A modular design that allows you to swap fore-ends and buttstocks, Choate’s C. Mod. system helps make bolt-action rifles more adaptable.
How does the C. Mod. make bolt-actions more adaptable:
Buttstock and fore-end are removable and replaceable.
Action and barrel are held firmly in place through chassis system.
Choate offers two different fore-end and three buttstock styles.
Wiggle room, usually not good on a bolt-action. Unless youโre talking adaptability, in which case, more often than not, thereโs almost none. The issue โ the action.
Unlike the AR-family of rifles, to pull off its duty a bolt-action must be firmly bedded into its stock, otherwise, bad things happen. Minute-of-barndoor bad. In turn, youโre fairly set with your rig once youโve chosen its stock, particular applications be damned. While most riflemen have accepted this limitation given the precision payoff, itโd be nice to have some options open to modifying a turn bolt. That is, without making it a complete weekend project.
The same notion must have occurred to the folks at Choate Machine & Tool because theyโve cooked up what might prove the answer. The Choate Modular Stock (C. Mod.) allows you to swap the buttstock and fore-end, all without disturbing the fit of the action into the stock. In turn, the chassis system puts multiple configurations at your fingertips, allowing you to adapt your rifle to the task at hand. Handy to say the least.
The heart of the C. Mod. system is a solid-aluminum chassis, precision machined to tight tolerances. The rigid skeleton keeps the action and barrel in place, providing a solid shooting platform. From there the buttstock and fore-end simple detach and replace with the style that best fits your needs at the moment. There is a catch. You can use any buttstock or fore-end you want, as long as itโs from Choate Machine & Tool. Yup, proprietary, so weโre not quite at a Mil-Spec equivalent for the bolt-action yet.
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As of writing, Choate Machine & Tool has two styles of fore-end โ target/varmint style and sniper/tactical. In both cases, they come with T-rail and bipod adapters. As far as buttstocks, there are three in all โ basic tactical, target/tactical (adjustable LOP and cheek piece) and C. Mod Rifle Stock. The last features a telescoping AR-style buttstock (compatible with any AR buttstock) and a pistol grip folding stock.
Other notable of the C. Mod., include AR-style magazine release and compatibility with cartridges with an overall length up to 2.86 inches โ including .308 Win., 6.5 CM and .260 Rem. It also comes with two magazines and the required action screws. Though, Choate Machine & Tool had no note on compatible actions. And the C. Mod. โ if youโre dying for a modular bolt-action โ doesnโt exactly ring up cheap with an MSRP $710. Though, if adaptability is your thing, itโs probably a value.
The New York-based company โ known for generations as the American standard in firearms โ not only isnโt terminal, but itโs vibrant after coming out of bankruptcy in spring of 2018. And that goes the same for its sister brands, including DPMS, Marlin, Bushmaster and Dakota Arms.
Yeah, rumors are rumors, but I had the privilege of spending 3 days with the Remington staff at one of their ammunition facilities in Lonoke, Arkansas โ where the invigorated group of men and women proudly showcased some new and innovative firearms.
Here, rolling out new and shiny for 2019, are some of the new Remington rifles — its own and its subsidiaries — for 2019.
Remington Model Seven Stainless Steel HS
The under-appreciated Model Seven compact rifle has long been the answer to hunters looking for lightweight, compact and accurate rifles for small geometries, tight places or weight-conscious vertical ascents. The folks at Remington are refocusing on the fact that the Model Seven works on many levels in todayโs smaller, lighter rifle category.
The new partnership between HS Precision and Remington, featuring the Seven Stainless Steel HS, is proof of this. The Model Seven gets a state-of-the-art premium HS Precision stock with an aluminum bedding block and a free-floated barrel. It comes with an ultralight 20-inch barrel, the X Mark Pro adjustable trigger, and in your choice of .308 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm-08 Remington or .243 Winchester. MSRP: $1,149
Remington Model 783 Varmint
The Model 783 has proven itself to be a good choice for cost-conscious Remington gun owners. Now, Remington has expanded the Model 783 line to include a rifle built for shooters who want the long-range, fast-action qualities found in a varmint-style rifle.
