 4-32x) aid in hitting prairie dogs at 600 yards, as well as steel at 1,500 and more.

The dangerous-game classic—the Leupold VX-3i 1.5-5x20—is shown here in Talley detachable rings on the author’s .318 Westley Richards.
The dangerous-game classic—the Leupold VX-3i 1.5-5×20—is shown here in Talley detachable rings on the author’s .318 Westley Richards.

I’ve been most comfortable with a scope with a top-end magnification of 20x to 25x; when using more magnification than that, mirage became a serious issue. Most shooters would think that more magnification would be needed to hit a steel plate at 1,500 yards or out to one mile, but I can assure you that this isn’t the case.

In fact, it’s sometimes easier to lower the magnification in order to combat the effects of mirage. While shooting at the Leupold Optics Academy in the high desert of eastern Oregon, we were using the excellent Mark 5 HD 7-35x56mm and were having all sorts of trouble focusing targets at higher magnifications. My shooting partner and I dialed down the magnification to 12x, and each made solid hits on the course from 500 to 1,500 yards. Sometimes, less is more.

However, if you like the idea of having more magnification, you can dial down the more-powerful scopes … but you can’t increase the magnification on the lesser scopes. The offset is that the higher-magnification scopes are generally larger and heavier. My favorite varmint rifle—a well-worn Ruger Model 77 MKII in .22-250 Remington—wears an older Leupold Vari-X3 6.5-20x40mm with the AO on the ring of the objective lens. I spend most of my time with this rifle with the scope set on 14x.

The author ended up using a Leupold Compact 2.5x fixed-power scope on his Heym .404 Jeffery. It’s mounted low and gives plenty of eye relief.
The author ended up using a Leupold Compact 2.5x fixed-power scope on his Heym .404 Jeffery. It’s mounted low and gives plenty of eye relief.

Depending on whether you’re shopping for a varmint scope or a target scope (I consider the varmint scope to be used at 700 yards or so, while target scopes need to reach much farther), you can choose the tube size, objective lens size and magnification range to suit your needs. I’ve made 500-yard kills on prairie dogs with a 10x scope, but I think a sound top end for a varmint scope would be 16x; and a bottom end of 6x poses no handicap.

Dangerous-Game Scopes
You’ve seen them on those big rifles: a riflescope that looks like the front bell has been sawed off. They’re designed for maximum field of view, and their magnification rarely exceeds 6x, although recent designs reach 8x. Their bottom end is usually 1x or 1.5x in order to facilitate fast target acquisition when dealing with dangerous game in thick brush. They also make excellent choices for lighter rifles used at closer ranges, where the bigger scopes prohibit the low mounting that this style of scope allows. They offer much more eye relief than the higher-magnification scopes do, and that’s an important consideration when using the hard-kicking safari cartridges such as the .375 H&H, .416 Rigby and .458 Lott.

For years, the industry standard has been the Leupold VX-3 1.5-5x20mm with a 1-inch tube. This scope is light and rugged: It will stand up to some horrific recoil without losing zero. It also allows the shooter to accurately place a shot at 250 yards when set at 5x yet shoot an animal at fewer than 10 yards very quickly.

Rifle Scope Power 8

There are many models with 30mm tubes; I like the Trijicon AccuPoint 1-6×24 and the Leupold VX-5HD 1-5×24. They gather plenty of light. Grizzly bears in thick coastal vegetation, Cape buffalo in jesse bush and even black bear in hemlock forests—all these situations make sense for a scope in the 1-5x or 1-6x range. I put a Leupold VX-3i 1.5-5×20 on my 98 Mauser .318 Westley Richards and my Model 70 .416 Remington. My Bansner & Co. .404 Jeffery wears a VX-5HD 1-5×24, which just might take the crown in the next few years. All are in low Talley detachable rings in order to access the iron sights.

My favorite dangerous-game rifle—my Heym Express by Martini in .404 Jeffery—has a straight bolt handle, and while I’ve had a couple of very nice scopes on that rifle (including the Trijicon AccuPoint and Swarovski Z6i), they needed to be mounted too high for my liking. I wanted a scope solution that was tough enough to handle the .404’s recoil yet be mounted low to the bore. I found a unique solution when I located an older fixed-power Leupold Compact 2.5x scope. Sitting in low rings, that little scope doesn’t disturb the balance of the Heym rifle, gives me plenty of eye relief and enough magnification to get the job done.

Rimfires
For rimfire rifles, all three of the categories described above can, and will, apply, depending on the application of the rifle. I use a 1-4×20 turkey scope on my .22LR, because the parallax is set for 75 yards (about the farthest I use my .22), and the reticle is fine enough to place shots accurately. My wife and my dad both like a 3-9×40 on their rimfires, and I’ve used some of the big target scopes on my rimfire when some buddies were getting together for a backyard competition.

Rifle Scope Power 1

All said, a bit of planning while shopping for optics can make your shooting experience all the better. Sometimes, a scope that seems perfect has some drawbacks that can drive you nuts. Examine some other people’s rigs, looking at eye relief—and how that changes as the magnification changes—as well as height above the bore. It can be difficult to examine light transmission qualities in the store (the fluorescent lights can be deceiving); if at all possible, take the scope outside to try. You might end up using less magnification than you thought, especially with the higher-quality scopes.

The article originally appeared in the October 2019 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

Lever-Action Shotgun: Past, Present And Future

By
Elwood Shelton
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The first successful repeating shotgun, the Winchester 1887.
The first successful repeating shotgun, the Winchester 1887.

From innovative black-powder repeater to modern throwback arm and dandy field gun, the All-American lever-action shotgun continues to soldier on.

What You Need To Know About The Lever-Action Shotgun:

  • The first commercially successful repeating shotgun (Winchester 1887) was a lever-action.
  • While the style of shotgun disappeared for decades, it reemerged with the rise of Cowboy Action Shooting.
  • It makes an excellent option for game such as turkey, due to its ability to cycle quickly while holding on the target.

From the start, John M. Browning didn’t think it was a good idea. After all, a lever-action shotgun would be unwieldy, comparably slow and God awful on the knuckles. Try as he might, the legendary gun designer couldn’t veer Winchester Repeating Arms to a pump-action design. Management wouldn’t budge. Dagnabit, they were a lever-gun company, anything less was an affront.

So was born the first successful repeating shotgun—the Winchester Model 1887, later to become the 1901 with the advent of smokeless powder.

Certainly, Browning had it right, pump-action and later semiautomatic shotguns were the wave of the future for fast shooting, easy-to-operate smoothbores. For most applications, everything about them enhanced the efficient use of the generally hard kicking class of gun.

But it’s tough to argue the gun genius’s capitulation to the gun manufacturer’s whims has made for one of the most unique, timeless and downright nasty classes of shotguns. The lever-action shotgun will never top the heap, but there is no doubt it isn’t going anywhere soon.

Genesis Of The Lever-Action Shotgun

To modern eyes, the Winchester 1887 has a lumbering appearance. Dromedary-shaped action, short and thick buttstock and the typically long barrel of a black powder shotgun, it’s not exactly the first iron you’d grab come grouse season. Yet, at the time—in an age that would have viewed the lever-action shotgun as equally as awkward—it had a great advantage.

Shell in 1887 breech.
Shell in 1887 breech.

Whether you realized it or not, the shotgun was perhaps the most used—if not deadly—firearm of the Old West. James “Kill’n Jim” Miller was blistering hell with one in his hands (a skill that eventually led him to a dance at the end of a rope). But more so, it was the perfect tool for Manifest Destiny. Aside from good and bad men, every pioneer, farmer, rancher and likely last remaining mountain men had a smoothbore at beck and call. As pragmatic as those times, you could as easily fend off a grizzly bear or a claim jumper, as you could knock a duck off the wing with one. If you could do it in two shots.

Therein lies the edge of the 1887—it wasn’t a side-by-side. Before the Winchester lever-action shotgun hit the scene, that’s all that was on hand. Aside from their limited capacity and glacial reload time (no ejectors), these side-by-sides were hammer guns that had to be manually cocked to get into action.

On the other hand, the Model 1887 held 5+1 shells and, comparably, shot at a respectable clip. Sure, it wasn’t optimized for an accelerated firing rate or as intuitive as other potential designs, but it sure beat the alternative. Succinctly put, in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man was king.

Certainly, the 1887 had its drawbacks. As anyone who’s had the pleasure of being at the business end of one of the 12- or 10-gauges knows, it’s not the easiest firearm to load. Given there’s no loading gate and the action opens from the top, you have to reach through the receiver to insert a shell into the tubular magazine. And the lever-action shotgun and its progeny weren’t exactly nimble. Initially, the 1887 came with a 30-inch barrel standard—a 20-inch variation offered much later. And the 1901 came outfitted with a behemoth 32-inch barrel. Hyperbolically speaking, that’s teetering on punt gun territory.

Lever Action Shotgun Win 1887 Lever Action Ad
Early advertisement for the Winchester 1887 lever-action shotgun.