The Model 783 Varmint offers shooters a 26-inch heavy contoured barrel, black oxide finish, laminate stock with a beavertail forend, a handy oversized bolt handle and โ of course โ a Picatinny rail. It comes in .223 Remington, .22-250 Remington, .243 Winchester, .308 Winchester and 6.5 Creedmoor. MSRP: $625
Remington Model 783 HBT
Another new flavor in the Model 783 rifle lineup is the HBT, which stands for Heavy Barrel Threaded. The suppressor-ready rifle comes with a 24-inch barrel, which tapers to .760-inch at the muzzle. The muzzle is threaded and comes with a thread protector in place. It has a Picatinny rail, black oxide finish, FDE laminate stock, a detachable box magazine, oversized bolt handle and a Crossfire adjustable trigger. It comes in .223 Remington, .308 Winchester and 6.5 Creedmoor. MSRP: $459
Remington Model 783 Mossy Oak Break Up Country Camo
The 783 line of Remington rifles now offers Mossy Oak lovers the perfect look: The rifle comes with a synthetic stock decorated in Mossy Oakโs Break Up Country Camo. The stock is pillar-bedded, which makes the 22-inch rifle barrel completely free-floated. It comes with the Crossfire adjustable trigger and a 3-9x40mm riflescope. Itโs available in the wildly popular 6.5 Creedmoor. MSRP: $465
Remington continues its fine tradition of limited-production rifles in the CDL SF line of Model 700s with the ultra-flat-shooting .25-06 Remington for 2019, which celebrates its 50th year (1969) of being a commercially-available cartridge as well. The Model 700 features a 24-inch stainless, fluted barrel with a satin finish, an American black walnut stock, engraved floorplate and โLimitedโ marked on the barrel of each rifle. MSRP: $1,225.95
Remington Model 700 Magpul Enhanced
Magpul and Remington teamed up to bring Model 700 lovers a terrific combination of tactical readiness in a bolt-action rifle. Available in two cartridges โ the 6mm Creedmoor (20-inch barrel) and the .300 Winchester Magnum (24-inch barrel) โ the Magpul-enhanced rifle features a threaded heavy barrel with LTR flutes. The Model 700 sits in a FDE Magpul Hunter stock, comes with a 10-round Magpul magazine, a Magpul M-Lok bipod mount and bipod, and a 20-MOA Picatinny rail. MSRP: $1,249
Marlin Model 1895 444 Marlin
Lever-gun lovers โฆ rejoice! Marlin has brought the .444 Marlin back with a new 22-inch barrel with a 1:20-inch twist! The classic lever-action Marlin Model 1895 is chambered in the hard-hitting .444 Marlin, and it features a standard loop, is finished in a high-polished blue, has a four-round tube capacity and adjustable semi-buckhorn rear sights. MSRP: $769
Marlin Model 336 Curly Maple
Marlinโs renowned Model 336 is now offered with a B-grade curly maple (with fiddleback) stock and forend. The Model 336, offered in the classic .30-30 Winchester cartridge, features a standard loop, 20-inch barrel, polished blue metal, a gold-plated trigger, six-round capacity in the tube and adjustable semi-buckhorn rear sights. MSRP: $949
DPMS 6.5 Creedmoor Hunter
The DPMS GII platform now comes chambered in the 6.5 Creedmoor. The MSR platform features a 20-inch stainless, Teflon-coated threaded barrel with a carbon-fiber free-floated handguard, two-stage match trigger, Magpul MOE rifle stock and a Hogue over-molded grip. MSRP: $1,599
DPMS Prairie Panther
DPMSโs popular lightweight hunting MSR, chambered in .223 Remington, is now available in Kuiu Verde and True Timber Strata camouflage patterns. The rifles feature a 20-inch 1:8 twist Teflon-coated threaded barrel, carbon-fiber free-floated handguard, a Magpul MOE rifle stock, two-stage trigger and ships with a 20-round P-mag. MSRP: $1,249
Bushmaster ACR
The ACR platform isnโt new. However, Bushmaster has added a few wrinkles to the ACR lineup, which deserve mention here. The gas-piston semi-automatic rifle now comes in some interesting cartridges, including the .450 Bushmaster, 6.5 SPC II and a 10.5-inch 5.56 NATO pistol version. The .450 Bushmaster comes in a 16-inch-barreled carbine and an 18.5-inch-barreled rifle version. Both have muzzlebrakes. The 6.8 SPC II comes in a 16-inch barrel configuration. MSRP: $2,249 in .450 Bushmaster and 6.8 SPC II; $2,149 in 5.56 NATO pistol
DPMS LCAR
DPMS gives MSR users an affordable 5.56 NATO chambered rifle in their LCAR. The basic MSR platform gives users a 16 -inch barrel with a 1:8 twist, a mil-spec six-position M4 stock, M4-type Glacier Guard handguard, an F-marked front sight, and a Magpul Mbus rear sight. MSRP: $749
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the January 2019 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Decked out, the Smith & Wesson Pro Series Model 986 milks the utmost speed and accuracy from the 9mm.