Despite these drawback, the Winchester 1887 is as elegant as any of the other guns scratched together by Browning. Utilizing a rolling block action, the lever-action shotgun was not only rock-solid, but also extraordinary simple. Early on, Winchester touted the latter aspect, boasting the action only had 16 parts.

Further, Browning made the 1887 as easy to operate as the design would allow. Primarily, this was achieved by dedicating the opening stroke to the lighter duty of extracting the spent shell and the closing stroke the more heavy work of compressing the hammer spring. You’d rather do the latter with your palm than your knuckles. Plus the trigger lays back on the trigger guard until the lever is almost closed, so you avoid the unpleasant experience of stabbing yourself with it.

These and other aspects made a good system, but not an enduring one. Less than a decade after its introduction, the 1887’s sales petered out. Though, it had one last gasp of life as the more stoutly built smokeless powder 10-gauge—the Model 1901. Another Browning design supplanted the lever-action shotgun, the iconic Winchester Model 1897—to a lesser extent its forerunner the 1893. Pump-actions both, it seemed Browning had it right from the start.

Rebirth Of The Lever-Action Shotgun

Funny thing about the closing of the American West, it didn’t quite shut the lid on the lever-action shotgun.

Chiappa's 1887 is a favorite among Cowboy Action Shooters
Chiappa's 1887 is a favorite among Cowboy Action Shooters

Sure enough, the design disappeared for decades, smoothbore fanatics had other things to keep them busy—pump-actions, semi-automatics and over/unders. Then, like a prairie twister, the lever-action touched down again. Winchester dabbled with the .410 Winchester 9410 in the 1990s, nearly a decade later Marlin introduced a lever .410 of their own, Henry Repeating Arms followed suit a little over 10 years later.

Nifty (and useful, we’ll get to that in a moment) as those small-bores proved, it wasn’t really what breathed new life into the lever-action shotgun. Wistfulness for the old west did … that and a cyborg from the future.

Raise Your Lever-Action IQ:

Cowboy Action Shooting—basically 3-Gun with period-correct firearms (replica and original) and duds—saw an incredible surge in the last quarter of the 20th Century. Those who couldn’t root out or afford a vintage Model 1887 and wanted to shoot the lever-action in a match created a market.
So did the 1991 film Terminator II. Spin cocking a sawed-off riff on an 1887 on the back of a Harley-Davidson, Arnold Schwarzenegger brought more attention to the level-action shotgun than it had had since Grover Cleveland was in the White House. Go figure.

by in large, the rebirth of the 1887 has had a foreign accent—Chinese and Italian. The Chinese Norinco was an early purveyor of the design, particularly a model fashioned after the Terminator’s gun, and won mixed review. Today there’s a non-descript “Chinese Made” 1887 is available at Century Arms for the princely sum of $380. A get-what-you-pay-for affair.

Italian gunmaker Chiappa, on the other hand, has earned more accolades, producing a more finely made option. In addition to selling under their name, they’re also imported by several replica specialists, manufactured to those company’s specifications.

Given Browning never worked in polymer, there are several variations of the lever-action shotgun that are a drastic break from the original design. So what?

Almost every replica 1887 is in one major way—they’re capable of shooting shells loaded with smokeless powder. But they aren’t technically 1901 knockoffs—for marketing purposes, mainly—but also since nearly every dang one of them is a 12-gauge.

A Modern Place Of The Lever-Action Shotgun

There are plenty of makes/models that owe their present existence to the field of competition. Yet, the lever-action shotgun has more depth to it than throwback shooting matches. Despite flying in the face of convention, it still has a role as a field gun and as a defensive arm.

Lever Action Shotgun Marlin
Marlin's 1895 lever-action shotgun, complete with semi-buckhorn sights.

Outside the 1887, the lever-action shotgun is primarily a .410 affair now, which might sound a little light by modern standards. Certainly, no one will argue against a small-bore scattergun for first-timers and youths, looking to master arm before having to deal with recoil. More so, with ammunition advancements, the .410 has found a new lease on life in turkey season. Improvements in wad design and heavier than lead shot, hunters have gravitated to the smaller—arguably faster shooting—diminutive bore.

Combine with a lever-action, the .410 becomes a formidable tool for knocking down a strutting gobbler—perhaps a better one than a pump. How so? You can shoot it more like a rifle. Take a kneeling or cross-legged position, for example. You can build a solid base with your support elbow on your knee to aim and never have to break it down to apply a follow-up shot. The same cannot be said of the pump-action.

Lever Action Shotgun Henry
Henry's lever-action shotgun puts 6+1 .410 shells on tap.

Henry’s 19.5-inch barreled lever-action .410 and Marlin’s 22-inch barrel 1895 .410 both fill this role extremely well, even if—in both cases—you have to drill and tap them if you hunt with a scope. Henry perhaps has the edge, given its shotgun uses Invector removable chokes—Marlin has choke options, but all are fixed. Either way, someone searching for a fast, accurate and light-recoiling turkey gun couldn’t do much better.

On the home front, the lever-action is also viable, particularly with the meteoric rise of the bird-head grip. Given these firearms are generally shot at the hip, the lever-action proves as efficient as the pump to cycle the shotgun. More so, for certain individuals more comfortable with the former over the latter. Black Aces Tactical certainly sees it this way.

Lever Action Shotgun Black Aces
Black Aces Tactical gives you two lever-action shotgun configurations in one with the L Series.

Long demanded, the Florida company came out with a convertible lever-action smoothbore line—Pro Series L— which comes with both a shoulder stock and bird’s head grip. The 12-gauge—capable of chambering 3-inch shells—is considerably larger than many grip-option firearms, boasting an 18.5-inch barrel. Still, outfitted with the grip it should prove plenty nimble and no less quick and potent.

Parting Shot

Despite its long history and somewhat recent resurgence, the lever-action shotgun isn’t going to become America’s preferred smoothbore anytime soon. That’s alright. It perfectly fills its present niche. As time goes on, clever gun designers will most definitely find new roles for the shotgun to play. Who knows what the future might hold for the All-American design? Whatever it is, one thing is certain—the lever-action shotgun will continue to endure.

Shotgun Insights: Everything You Need to Know

.224 Valkyrie Rifle: Building A Small Bore Precision Bolt-Action

By
L.P. Brezny
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1

224 Valkyrie Rifle 5

The .224 Valkyrie rifle is no longer strictly an AR affair with bolt-actions finding their legs in the caliber.

What Are The Top Production .224 Valkyrie Rifle Options:
  • Savage 110 Prairie Hunter
  • Mossberg MVP Long Range
  • MasterPiece Arms 224BA

    • It was the late winter of 2017 during the writer day (Industry Day at the Range) just prior to the great American Las Vegas Shot Show.

    Within the first five minutes of the event, my partner and I quickly found ourselves walking up the ramp into the shooting house that was set up for long-range shooting. This event was my first love, bar none, and here I had at least seven or eight rifles to stretch to the 1,000-yard steel while taking a hard look at optics and varied cartridge application on scene.

    I reached the far end of the shooting house about an hour later (and by now quite familiar with the long-range steel target at exactly 985 yards), and my eyes settled on a striking bolt-action rifle in a chassis design. It was chambered in the very-new-at-the-time .224 Valkyrie, as offered by Federal Cartridge.

    bolt-action
    The author with pre-bolt gun AR in .224 Valkyrie during the learning phase. With knowledge came the desire for a turn-bolt in this cartridge.

    Settling down behind the rifle with a retired Navy SEAL spotting for me, I checked my DOPE, dropped off the safety and set the crosshairs dead center. With a push of about a half-yard right for the full-value wind, I sent an American Eagle 75-grain FMJ pill downrange and onto the steel plate.

    My spotter indicated, “Hit,” and I re-chambered and then reset my sights. With round two scored again as a “hit,” I had formed the start of a several-inch group directly over my previous round on the target steel.

    Take Flight With The Valkyrie:

    Five rounds later, and I’d not recorded a single miss. The target group downrange was close to 5 inches, and the SEAL was asking what my outfit had been prior to retirement.

    I advised my friendly spotter that I’d been little more than an old street cop who worked in the department of weapons training on weekends; but I had a deep attraction for good rifles and great cartridges.

    1000 yards
    An MPA being shot to 1,000 yards with very early Valkyrie factory ammo. The bolt gun already showed some positive value.

    The rifle I used that day was the prototype of the now-standard MPA, or MasterPiece Arms bolt-action rifle. However, for the next several months, try as I might, I was not able to get my hands on the turn-bolt system.

    Dream .224 Valkyrie Rifle In Turn Bolt

    For quite some time, the bolt-action rifle was seemingly a pipe dream. The .224 Valkyrie had been designed by Federal Cartridge as an upgrade for the AR platform, and it seemed that is exactly where it was tending to stay.

    My real break regarding turn-bolt rifles came in the fall of 2018, when I met up with rancher Ron Harris. He was working with a gunsmith in Deadwood, South Dakota, who had a specified rifle works that involved building ground-up custom rifles for African big-game hunters on a worldwide basis.

    The gun was built by Satterlee Arms LLC; Stuart Satterlee was the “top gun” and boss of the operation. A meeting was set, and I was the very first gun writer to enter the doors. I was face to face with Stuart Satterlee and surrounded by old, German-built laths, tooling and CMC equipment with which Satterlee turned out his masterpiece-quality rifles.

    After almost four hours of discussion about what I was looking for in a rifle, Satterlee had written down exactly what I was looking for in an honest-to-goodness turn-bolt rifle in .224 Valkyrie.

    Finished .224 Valkyrie Rifle

    Within two weeks, I had the finished rifle on a bench rest and was working out the zero. The rifle comprised a custom-built K&P 1:7 twist, 22-inch, stainless, fluted and suppressor-ready barrel that was hand built. The action was a totally reworked (blue-printed) Remington 700-S with a number of detailed modifications from the Remington design, and the bolt was a reworked bolt face, handle and Sako extractor system that was required in a modified receiver from the original .223 Remington action.

    224 Valkyrie Rifle 2
    Although the .224 Valkyrie stumbled right out of the gate, the cartridge has since found it’s stride, thanks in large part to a class of high-quality factory ammo offerings from a plethora of top brands.

    The stock was designed from scratch, and the configuration was taken from a basic rollover cheek piece stock from about the 1920s. This stock was built by Fiberglass Inc., a specialized fiberglass company. It also makes use of a two-part paint process on surface areas.

    The barrel and action are Cerakote finished. Mounting a jewel trigger set at 1 pound and cut-rifled, groups shot for zero returned an exactly one-hole impact print at 100 yards. This accuracy level was by way of standard, over-the-counter Federal Fusion ammunition. Later, I found that the rifle took a special liking to Hornady 88-grain ELD Match ammunition as well, and the one-hole groups were showing up once again.

    Field-carry weight with optics, bipod and loaded was just a bit more than 9 pounds. This made for an ideal spot-and-stalk coyote rifle, as well as a deadly kill box tool for about a 300-yard square on incoming called dogs. I even envisioned turning some handbuilt, downloaded lightweight bullets in, say, 55-grain loose as open-prairie turkey hunting rounds.

    With the range of bullet options from 55 to 95 grains currently, and because I’ve been advised a possible 100-grain bullet would soon to be coming to the drawing boards, the lightweight sporter in .224 Valkyrie was adding up to be almost a one-gun-does-it-all system.

    224 Valkyrie Rifle 4
    Hornady Match 88-grain was used for a good deal of the field work when testing all the new rifles.

    In all respects, this .224 Valkyrie is a one-of-a-kind custom build, but it also represents what can be done in terms of designing a high-quality rifle by way of some creative design applications. I’m sure you might be questioning whether to bother with the bolt gun at all. With the current development in the AR-15 (the basis for the .224 Valkyrie in the first place), was the project even worth the trouble?

    The answer to that is not very complicated: Yes, the AR-15 platform took off with the .224 cartridge, and it has done so at a pace well beyond most entry-level cartridges marketed today. As a result, the .224 Valkyrie is returning great performance results, and it’s a major candidate and is dependable and effective for bolt-action rifles. I tend to gravitate toward the bolt gun for more reasons than can be listed here.

    Current Production Rifles To Custom .224 Valkyrie

    For the most part, you can take just about any .223 Remington short-action or rifles chambered in other similar rounds, and with a barrel changeout, bolt face modifications and an extractor switch, the rifle becomes a bolt-action .224 Valkyrie.

    For example, I intend to rework an aging Remington .223 VS in a HS Precision stock with just a barrel change and a bolt face modification. In some cases, the need for some modification in the magazine well might also be required. If the rifle shoots well, I might add custom paint and metal coatings in a Desert Tan camo pattern. But I’m getting ahead of myself here.

    224 Valkyrie Rifle 6
    Jim Smith gets the feel for my .224 Valkyrie in the custom bolt-gun configuration.

    The point is that a .224 bolt-action Valkyrie might be as close as your gun safe’s door. Who knows? That old Remington BDL, Mauser short-action or CZ that’s collecting dust could open the door to the whole new world of a 21st-century hot-rod cartridge.

    It’s interesting to note that of the professional hunters with whom I tend to hang around, all of them are shooting bolt-action rifles with cartridge chambering in factory and wildcat loads that fit the predator rifle requirements. As previously noted, I shot the AR platform for my introductory year of learning the cartridge. I can see that the move to the turn bolt is saving brass, with a trend toward easier reloading, and is creating an off-the-chart performance level.

    Top Production .224 Valkyrie Bolt-Action Rifles

    Savage 110 Prairie Hunter

    Rifle Savage

    Looking to test the water of a .224 Valkyrie bolt-action rifle or looking for a coyote rifle with legs, the 110 Prairie Hunter is the ticket. With an entry-level price, Savage allows you to see if the action and cartridge are a fit for you. Likely they will be, given the gunmaker is a solid handle at providing plenty of value for a light price tag. In the case of the Prairie Hunter in .224 Valkyrie you get a 22-inch, button-rifled barrel with a threaded muzzle. On top of that, it boasts all Savage’s accuracy-enhancing features, including Accufit adjustable stock, AccuStock internal chassis system and AccuTrigger adjustable trigger. MSRP: $759, savagearms.com

    Mossberg MVP Long Range

    Rifle Mossberg

    Mossberg’s MVP Long Range series is the best of tactical-practical, especially chambered in the ballistically-talented .224 Valkyrie. The stock is one of the highlights of the rifle, with a nifty push-button adjustable cheek rest with 1.5-inches of play and .25 of cast. Pillar bedding ensures absolute rock-solid matting between action and stock, you are assured of repeatable accuracy. And Mossberg’s LBA Adjustable Trigger—tunable between 3 and 7 pounds—ups your accuracy potential. It’s extras—oversized bolt handle, Picatinny rail, threaded muzzle, AR magazine compatibility, 22-inch bull barrel—go a long way to making this a high functioning .224 Valkyrie rifle. MSRP: $910, mossberg.com

    MasterPiece Arms 224BA

    Rifle Masterpiece Arms

    What can be said about MPA’s rifles, other than they’re dead nuts every trigger pull. Its .224 Valkyrie rifle is no different. Built on the renowned MPA BA Chassis, the rifle has an absolute granite foundation for repeatable accuracy. From there it’s mated with a Curtis Custom Axiom Action and Spencer/MPA barrel, topped off with a Trigger Tech Trigger, giving you an top-of-the-line precision system. And features, there’s too many to mention here, but needless to say, it’s everything you need to make the Valkyrie perform to its upper limits. MSRP: $3,275, masterpiecearms.com

    Too much magnification can be a waste of money and too little an impediment to accuracy. What you need to know is how to select a rifle scope based on your magnification needs

    The article originally appeared in the December 2019 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

    First Look: Springfield Armory To Introduce Three New SAINT Pistols

    By
    Elwood Shelton
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    Springfield Armory SAINT Pistols

    Purpose made to fill specific roles, the SAINT Edge PDW, Victor and Edge EVAC bolsters Springfield Armory's AR-pistol lineup.

    What Are The New SAINT Pistols:

    • SAINT Edge PDW with 5.5-inch barrel
    • The company's first .30-caliber pistol, the SAINT Victor .308
    • A compact takedown, the SAINT Edge EVAC

    At this point, AR-15 pistols have evolved past a mere novelty. If quality made and outfitted with a solid brace, there are few configurations providing more nimbleness and hitting power than these mighty mites. They’re close to being the perfect everyman’s close-quarter solution or in everyday talk, a dang fine home-defense option.

    Springfield Armory has kicked up its game in this corner of the market with the introduction of three new SAINT AR pistols, due out later this spring. A break from what the gunmaker has previously offered, each is purpose made to fill a specific role and, to be honest, are quite intriguing. In quick order, they are the highly compact 5.5-inch barreled SAINT Edge PDW Pistol (5.56 NATO), .30-caliber SAINT Victor .308 Pistol and takedown SAINT Edge EVAC (5.56 NATO).

    The Victor .308 might be a smidge excessive for the previously mentioned home-defense role, but aside from that would make a dynamite truck gun. The Edge PDW and EVAC, on the other hand, seem extremely versatile. In addition to protecting the home front, each has the potential to add more firepower to a bugout bag—especially the Edge EVAC. The pistol takes down to a package no bigger than a minute—overall, no longer than the gun’s 7.5-inch barrel. This is thanks in larger part to Gear Head Works Tailhook MOD 1 brace, which tucks away to nothing.

    The Springfield has yet to release hard numbers on the MSRP on the trio of SAINT pistols.

    More from Springfield Arms:

    GENESEO, ILL. – The SAINT® family from Springfield Armory® is expanding this year, with three all-new SAINT® pistol variants slated for release during Spring 2020 and on display at SHOT Show 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

    “We wanted to give our customers an early ‘sneak peek’ at some exciting new SAINT® pistols we have been developing over the past year,” explains Springfield Armory® VP of Marketing Steve Kramer. “Each brings something innovative to the Springfield Armory line-up, and offers exciting new options for all of the SAINT® fans out there.”