Generally, when we think of a 9mm handgun what comes to mind is a semi-automatic pistol. Logical, given the cartridge was developed for this style of gun and for most of its history has remained in its original field of play. There are, however, exceptions. Here and there revolver-smiths have chambered guns for the rimless cartridge, often to good effect. One such example is the Smith & Wesson Performance Center Pro Series Model 986.
Quite a piece of work, the seven-round revolver is a grand option for competition or target shooting for those who want to pitch 9mm in something other than a semi. And itโs a looker to boot. The Model 986 has the alluring lines you expect from a Performance Center gun, but thereโs more to it than just aesthetics. Itโs built to perform.
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Hand-cut and fitted, the revolver is tight as a drum and has the little extras that ensure it gets the most out of the 9mm. In addition to a precision crowned 5-inch stainless-steel barrel and fluted titanium cylinder, the handgun also features an adjustable rear sight and full lug, tapered at the fore for a smooth draw. One catch, since it shoots a rimless cartridge youโll have to become accustomed to using moon clips. But overall thatโs a boon in most cases, making reloading quick and easy.
This level of performance doesnโt come on the cheap, however. The Pro Series Model 986 runs a pretty penny, with an MSRP of $1,149.
Pro Series Model 986 Specs Caliber: 9mm Capacity: 7 Barrel Length: 5″ Overall Length: 10.5″ Front Sight: Patridge Rear Sight: Adjustable Action: Single/Double Action Grip: Synthetic Weight: 35.0 oz Cylinder Material: Titanium Alloy Barrel Material: Stainless Steel Frame Material: Stainless Steel Frame Finish: Matte Silver MSRP: $1,149
Thereโs a major nostalgia factor to blackpowder shooting in general and the cap-and-ball revolver in particular, and an appreciation for just how far things have come.
How To Load A Cap-And-Ball Revolver:
Make certain there are no burning embers in the cylinder.
Pour the appropriate measure of powder into the chamber.
Place wad on top of powder charge in chamber.
Seat ball or bullet via revolver’s built-in rammer or separate tool, leaving no air gap.
Seal the mouth of the chamber with suitable grease or seal made for the purpose.
Fit percussion cap on the nipple at the rear of the chamber.
Many shooters today have never handled an old firearm thatโs loaded one chamber at a time with blackpowder, ball and percussion cap. Yet, when introduced, these guns were state-of-the-art and were a great step forward in weaponry. They were used to put food on the table, for fighting wars, for self-defense and in sporting contests.
While old cap-and-ball firearms can still be found, many should not be fired because of their historical value or deterioration due to age and the effects of corrosive blackpowder that was used to propel projectiles. But some modern manufacturers make replicas of the old guns, which todayโs shooters enthusiastically use for enjoyment, competition, hunting โ and for a taste of how things used to be.