    First up is the radically compact SAINT® Edge PDW Pistol, a 5.5″-barreled 5.56mm that proves when it comes to your defense, we take it personally. Measuring a mere 18.75″ overall with its Maxim Defense™ SCW™ brace collapsed, the PDW is designed to deliver micro-sized performance. From the included Magpul® 20-round PMAG to the short Reptilla® CQG™ pistol grip, the PDW provides unrivaled portability in a 5.56mm package. Slated for release during Spring 2020.

    How about adding a heavy hitter to your portable pistol toolbox? The new SAINT® Victor .308 Pistol packs .30-caliber power into a 10.3″-barreled package that measures just over 28″ with the included SB Tactical® SBA3™ five-position brace fully collapsed. Round that out with excellent appointments such as a BCMGUNFIGHTER™ Mod 3 pistol grip, free-float M-Lok® handguard and a Springfield Armory Blast Diverter, and you have an amazing addition to the SAINT® Victor line. Slated for release during Spring 2020.

    Preparation. It’s in the bag. Joining the SAINT® Edge line is the all-new EVAC™ Pistol, a 5.56mm that is designed for takedown and discreet storage in the included storage bag. The patent-pending ratchet barrel takedown system combines with a Gear Head Works™ Tailhook MOD 1 sidefolding brace with Law Tactical Gen 3-M folder adapter for extremely compact storage. When disaster strikes, turn to the SAINT® Edge EVAC™ pistol. Slated for release during Spring 2020.

    For more information on the SAINT pistols, please visit springfield-armory.com.

    Need More AR Knowledge:

    CZ-USA And Creative Arms Join The Suppressor Game

    By
    Jay Pinsky
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    CZ Creative Arms Suppressor 1

    Big happenings in the heartland, with CZ-USA and Creative Arms throwing their hats into the suppressor marketplace.

    What Do These Manufacturers Have To Offer:

    • Creative Arms manufactures pistol and rifle suppressors.
    • Its selection covers the full gambit, from .22 all the way up to .30 caliber.
    • The CZ-USA suppressor selection is centered around rimfire and centerfire rifles.
    • This includes integrally suppressed rimfire rifles.

    In the early 1900s, Hiram Percy Maxim put the “shhhhh” back into shooting when he invented and sold the first commercially available suppressors. Since his patent was approved on March 30, 1909, quite a few other people have learned to make and sell them.

    The reasons are simple: Suppressors help firearms users operate more safely by protecting against hearing loss and more accurately by helping to mitigate gun recoil, muzzle blast and muzzle rise. While suppressor ownership and use laws vary from state to state, the benefits of using suppressors for gun owners are universal as their use and manufacturing continue to climb.

    Two established manufacturers have joined the suppressor marketplace. Both hail from the heartland of America: Creative Firearms in De Moines, Iowa, and CZ-USA, headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri.

    Creative Arms Suppressors

    Creative Arms, owned by Bob Folkestad, is a self-described boutique firearms and suppressor manufacturer headquartered in Iowa’s capital city.

    Large-caliber suppressors aren’t the only models benefiting from advanced designs and materials. The Creative Arms CA22 features titanium internals, allowing it to excel, not only with .22 LR rounds, but with .17 HMR, .22 Mag. and .22 WMR as well.
    Large-caliber suppressors aren’t the only models benefiting from advanced designs and materials. The Creative Arms CA22 features titanium internals, allowing it to excel, not only with .22 LR rounds, but with .17 HMR, .22 Mag. and .22 WMR as well.

    “I began creating suppressors because this is America, and I can,” Folkestad chuckled. “But, really, suppressors are nice for hunting and range shooting, and it’s nice to have less felt recoil and shoot without hearing protection. Suppressors are like mufflers; they reduce sound, making you a friendly guy next to me at the range; and they reduce felt recoil, which gives you a more confident feeling when shooting.”

    Creative Arms makes both pistol and rifle suppressors.

    Get More Suppressor Info:

    Folkestad said Creative Arms rimfire suppressors are manufactured from aluminum and titanium, while its 9mm and .45 pistol (the .45 is used on a .40) and rifle suppressors in 5.56 mm and .30 caliber up to .300 Winchester Magnum are made from titanium.

    “You want pistol suppressors to be lightweight, and we try to make them as light as possible, which is why we use aluminum, titanium and stainless steel.  You want rifle suppressors to be strong. Because of the equipment we use for manufacturing, we make our 5.56- and .30-caliber suppressors mono-core titanium. Creative Arms also makes integrally suppressed firearms in 5.56 NATO, .300 Black Out, .308 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor and the .450 Bushmaster.”

    (L-R: Creative Arms .30 cal and 5.56 cal) Mono-core suppressors can be designed to be quieter than traditional stacked suppressor styles, and they’re easier to disassemble and clean.
    (L-R: Creative Arms .30 cal and 5.56 cal)
    Mono-core suppressors can be designed to be quieter than traditional stacked suppressor styles, and they’re easier to disassemble and clean.

    Some interesting suppressors in Creative’s lineup include the “.22 titanium” suppressor, which weighs 4 ounces and sports internals made of high-grade titanium. It’s rated for higher-velocity rounds such as the .22 Magnum, .17 HMR and 5.7 FN.

    The company makes a 9mm/.45-caliber pistol and a 9mm/.45-caliber rifle suppressor as well, with the latter being a lower-cost option for carbine platforms that don’t require a recoil booster. The company’s 5.56/.223 and .30-caliber model suppressors are manufactured from tool steel and are then treated with Ultra Ox coating (buyers should note that Creative Arms rates its .30-caliber suppressors to cartridges up to the .300 Winchester Magnum). For more information about the suppressors Creative Arms offers, check out its website: CreativeArms.com.

    CZ-USA Suppressors

    Just shy of 200 miles south and a bit west of Creative Arms’ location is CZ-USA, which is generally known as the U.S.-based subsidiary of Czech firearms manufacturer Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod. However, CZ-USA’s suppressors are all made in Kansas City, Missouri.

    Why did CZ-USA start making suppressors? The manufacturer’s Zach Hein explained that it was because of the evolving needs on the U.S. law enforcement side dictating the requirement for a Scorpion-specific suppressor.

    “We decided it was high time to throw our hats into the ring in the U.S. suppressor market,” he said. “We’re of the opinion that any product we can sell to law enforcement we should be able to sell to any civilian, so while the Hughes Amendment might preclude the real ‘fun stuff,’ we’re happy to offer a line of suppressors that are optimized for CZ platforms. From the Scorpion S2 Reflex to our line of titanium centerfire reflex cans, the overarching theme in our suppressor line is that function should dictate form. The results are lightweight and robust, with no excessive bulk.”

    A cutaway illustration of CZ’s integrally suppressed rimfire rifle shows how its design helps mitigate noise from escaping gases created when the cartridge is fired.
    A cutaway illustration of CZ’s integrally suppressed rimfire rifle shows how its design helps mitigate noise from escaping gases created when the cartridge is fired.

    CZ-USA offers four different kinds of suppressors: the Rimfire, the Rimfire Integral, the S2 Ti Reflex and the Ti Reflex.

    The Rimfire suppressor weighs 2.5 ounces and can be used on any rimfire cartridge under .224 inch in diameter; this includes popular cartridges such as the .17 HMR, .22 WMR and the .17 WSM. The Rimfire Integral is just that—integral—meaning that it’s built into the actual barrel of the rimfire rifle. (I had the opportunity to shoot and hunt with CZ-USA’s rimfire suppressor lines recently and can confidently say they’re very quiet, accurate and lightweight.)

    The S2 Ti Reflex was created to give large suppressor performance in a smaller package. CZ-USA partnered with Aerocharger to create the S2 Ti for the Scorpion Micro, which comes in at 8.2 inches in length and weighs only 9.6 ounces. The company also makes a stainless-steel version. It costs less but weighs a bit more, at 15.36 ounces.

    CZ-USA’s centerfire suppressors are the 5.56 Ti Reflex, 7.62 Ti Reflex and 338 Ti Reflex.

    I have personal and profound experience with the 7.62 Ti Reflex suppressor, having used it on my CZ 557 6.5×55 Swede during a spring black bear hunt in Idaho’s Frank Church Wilderness. The 20-inch 557 6.5×55 Swede handled well with the suppressor attached during the very vertical hunt in the Rocky Mountains. I used the CZ 557 with the 7.62 Ti Reflex to take a mature black bear the first day we hunted, anchoring him with a 90-yard shot. The 7.62 Ti Reflex weighed a mere 11.4 ounces, and I barely noticed it, because it balanced well.

    To learn more about CZ-USA’s line of suppressors, visit its website: CZ-USA.com.

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

    First Look: Christensen Arms Ranger 22 Lightweight Rimfire

    By
    Elwood Shelton
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    Christensen Arms Ranger 22

    Long on carbon fiber, the Christensen Arms Ranger 22 not only proves a featherweight rimfire, but also deadly accurate one.

    What Sets The Ranger 22 Apart From Other Rimfires:

    • Light and rigid carbon-fiber wrapped barrel cuts down on rifle's weight and provides superior harmonics.
    • Carbon-fiber stock boast accuracy-enhancing features, such as palm hook and angle grip.
    • Bolt has twin lugs for tight and strong lock up.

    If you’re a rimfire fan, 2020 is shaping up as a banner year. The market is brimming with new and frankly top-notch options, both pistol and rifle. And the hits appear to keep roll on.

    The latest to throw their hat in the ring is Christensen Arms, whose bolt-action Ranger 22 fills the role of top-end, lightweight field rimfire. As expected from the masters of carbon fiber, the .22 LR’s barrel is carbon fiber wrapped and boasts a carbon-fiber stock. Both do a number on the rifle’s heft, with the Ranger 22 tipping the scales at a scant 5.1 pounds. This facet alone should make it a top choice for long days in the squirrel and bunny woods.

    Guaranteed for sub-MOA performance out to 50 yards, Christensen Arms has optimized the accuracy potential of the Ranger 22 in several ways. Upfront, the carbon-fiber-wrapped barrel not only proves light, but also extremely rigid with excellent harmonics. Further, the stock includes such assets as a palm hook to sure up the seat at the shoulder and angled grip for a more ergonomic and intuitive approach to the rifle. Finally, the Ranger 22’s aluminum receiver houses a two-lug (opposing) bolt, for a tight and strong lock up.

    Plink Away With More Rimfire Content:

    • Best Precision Rimfire Rifles Guaranteed To Own The Bullseye
    • Glock 44: Austrian Company Moves Into Rimfire Marke
    • Rimfire Rifles: The Economical Savage Minimalist Series
    • Bergara Tackles Rimfire Rifles With BXR .22 LR

    A few of the rifle's other notables include threaded muzzle (½×28) with protector, Bentz match chamber, Trigger Tech Rem 700 match-grade trigger (adjustable) and the choice of black, tan or gray webbing finish on the stock. Also, and perhaps best of all, the Ranger 22 utilizes Ruger 10/22 magazines, which are plentiful and generally affordable. Not any entry-level rimfire, the Christensen Arm Ranger 22 comes in decently priced for the package, with an MSRP of $795.

    More From Christensen Arms:

    The NEW Ranger 22 brings a widely anticipated rimfire option back to the Christensen Arms line-up. Far beyond the bounds of an average plinking gun, this new firearm delivers the top-tier performance expected from Christensen Arms in an advanced .22 caliber firearm. The lightweight bolt-action platform is built for precision and easily adapts to all challenges, big or small.

    Christensen Arms Ranger 22

    The Ranger 22 begins as a precision machined aluminum receiver that features dual opposing steel locking lugs. The action is fitted to a Christensen Arms Carbon Fiber Tension Rimfire Barrel with a 22 LR Bentz match chamber to ensure superior accuracy and performance. Then the threaded muzzle is paired with a thread protector, and the same adjustable match-grade trigger used in our centerfire rifles is installed alongside our standard bolt-knob. Even better—the rifle utilizes standard Ruger® 10/22 magazines.

    When the barreled action is mounted into a Carbon Fiber Composite Rimfire Stock, it gains a number of additional features. The palm hook assists a shooter in establishing a solid seat against their shoulder, while palm swell and angled grip help secure a stable platform wherever it may be needed. Offered in two distinct styles—the Ranger 22 is available in our classic Black with Gray Webbing finish as well as a new Tan with Black Webbing option.

    The Ranger 22 is priced at $795 and is available chambered in 22 LR with an 18-inch barrel. Once complete, the firearm weighs in starting at 5.1 pounds and is backed by a Sub-MOA at 50 Yards Accuracy Guarantee. We take great pride in the products that we produce, and if we put our name on it, we’ll stand behind it. As with all of our rifles, the Ranger 22 is built here in the USA and is available to order from any Christensen Arms dealer.

    For more information on the Ranger 22, please visit christensenarms.com.

    Modifying The Savage 110: .308 Nor. Mag. To .280 AI Project

    By
    Jay Pinsky
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    1

    Savage 110 Project 9

    The AR-15 isn't the only rifle that's a snap to jump between calibers, as taking a Savage 110 from .308 Norma Magnum to .280 Ackley Improved proves.

    Why The Savage 110 Is So Simple To Modify:

    • Savage rifles headspace off the barrel nut, which eliminates the need for a lathe to swap barrels.
    • The bolt is modular, so the proper bolt face can be matched to the cartridge's diameter.
    • Trigger, magazine, floorplate assembly, stock, etc., can also be modified on a Savage.
    • The only limiting factor is you cannot jump between long and short actions.

    There are a lot of things my .308 Norma Magnum could do well. Making it past the bouncer at a .280 Ackley Improved-only club wasn’t one of them. Thankfully, it was no ordinary .308 Norma Magnum. No. It was a Savage, which means it can be whatever the hell it wants to be … almost.

    Go from a .308 Norma Magnum to a .280 Ackley Improved? Sure thing. All I needed were a few simple tools, some basic parts, a little mechanical common sense and about an hour of my time. One thing I didn’t need, however, was a lathe to transform my magnum long-action rifle into a streamlined .280 Ackley Improved.

    But a .308 Norma Magnum to a .280 Ackley Improved? you ask. You can’t do that, Mr. Gun Writer, because those two cartridges use two completely different bolt faces.

    The Savage Model 111FC 280 Ackley Improved rifle project was done in the author’s garage with basic tools, a new barrel, a proper .470-diameter bolt face and .280 Ackley Improved ammunition from Nosler and Hornady.
    The Savage Model 111FC 280 Ackley Improved rifle project was done in the author’s garage with basic tools, a new barrel, a proper .470-diameter bolt face and .280 Ackley Improved ammunition from Nosler and Hornady.

    Yes, I’m well aware of this emphatic mechanical fact. I can almost hear some of your heads exploding as you contemplate just how in the world I thought I was going to be able to make a bolt-action rifle with a bolt face sized to .540 work with the much smaller bolt face of a .280 Ackley Improved, which is .470.

    Here’s a hint: I’m not. My savvy Savage readers already know how this was going to happen.

    A Savage 110 Series rifle can do more than just accommodate a lathe-less barrel swap between equal cartridge bolt faces, such as a .270 Winchester to a .30-06 Springfield or a 6.5 Creedmoor to a .338 Federal. The Savage bolt, itself, is just as modular. You can physically swap out the bolt face of a Savage 110 Action bolt assembly—again, without a lathe. To do so requires a complete disassembly of the Savage bolt assembly to parade rest, and then you simply reassemble it with the bolt face size you need for your cartridge.

    The Modularity Factor

    In fact, you can change just about anything on a Savage rifle yourself, including the barrel, bolt face, trigger, magazine, floorplate assembly, stock, etc. You can’t make a short-action into a long-action (or vice versa), but, hey—boundaries build character.

    The CarbonSix 24-inch, 1:9 twist .280 Ackley Improved barrel was a #5 contoured, lightweight McGowan Precision barrel blank donor that CarbonSix then transformed into a carbon-wrapped barrel.
    The CarbonSix 24-inch, 1:9 twist .280 Ackley Improved barrel was a #5 contoured, lightweight McGowan Precision barrel blank donor that CarbonSix then transformed into a carbon-wrapped barrel.

    The modularity of the Savage 110 Series bolt-action rifle might not have been designed to accommodate a virtually limitless availability of cartridge configurations for Savage do-it-yourself garage gun gurus, but it does. Lots of Savage rifle owners mix and match gun parts on their rifles because they can, because they think they should or simply out of curiosity. Why doesn’t matter. (America; that’s why.) Take note: Savage Arms does not endorse anyone other than a qualified and properly equipped gunsmith to perform maintenance on its firearms … but you knew I had to say that.

    This rifle was technically built off a Savage 111FC Sporter Magnum action. Its differences from a straight-up 110 rifle are subtle and peripheral, aside from the exact same barrel and action, which are the heart of the Savage rifle I have learned to love. The biggest deer, a massive Idaho muley, I ever killed was shot with a Savage 9.3x62mm Mauser. My biggest African plains game, a trophy red hartebeest, was taken with a .300 Savage.

    Why a .280 Ackley Improved?

    Why not? The .280 Remington is one of the all-time classic American cartridges known through the world as an accurate, fast and effective .284-sized choice for shooters worldwide. The Ackley Improved version is about 5 percent more awesomeness.

    Let’s take a closer look at both.

    Get The Skinny On Savage:

    The .280 Remington began life in 1957 when Remington necked down the .30-06 Springfield to 7mm. Why? A 7mm bullet powered by the .30-06 Springfield case gives shooters a faster bullet with better BCs—and often, better sectional density. Bullet weights ranged from 120 to 175 grains.