I recently had the opportunity to revisit and reexamine the techniques involved in shooting a cap-and-ball revolver. While there are many replica blackpowder firearms made these days, Iโve been impressed by one imported by Traditions Performance Firearms and made in Italy by Pietta. Itโs based on the 1858 Army cap-and-ball revolver that fires a soft, round lead ball of .454-inch diameter, although the caliber is designated as .44. During testing, it performed flawlessly.
Cap-and-ball, also called blackpowder guns, must have components loaded into the charge holes or cylinder, one at a time. Included here is loose Pyrodex R propellant, a Pyrodex pellet, a percussion cap, a felt wad and a round lead ball.
Some may say that cap-and-ball shooting is a lost art, but thatโs not true: Itโs alive and well, though the inner circles of aficionados has certainly subsided. That said, the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) sanctions blackpowder shooting events where competitors use guns of old design.
Critical Components
To make the old model gun go bang, a propellant is ignited by a percussion cap. But because blackpowder creates a great deal of residue when burned, some sort of lubricant or softening agent is also needed to keep the barrel and mechanism from fouling so badly that accuracy is completely degraded โ or the gun will not function.
Shooting blackpowder guns is messy. Here, the powder residue is clearly visible on parts. The gun needs to be disassembled and then soaked in hot, soapy water or sprayed with commercial cleaner, and then wiped down and oiled.
The lubricants used by old timers were natural lubricants, such as animal fat, which served to soften fouling. Today, we have modern commercial lubricants like Wonder Lube. Not only does lubricant serve as a softening agent, it also, when placed on top of the ball in a loaded revolver cylinder, decreases the likelihood that a spark from one chamber will jump to another chamber and ignite it. Thatโs called a chain fire โ and itโs not a good thing.
Blackpowder is a concoction of charcoal, sulfur and potassium nitrate, also called saltpeter. It creates a great deal of smoke when ignited and, as mentioned before, leaves much fouling. Fortunately, itโs no longer necessary to use blackpowder in the old or replica firearms; instead, substitutes like Pyrodex are available.
Shooting blackpowder guns is messy. Here, the powder residue is clearly visible on parts. The gun needs to be disassembled and then soaked in hot, soapy water or sprayed with commercial cleaner, and then wiped down and oiled.
While Pyrodex and other substitutes have approximately the same amount of stored energy per volume as blackpowder, and they behave similarly, they generally leave somewhat less residue. Theyโre also not subject to the strict storage and shipping regulations that blackpowder is, and therefore retailers are more likely to carry substitutes โ which make them easier to find on store shelves.
Bullets, then and now, are soft lead round balls or conical bullets. People used to make their own by melting lead and pouring lead into molds, but today itโs easier to purchase them off the shelf.
Long-Form Loading
This cylinder loading stand available from Traditions allows the cylinder to be loaded while off the gun. Itโs particularly useful if a spare cylinder is carried.
Loading a blackpowder firearm is simple, but itโs time-consuming. First, make sure there are no burning embers in the cylinder that could ignite the powder. Next, pour powder into the chambers. Some people will dispense powder into each chamber before moving onto the next step, and others will completely load a chamber before moving on.
Itโs your choice, but I found that, although slower, I was more certain that powder would not be forgotten if each chamber was loaded fully before going to the next. My shooting partner at Gunsite forgot to put powder in one chamber and had to pull the ball by hand. That can happen to the best, experienced shooters, of which he is one.
Traditions offers this stand, which can serve for displaying the gun or holding it in a stable position for loading.
Blackpowder or similar substitutes are measured by volume, not weight. Pyrodex R is for revolvers, and the manufacturer, Hodgdon Powder Company, says itโs designed to be a direct replacement by volume for blackpowder. So, when loading, follow the manufacturerโs recommended loads which, for the sample revolver, Traditions says is between 22 grains and 30 grains by volume. And donโt load directly from an open canister. Use a field flask or a dipper from a small container of powder. Remember, a spark ignites this stuff easily.