    Remington’s timing wasn’t the best; its introduction was some 30 or so years after the legendary .270 Winchester had grown deep roots in the hearts and minds of American shooters and hunters. Still, it was a good idea.

    One of the crucial tools a Savage rifle owner needs to swap out a barrel is a proper barrel vise to secure the barrel while the barrel nut is loosened or tightened.
    One of the crucial tools a Savage rifle owner needs to swap out a barrel is a proper barrel vise to secure the barrel while the barrel nut is loosened or tightened.

    In 1978, Remington tried to rebrand its .280 Remington by changing its name to 7mm-06 and then to 7mm Express, but it caused too much confusion with the red-hot 7mm Remington Magnum. As a result, the company went back to .280 Remington.

    Ballistically, the .280 Remington had, and still has, plenty of 7mm “mojo” to get the job done on most critters that Americans hunt to reasonable ranges. Still, if there’s one thing Americans hate, it’s leaving untapped potential on the reloading table.

    P.O. Ackley probably grunted when he saw the potential of the .280 Remington, especially after Fred Huntington tweaked it with a 35-degree shoulder bump wildcat called the .280 RCBS. He took the shoulder out 5 more degrees to a 40-degree shoulder and dubbed his creation the .280 Ackley Improved. It was a really good idea.

    How much so? Nosler put in the work and the funding to make the .280 Ackley Improved a SAAMI-approved cartridge in 2007. Once built, my 24-inch Savage .280 Ackley Improved pushed Nosler’s 140-grain Ballistic Tip factory loads at a blazing 3,158 fps. According to the Nosler website, that same load from a .280 Remington would only achieve 3,000 fps. As you might expect, heavier bullets lose velocity; but proportionally, the Ackley Improved “turbo” option of the .280 Remington usually gives shooters 100 to 150 fps of difference. Is that gain enough to tweak your .280 Remington? That’s up to you.

    Regardless, a .280 Ackley Improved is faster than a .280 Remington with the same bullets, and the case life of Ackley Improved cartridges is better on average than their conventional counterparts. The often-debated wildcat disadvantage of the Ackley Improved aspect to many cartridges has no bearing with the .280 Ackley Improved, because Nosler, Hornady and Federal all make factory-loaded ammunition for it. In short, if you want the near-ballistic equivalent to a 7mm Remington Magnum without the “magnum” fuss in recoil, ammunition costs and bulk, you ought to strongly consider adding a .280 Ackley Improved to your stable of rifles.

    The Savage 110 Transformation

    Changing the bolt head on my once quite-capable .308 Norma Magnum to accommodate the smaller .280 Ackley Improved wasn’t all I had to do to transform my Model 111FC action-based Savage into the Ackley Improved version. I absolutely had to completely change the barrel of the rifle. Sandpaper, wood putty and some Bondo weren’t going to work here.

    The 7mm Remington Magnum pushes a 150-grain bullet at 3,050 fps, while a .280 Ackley Improved can bush a 140-grain bullet at 3,150 fps. The .280 Ackley Improved doesn’t duplicate 7mm Remington Magnum velocities, but it’s close—and with far less recoil.
    The 7mm Remington Magnum pushes a 150-grain bullet at 3,050 fps, while a .280 Ackley Improved can bush a 140-grain bullet at 3,150 fps. The .280 Ackley Improved doesn’t duplicate 7mm Remington Magnum velocities, but it’s close—and with far less recoil.

    Again, the Savage platform makes customizing your rifle easy—and barrel manufacturers know it. Most all barrel makers make some sort of Savage barrel, and most of them are pre-chambered and ready to head space. Savage rifles head space off the barrel nut, which is what eliminates the lathe and the expert gunsmithing skills needed to re-barrel more-conventional rifles.

    I reached out to Louisiana-based CarbonSix Barrels to create my very own .280 Ackley Improved. Carbon barrels have always fascinated me, and CarbonSix’s Gene Gordon is one of the most intelligent, helpful and accommodating people in the gun industry. He soon had a 24-inch, 1:9 twist, #5 contoured carbon-fiber barrel created from a McGowan barrel core.

    Why Carbon Fiber?

    According to CarbonSix, “Carbon fiber-wrapped barrels can provide a decrease in weight, added rigidity, great weather durability and improved harmonic damping.”

    Great. But, can they be more accurate than their all-metal-barreled brothers? CarbonSix has this to say: “Carbon fiber-wrapped barrels can be more accurate due to the harmonic dampening and reduced barrel whip. We guarantee ½ MOA or better with proper load development and proper barrel installation. The majority of our customers see ¼ MOA once they find the best load for their setup. Our accuracy is due to our precise machining, attention to detail, our proprietary steel core that lends itself to exceptional harmonic dampening and our carbon-fiber process. Combined, these yield a very light, rigid, accurate and repeatable barrel.”

    If carbon barrels are so great, why doesn’t everyone use them? That’s one I can answer: They’re expensive.

    CarbonSix says it much more eloquently. “When should shooters not choose a carbon barrel for their needs? When the cost-to-benefit does not fit their needs. There isn’t any situation [for which] our carbon fiber-wrapped barrels would not be a benefit of some sort. That does not mean that everyone feels the added cost is worth those benefits.”

    Meh; it’s only money, right?

    Back to the Rifle

    My small-shank Savage action and the super-light barrel went together easier than peanut butter and jelly; in other words, as if they were made for each other. I head-spaced the barrel with a set of go/no-go gauges, torqued the barrel nut and then reassembled the rifle back in its original Hogue pillar-bedded stock from the original .308 Norma Magnum build I did a few years ago. It sounds pretty simple … because it was.

    Then, I added an in-house Nightforce NXS 2.5-10x42mm compact riflescope, thanks to a Picatinny rail I ran on the long-action Savage, and headed to the gun range.

    Savage 110 At the Range

    Boom! Boom! Boom! The rifle barked but was much tamer than the .308 Norma Magnum, despite it weighing a few pounds less and switching from a heavy, varmint-contoured, 26-inch, .30-caliber barrel to a featherlight, #5 contoured, carbon-fiber, 24-inch barrel (which, by the way, was threaded for a brake or suppressor by CarbonSix). The muzzle didn’t jump.

    One of the most unique things about a Savage 110 Series rifle is the fact that head space is set with the barrel nut.
    One of the most unique things about a Savage 110 Series rifle is the fact that head space is set with the barrel nut.

    Boom! Boom! Boom! Adjust the optic. Boom! Shoot for group. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! The 140-grain Nosler Ballistic Tips averaged 3,158 fps on my chronograph.

    The first five-shot group was just a bit under an inch. The second group was tighter, and the fourth group, which was shot a few days later, was tight enough—about ½ inch—to give my ammo claustrophobia.

    I then fed the .280 Ackley Improved a steady diet of Nebraska’s finest: Hornady’s Precision Hunter 162-grain ELD-X. The Savage spit them out at 2,866 fps on average across three sets of five-shot groups. For whatever reason, the rifle that loved 140-grainers merely liked the 162-grain ELD-X shooting well under an inch but never as tight as the lighter, Oregon-born Noslers.

    It shot everything sub-MOA without breaking a load development “sweat.” Things can, and will, get better for this rifle. However, let’s not lose sight of the fact that I just took a modern-day bolt-action rifle, swapped out its barrel and bolt face and then went and shot a sub-MOA group with two different factory loads … with about two hours of disassembly and reassembly work in my garage.

    The Savage 110 Series rifle is a simple, well-engineered tinkering man’s dream come true. If you have rifle cartridge “attention deficit syndrome,” a Savage 110 Series rifle is a great starter kit to introduce you to the education of rifle self-customization. Along the way, you’ll learn all about torque, headspace, bolt face diameters, cartridge lengths, bullet twist rates, bedding stocks, mounting optics, etc. In short: A Savage rifle can be an excellent educational platform for shooters who want to become intimately involved in making their rifles personal, better or just different. That’s valuable to quite a few of us.

    For more information on the Savage 110, please visit savagearms.com.

    For more information on CarbonSix Barrels, please visit carbonsixllc.com.

    The article originally appeared in the August 2019 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

    Colt Combat Elite Commander: Elite Looks, Elite Performance

    By
    Elwood Shelton
    -
    0

    Colt Combat Elite Commander Lead Side View

    BBQ-gun good looks with a fighter’s heart, the rebooted Colt Combat Elite Commander is the complete package.

    How The Combat Elite Commander Stands Out From Other 1911s:

    • Outfitted with genuine Novak night sights.
    • Features extended thumb safety, ring hammer, dual recoil spring and G1 grips.
    • Cut with excellent 25 lpi checking on the front strap and mainspring housing.
    • Rounds have rich ion bond finish, flats polished stainless steel.
    • Excellent accuracy, perpetuated by a national match barrel.

    Right up there with hen’s teeth and leprechaun skivvies in rarity are guns that look as good as they shoot.

    Yeah, I know, I know … your polymer-framed, striker-fired is beautiful. I’ve got unfortunate news for you: It’s not. It’s effective. It’s reliable. It’s accurate. It’s a lot of things, but “beauty queen” isn’t among them.

    No, the sad truth of the matter is that few guns are knock-down, drag-out good-looking. Those that are, in many cases, don’t cut the mustard compared to generally more economical, less attractive options.

    1911 Piston On A Gun Mat
    Colt’s Elite Combat Commander is a flawless execution of the iconic design.

    But does it really matter? Not in particular. Plug-ugly that gets the job done is ultimately better than eye-catching and ineffective. That said, it’d be nice to have the best of both worlds.

    Learn More: Colt Reviews You Need To Read

    Luckily, Colt might have struck these elusive nails on their heads with a reboot of its top-shelf 1911 line. With the good looks of a BBQ gun and the heart of a fighter, the Combat Elite Commander proves you don’t have to compromise form or function.

    All in the Family

    The Combat Elite Series is actually a complete line of 1911 pistols—not unprecedented. Nevertheless, it doesn’t always happen that a company dumps out a Government, Commander and Defender model in one fell swoop.

    Pistol Side View
    Ion-bonded blackening on the rounds and polished stainless steel on the flats give the pistol a unique, two-tone finish. And don’t forget about those jet-black G10 grips.

    Yet, I believe it not only proves Colt’s confidence in its pistols, it also serves the consumer well. Right off the bat, you have your choice of what will serve you best for your particular application, be it practical pistol matches, self-defense or something else entirely. The choice is yours.

    I personally opted for the Commander Model, given that the 4.25-inch-barreled iteration has always struck me as the most versatile. It’s hefty (around 33 ounces), so there’s no argument that this choice would take some consideration for concealed carry. By no means is a gun of this bulk out of the question. At the same tick, it’s sized right for serious target shooting, if that’s your thing. However, going for the Commander versus the other two models was somewhat academic.

    All three pistols are configured identically, so the only notable difference between them is barrel length. Granted, there’s a lot of difference in that one feature.

    Colt Combat Elite Commander Hard Case
    As you’d expect, the pistol comes in a top-notch, blue Colt hard case.

    Otherwise, all three models have genuine Novak night sights, ambidextrous extended thumb safeties, ring hammers, dual recoil springs and scalloped, jet-black G10 grips.

    Furthermore, the pistols all boast National Match barrels. Historically, this has been worth the price of admission.

    The Combat Elites are available in both .45 and 9mm. Unfortunately, the vastly underrated .38 Super is no longer an option as it was in previous iterations. This will disappoint a few consumers … but likely only a few.

    They also have excellent checkering on the front strap and mainspring housing. It’s 25 lpi across the board, which made the Commander stick like glue in my hand. I’ll assume it does the same for the other two. (A side note for those interested in the Defender: It, too, has front and rear checkering—the only Defender presently made that can make that boast.)

    1911 Hammer
    Oversized cocking serrations and a thumb safety make this Commander easy to manipulate.

    Colt retained the line’s Series 80 firing system—certain to be a controversial point among some. This is a trigger-activated firing pin block safety that many complain adds unnecessary weight to the trigger pull. Given that the gunmaker has gone back to the more traditional Series 70 (without the safety) in the present catalog, there are probably many who hoped to see the same happen with the Combat Elite. I advise these shooters not to lose faith in the line. It might be an 80 system, but it’s damned responsive—roughly a 5-pound break—and certainly not a drag to pull the trigger on.

    Back in Black

    Aside from the accouterments, the guns also share a stark beauty that’s a trademark of stainless steel. However, in essence, the gun is two-tone, done in a sparing and unique way. It’s a two-step process: Colt ion-blackens the frame and slide and then goes back and flat-belts the sides. The results are striking: day and night, all in one stunning package.

    The rounds (front strap, mainspring housing, trigger guard, top of the slide, etc.) all boast the deep matte of the ion bond, as do the rollmarks and cocking serrations. These latter points set off the satin finish of the stainless steel, giving the pistol a real yin-yang look.

    Colt Combat Elite Commander Taken Down
    A National Match barrel and dual recoil spring make the pistol an accurate and tame shooter.

    As far as protection goes, ion bond is a bit of overkill. The corrosion-resistant metal, if properly cared for, should prove stout enough to endure even everyday carry. However, the black still has an important function: On the top of the slide, it definitely cuts down on glare that might have been an issue with raw stainless steel.

    Combat Elite Commander At The Range

    The Combat Elite Commander I received came in a lockable, blue, plastic hard case. Along with it were included all the accouterments you’d expect: lock, user manual and one eight-round magazine.

    The slide-to-frame fit of the pistol was good, and the barrel lockup was tight. As far as any play between the muzzle, bushing or breach face, there was zero. The pistol was devoid of any machining marks; one would expect that of a pistol that wears an elite moniker.

    Colt Combat Elite Commander Roll Mark
    Maintaining its link to the past, Colt kept the original “Combat Elite” rollmark, complete with the stars.

    To say I was anxious to get more intimate with the Commander is an understatement. And when I did, the pistol didn’t disappoint in accuracy or reliability.

    After a basic cleaning and oiling, I ran more than 200 rounds of different ammunition through the pistol with zero malfunctions. For any pistol this is heartening, but with a 1911, even more so. Some specimens are outright finicky when it comes to ammo, but the Commander ate everything served to it, including wide-mouthed hollow points. While this was not a torture test by any stretch, the pistol gave the impression it wouldn’t come up short in a dire situation.

    As to accuracy, I found it bordered on tack-driver. I found the best success with Sig Sauer’s 185-grain V-Crown, which printed a 1.5-inch pattern off a rest at 15 yards.

    Range results

    I also shot rapid fire at this distance: 10 shots in 10 seconds, discounting reload time, on a 12-inch Birchwood Casey Stick-a-Bull target (similar in ring dimensions to an NRA B-5) and then scored. Here, American Eagle 230-grain Syntech and Federal Premium 210-grain Hydra-Shok Deep tied for best groupings, each producing scores of 92. To be fair, no ammo scored below 88 … and that low number was more likely the result of the shooter’s middling skill than the tool at hand.

    Parting Shot

    Specs
    BBQ-gun handsome, the Combat Elite Commander is dapper enough to show off in a hand-tooled holster. Nevertheless, don’t let its good looks fool you: This pistol is most certainly a fighter—one that, by all appearances, will always have your back.

    In essence, it’s danged near the perfect blend of form and function—not the easiest feat to pull off.

     

     

    For more information on the Colt Combat Elite Series, please visit colt.com.

    The article originally appeared in the September 2019 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

    Colt Articles You Need To Read

    Light And Right: Nosler M48 Mountain Carbon

    By
    Philip Massaro
    -
    3

    Nosler M48 Mountain Carbon Side With Ammo

    Light as a feather, the Nosler M48 Mountain Carbon is more than just a dream to carry into the backcountry. It's also a dream to shoot.

    What The M48 Mountain Carbon Offers Rugged Country Hunters:

    • Extremely light rifle, weighing in at just 6 pounds.
    • Shootablity, thanks to a recoil-eating muzzle brake.
    • Adjustable Timney trigger that can be dialed to a user's preference.
    • A stiff and light 24-inch carbon-fiber-wrapped barrel with cut rifling.
    • Fiberglass and aluminum pillar-bedding in a carbon-fiber Mountain Hunter Stock.

    Historically speaking, I have not been a fan of light rifles. Yes, they carry very nicely, and their lack of weight—although it’s often no more than 2 or 3 pounds—surely feels good going up a mountain.

    But it usually comes at a price. A seriously light rifle doesn’t seem to balance well; recoil can be ferocious; and when it comes time for the shot, it can take what seems like forever for the muzzle to settle down. It’s a classic tradeoff—reduced weight or “shootability”—and I’ll almost always opt for a well-balanced, heavier rifle and gladly carry a bit more weight.

    That said, I’ve “met” a handful of light rifles that seem to have “it” and that handle very nicely; they were, in fact, properly proportioned and balanced well. For me, I know it when I feel it. Among those light rifles that grabbed my attention is the Nosler M48 Mountain Carbon.

    Nosler M48 Mountain Carbon Receiver
    The Mountain Carbon most definitely complements Nosler’s M48 line of rifles.

    I was visiting with my pals at the Nosler booth at the 2019 SHOT Show when Jeff Sipe handed me a rifle. I’ve known Jeff for years, and although he’s been at Nosler for just over a year, he’s made his mark on Nosler’s rifle line. I grabbed the rifle from Jeff; in fact, I grabbed it too hard, because I thought there was more weight to the gun than was actually there.

    “There’s nothing to this thing!” I exclaimed. “What’s it chambered for?”

    Sipe gave a sly grin and uttered in a completely deadpan voice, “.33 Nosler.”

    I made a wincing face, knowing the muzzle velocity the .33 Nosler generates and thinking about the recoil in a rifle this light.