The next step is to seat the projectile, be it a round ball or a conical bullet. When doing so, use the revolverโs built-in rammer, or a separate tool that can be used to load a cylinder while off the gun. Seating the ball will take a bit of force, but this is good because if the projectile is of the correct size, a slim ring of lead will be shaved off to indicate a tight seal between the projectile and the chamber. You want this. And the projectile should be resting against the felt wad or powder so thereโs no air gap.
Then, seal the mouths of the chambers with suitable grease or some type of seal made for that purpose. This is supposed to prevent chain fires. Loose grease can be used, but itโs easier, although more expensive, to use Wonder Seals or an equivalent. Smash the Wonder Seals down a bit so they seal the chambers.
Touch off a cap-and-ball gun and you get noise โฆ and a good deal of smoke.
Finally, a percussion cap is fitted to the nipple of each chamber on the cylinder. The Pietta revolver called for either No. 10 or 11 caps, with No. 11 caps being slightly larger. I also found the No. 11s to be more user friendly because, although the sides of the caps needed to be pinched a bit to stay on the nipples during recoil, they were easier to fully seat. With No. 10 caps, the fit was so tight that they had to be forced onto the nipples. Too much force could cause them to ignite, and too little would result in a misfire or delayed firing.
Spare cylinders are also available for some revolvers. While some may need to be fitted, others, like those for the Pietta 1858 Army, can be bought off the shelf and dropped in. Carrying a spare loaded cylinder โ minus the caps, which should be put on after the cylinder is in the gun โ saves loading time.
Shooting With Style
The nipple wrench is a useful tool thatโs used for installing and removing nipples. A nipple pick is conveniently stowed in the end of the tool and is used to clean residue from nipple holes.
While it was customary in the 1800s โ and most of the 1900s, for that matter โ to shoot handguns with one hand, it has now become standard to shoot with two hands. A single-action revolver must have the hammer cocked before the trigger is pressed, and the most efficient way to do this is with the support-hand thumb.
Opinions vary, but everyone agrees that a cap-and-ball revolver should never be carried with the hammer resting on a loaded chamber: Itโs too easy for a bump to the hammer to ignite the percussion cap. So, most manufacturers advise carrying the hammer down on an unloaded, uncapped chamber. Others say to carry with the hammer down on the safety notch between chambers thatโs found on some revolvers.
If projectiles fit correctly in the cylinder, a slim lead ring is shaved off to indicate a snug fit when the ball is seated.
After the gun is fired and before reloading the cylinder, the used caps need to be removed from the nipples. However, at least with caps by CCI and the test gun, the caps ruptured when fired, and if the hammer was cocked quickly, flew off the nipples due to centrifugal force. This eliminated the need to remove them by hand.
Recoil with the Pietta, while present, was very mild and in no way a nuisance. And accuracy was satisfactory with groups off-hand at 7 yards being easily covered with an open hand. The sights, while not very good by todayโs standards, were a narrow front blade and a trough along the top strap.
Copious Cleaning
These No. 11 caps were found to work very well on the test gun, but theyโre slightly too large for the nipples so they needed to be squeezed a bit for a snug fit.
Cleaning is best done the same day after shooting so that the metal doesnโt corrode. And black-powder or the residue from substitutes is cleaned using lots of hot water and detergent. Commercial cleaners, like Easy Clean from Traditions, is also good.
First, remove the cylinder, then the stocks โ or grips โ and in the case of the Pietta, the brass trigger guard, then soak all in hot water and detergent or spray liberally with Easy Clean until the fouling is softened. Swab out the bore and cylinder, wipe everything down and apply a thin coat of oil to prevent rust.
It was found that, upon firing, percussion caps split, and if the hammer was cocked quickly, centrifugal force caused the spent caps to fly off the nipple, eliminating the need to remove them by hand.
A blackpowder revolver will definitely slow down the shooting process and allow more time for enjoyment while you learn to appreciate what the old timers had to do to put food on the table, and to protect themselves and those they love.
This article originally appeared in the December 2018 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Now with more than 30 models in six calibers, the Pietta 1873 Single-Action Army Series has something for everyone.
What the 1873 Single-Action Army Series offers:
Available in 45 Long Colt, .357 Magnum, .44/40 Winchester, .44 Magnum, .22 WMR and .22 LR.
Barrel length varies from 4 3/4 to 16 1/2 inches.
Finishes include nickel plated, color case hardened and blued steel.
Laser engraving unique to that model.
No firearms collection is complete without at least one Single-Action Army revolver. Sure, the design is archaic compared to todayโs polymer semi-automatics. Yet, few other firearms stir the imagination to the same lengths as these historic six-shooters and their modern-day replicas. Luckily, the market is growing for these classics, with Pietta Firearms recent announcement of the expansion of its 1873 SA series. In all, the line now boasts more than 30 configurations of the Single-Action Army revolver, available in six chamberings, including .45 Long Colt, .357 Magnum, .44/40 Winchester, .44 Magnum, .22 WMR and .22 LR. The company didnโt list MSRPs for the models, but they can be found retailing from the mid-$300 on up online.
(Gussago, Italy) Pietta Firearms, manufacturers of the finest historical and modern firearms, known for its craftsmanship, quality and dependability announce its headlining new product of 2019, the 1873 Single Action series of firearms. As part of the companyโs trending firearm initiative, Pietta is aggressively developing and offering to the U.S. market new, replica models and modern firearms and has continued to build a reputation for some of the best replica and innovative, modern firearms on the market. The 1873 SA Series is the next step in the companyโs evolution.
Since its first pistol debuted over 30 years ago, Pietta has been known for providing its customers with the most dependable and accurate replica firearms on the market, with the new 1873 SA series, the company is now providing the next series of historical firearms to answer the demands of the modern cowboy. Designed for long-lasting reliability & accuracy and able to easily interchange with the โold-westโ originals, the 1873 SA Series from Pietta will undoubtedly become a classic.
โWe pride ourselves on always staying ahead of the competition with our products,โ said Alessandro Pietta, Vice President of Pietta Firearms. โAll of us at Pietta have worked painstakingly hard to create the 1873 Series, we believe that this series will become a staple within our product line and we believe our customers will see the quality and accuracy after the first shot.โ
The 1873 SA Series can be considered some the most โtrue-to-originalโ firearms on the market. This series is available in 45LC, 357MG, 44/40W, 44MG, .22MG and .22LR and a multitude of design options.
And now some gratuitous shots of Pietta’s SAA models.
No other cartridge has captured shooters’ imagination in the 21st Century like the 6.5 Creedmoor. And the long-range marvel looks to continue to hit the mark in the future.
Why the Creedmoor will stay on top:
The 6.5 Creedmoor is arguably Americaโs most successful metric cartridge.
It was specifically designed for long-range performance and shootability.
Dave Emary, Hornady senior ballistics scientist, was the main mover in the 6.5โs design.
The Creedmoorโs parent case is the .30 TC.
The cartridge took off with the introduction of affordable long-range rifles.
The 6.5 bullet is uniquely suited to long-range shooting, with excellent ballistic coefficients.
The Creedmoor is highly efficient, requiring less powder to do the same job as other 6.5s.
While the cartridge has spiked in popularity, given its capabilities, it should continue to be among Americaโs favorites.
The New Kid in Town
If youโre an American shooter, in all likelihood you have a love affair with the .30 caliber. Itโs only natural, almost a birthright. Since the advent of smokeless powder more than a century ago, the medium-bore caliber has captured the nationโs imagination. Even if the .30-06, .308 or .300 Mag., wasnโt your cartridge of choice, you most likely measured your pick against them.
Uniquely, Hornady provides reloading information on all boxes of its 6.5 Creedmoor ammunition.
However, something funny happened in the last decade, the conversation shifted from the .30s to a completely different caliber โ 6.5mm. In some respects, Yankee firearms chatter going metric was as shocking as the local barbershop boys talking up soccer strikers instead of utility infielders. The change chagrined traditionalist, and there was one cartridge to thank for the broken taboo โ the 6.5 Creedmoor.