    “Phil, with this brake on board, you’ll sit with this rifle at the bench all day with no problem,” Jeff pointed out.

    I don’t like muzzle brakes either, but I could see that on this rifle, it was a matter of necessity.

    Nosler M48 Mountain Carbon Bolt Head
    Note the dual lugs, spring-loaded extractor and plunger ejector of the M48 bolt face.

    “I want to send you one to shoot, and I’ll bet you’ll be a believer,” Jeff said confidently. He knows how I feel about rifles … and damn it, he was right.

    The Rifle

    Nosler’s M48 is a push-feed affair, with the action blueprinted and hardened. An adjustable Timney trigger is mounted to a Remington 700-style two-position safety—situated on the right side of the receiver on a right-handed rifle. An aluminum hinged floorplate and trigger guard keep the fixed magazine in place, and all the metal work of the receiver is coated in a tungsten-gray Cerakote finish. That receiver is mated to a 24-inch, carbon-fiber-wrapped barrel with cut rifling.

    More Rifle Articles:

        • The muzzle end of the barrel is threaded for use with a muzzle brake or suppressor, and a thread protecting cap is included. The action is both fiberglass and aluminum pillar-bedded to the carbon-fiber Mountain Hunter Stock, which is finished in Granite Green and has a textured, raised area on both the pistol grip and forend.

          Nosler M48 Mountain Carbon 33 Nosler Ammo
          Based on the .404 Jeffery, the .33 Nosler drives all .338-inch-diameter bullets faster than the proven .338 Winchester Magnum.

          The stock has a bit of a raised comb for proper sight alignment with a scope—but no cheekpiece—and a pliable recoil pad takes the sting out of the shot. A nice palm swell is built into the pistol grip, giving an excellent feel from any shooting position. A 13½-inch length of pull is our American standard, and although I usually prefer a longer dimension, the Mountain Carbon fit well. Sling swivel studs are provided fore and aft.

          I found the action to be smooth—with just the slightest hint of that Cerakote gritty feel that fades as the action parts are broken in. The trigger broke crisply and cleanly, with no creep or overtravel. I grabbed my Lyman digital trigger scale, and the Timney broke consistently at 2 pounds, 12 ounces. For a hunting rifle, this is just about perfect, because it’s light enough to accurately place shots on distant targets, yet not so light as to go off before you want, especially on up-close shots when your adrenalin is up.

          The carbon-wrapped steel barrel is certainly light for its diameter, but even so, it dissipated heat very efficiently. It’s what Nosler refers to as a “Sendero” contour, and it’s on the thicker side, yet still light and rigid. The knurled bolt handle gives a positive grip, and the two opposing locking lugs make for a strong action. Nevertheless, they lock up quickly and smoothly without hindering the speed of the bolt cycle. A 90-degree bolt throw offers a familiar feel, and the large gas ports that are cut into the bolt body are designed to deflect gases downward should there be an issue with an over-pressure cartridge.

          Nosler M48 Mountain Carbon Muzzle Brake
          The muzzle brake on the M48 Mountain Carbon makes the powerful .33 Nosler shoot like a .308 Winchester.

          In .33 Nosler, the M48 Mountain Carbon holds three in the magazine and one in the chamber. The closed bolt face has a beefy plunger ejector that will throw spent brass yards—not feet (because I’m a reloader, I spent a bit of time hunting for the brass in the grass!).

          The Cartridge

          The M48 Mountain Carbon is available in four of Nosler’s proprietary cartridges: the .26, .28, .30 and .33 Nosler, as well as 6mm and 6.5mm Creedmoor and .300 Winchester Magnum. My test rifle was chambered for the beefy and speedy .33 Nosler. All of these Nosler cartridges are based on the venerable .404 Jeffery case, shortened to function in a long-action (.30-’06 Springfield) receiver. The case of the .33 Nosler measures 2.460 inches. With a cartridge, it has an overall length of 3.340 inches (the same as the .30-06 Springfield), yet it gives velocities normally associated with the magnum-length cases.

          Despite the lack of the term, “magnum,” in the name, the .33 Nosler is, indeed, a true magnum, and because it’s a child of the .404 Jeffery, it’s a beltless design, headspacing on its 35-degree shoulder. The Nosler case feeds well, and there were no extraction issues during testing.

          Nosler M48 Mountain Carbon Magazine
          Here, the Cerakoted aluminum hinged floorplate and bottom metal of the M48 Mountain Carbon can be seen.

          Nosler’s design sits well ahead of the .338 Winchester Magnum and just behind the longer .340 Weatherby Magnum. For the hunter, it works very well with the 225-grain Nosler AccuBond and the 265-grain AccuBond Long Range. For the target crowd, it will drive the high-ballistic-coefficient, 300-grain Nosler Custom Competition to a muzzle velocity of 2,550 fps.

          The pair of hunting bullets offers a respectable trajectory for any hunter; the 225-grain AccuBond load will mimic the .300 Winchester Magnum’s 180-grain trajectory out to 400 yards, and the 265-grain ABLR will mimic the .30-06 Springfield 180-grain load. Both generate more than 4,500 ft-lbs of muzzle energy, with the 225-grain load leaving at 3,040 fps and the 265-grain load at 2,745 fps. At 400 yards, they’ll deliver 2,800 and 3,180 ft-lbs of energy, respectively. By comparison, the .30-06 Springfield, when loaded with a 180-grain bullet at 2,750 fps, generates slightly more than 3,000 ft-lbs at the muzzle.

          Needless to say, this cartridge will handle all of our North American game animals—including the huge bears of the north and bison—and all of the world’s game except Cape buffalo, hippo and elephant.

          At the Bench

          To test the Nosler M48 Mountain Carbon, I grabbed a Leupold VX-3i 4.5-14x40mm riflescope—a lightweight affair in and of itself and a proper match to this rifle’s capabilities—and set it in Talley rings and bases. Over a couple of decades of hunting with big-bore rifles, I’ve found that this combination of scope and rings/bases has worked best for me.

          Nosler M48 Mountain Carbon Grip
          The M48 Mountain Carbon has a nice palm swell in the pistol grip. The textured grip area gives a positive feel.

          The tolerances on the Talley rings are so tight, I rarely find that more than 3 MOA of adjustment are needed to get the rig zeroed; this allows the full adjustment range of the scope to be utilized. That Leupold VX-3i series is an excellent value: The side focus knob allows the shooter to dial out any parallax, and the glass in the 3i models seems to be a dramatic improvement over the VX3 scopes.

          The M48 Mountain Carbon stock fit me very well, even from the bench, and with the muzzle brake installed, the rifle shot more like a .308 or .30-06 than anything else.

          Was it loud? Of course; but again, that’s one of the tradeoffs for the lightweight rifle. The M48 test rifle showed a preference for the 225-grain AccuBond ammo, printing ¾-inch, three-shot groups at 100 yards. The 265-grain stuff wasn’t far behind, averaging just over an inch. I attribute a bit of that performance to the lack of weight; it wasn’t the easiest rifle to hold steady, but it was still at the 1 MOA mark. All said, I find this rifle’s accuracy and portability to be an excellent balance.

          Worth the Price of Admission

          Where does the Nosler M48 Mountain Carbon fit in the grand scheme of things? Well, at just 6 pounds—unloaded and before scope and mounts—it certainly ticks all the boxes in the mountain rifle category. Although all of the Nosler cartridges are of sound design (even if the .26 Nosler is a bit overbore), the .33 Nosler is a perfect choice for the backcountry hunter in pursuit of black and brown bear, elk and moose. (And if my pals at Nosler are reading this: A 250-grain Partition load would be most excellent in the .33 Nosler, especially for closer shots on bear and bigger antelope in Africa.)

          Nosler M48

          It has some very usable features. I especially like the fact that the two-position safety doesn’t lock the bolt when on “safe,” allowing for safe unloading, and the work Nosler has put into designing the action and stock is worth the price of admission. The rifle is weatherproof. For the hunter who travels to a variety of different climates, this rifle will be consistent, whether it’s in the dry heat of the high Namibian deserts or the damp Alaskan coast.

          The firing pin and springs are coated with Micro Slick—a dry lubricant perfect for extreme cold-weather hunts—and the anti-bind rail in the receiver keeps things running smoothly, even under high-stress situations. I ran the bolt of the M48 Mountain Carbon hard—as hard as I ever would on a dangerous game hunt, and it didn’t bind, jam, or fail to feed or extract.

          With an MSRP of $3,140 (the street price is about $2,700), the M48 Mountain Carbon is a purchase requiring serious forethought, and it might be out of many shooters’ price range. But when you consider the money that is to be spent on the hunts for which a rifle of this proportion is required, it is actually a good value. Backcountry hunts usually require a good amount of travel, and if it’s guided, the cost will go up significantly.
          The Nosler M48 Mountain Carbon will give a lifetime of good service. It’s one of those rifles that inspires a shooter just by working the action.

          For more information on the Nosler M48 Mountain Carbon, please visit nosler.com.

          The article originally appeared in the October 2019 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

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