Born from a conversation, proven on the field of competition, embraced by a wide swath of the shooting public, it is arguably the first metric cartridge to gain widespread American acceptance. (The 7mm Rem. Mag. must be green with envy.) And thereโs a good reason why โ the dang thing performs.
Supersonic past the 1,200-yard mark, some of sexiest ballistic coefficients in the business and trajectories as flat as the central-Nebraska landscape it hales, the cartridge has helped average shooters reach further and group tighter than ever before. And for the foreseeable future, marksmen will continue to tap the 6.5 Creedmoor for all itโs worth.
Development Of The 6.5 Creedmoor
The conception of the 6.5 Creedmoor is a bit of an odd thing โ a bull session at the National Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio. As the story goes, Dave Emary, senior ballistics scientist at Hornady, and Dennis DeMille, a two-time NRA High Power Rifle Champion, were going over the shortcoming of the then hot long-range round.
The 6.5 Creedmoor was originally a Hornady affaire, but its popularity has spurred other prominent ammunition manufacturers to add the cartridge to their catalog.
The 6mm XC was great, but a wildcat, so it required handloading, and since there was little reloading data available the cartridgeโs performance varied from rifle to rifle. There was no guarantee a shooter could always capture lightning with the cartridge.
It sure would be great if there were a commercially loaded cartridge to bring some consistency to long-range shooters, both agreed. So the ballistic brain trust set to back-of-the-envelope engineering the ideal ammunition for long-range competition. The characteristics they came up with were:
Good ballistic coefficient to buck wind and gravity
Deliver higher velocity than other 6mm and 6.5 rounds
Low chamber pressure to extend case and barrel life
Low recoil
Easy to reload
Fit in an AR-10 and short-bolt action
It was quite a wish list, to say the least. But it was one Emary, aided by Hornadyโs assistant director of engineering, Joe Thielen, delivered in full in 2008 when their company debuted the 6.5 Creedmoor we know today. And what an elegant piece of ballistic alchemy the duo turned out, not simply in performance but design.
The unsung hero of the 6.5 Creedmoor story might be the .30 TC (Thompson Center) case. Released in 2007, the .30 TC never gained widespread acceptance, though it had admirable qualities in its own right. Based on the .308 Winchester, the case has a few key aspects that made it ideal to neck down and become the 6.5 Creedmoor.
Three 6.5 Creedmoor factory loads from Hornaday (left to right) 120-, 129- and 140-grain bullets. Note the company does not polish out the discoloration from annealing.
Itโs slightly shorter than its parent case, in turn, it had wiggle room to fit in an AR-10 or short-bolt action. More importantly, minimal body taper and a 30-degree shoulder angle gave vital capacity to the 1.920-inch case the Creedmoor required. Even with long 6.5mm bullets seated to the maximum COL (cartridge overall length) of 2.80 inches, powder wasnโt displaced; in turn, velocity wasnโt eaten away.
Through initial testing, some done by DeMille himself, the cartridge proved a winner. Everything was set in stone, except the name, that is. Hornady initially suggested the โ6.5 DeMille.โ Sporty as it might sound, the shooter demurred and offered up something a bit closer to his heart โ Creedmoor. It was the name of the company he worked for โ Creedmoor Sports โ but more importantly it was an homage to the site of Americaโs first national rifle match on Long Island New York.
The 6.5 Creedmoorโs Slow Start
With a thoroughbredโs pedigree and firearms manufacturers taking notice, the 6.5 Creedmoor should have broken from the gate and run right into the American marksmanโs heart. But it foundered a bit at the start.
Competitors immediately recognized the benefits of the ballistically-gifted cartridge, and it won matches right off the bat. The general shooting public, at the time not so in tune to the specialized long-range shooting niche, had either never heard of the 6.5 Creedmoor or was skeptical of its practical potential. Really, wasnโt it just a super-charged whitetail round that could double on coyote later in the season, ร la the under-loved 6mm Remington?
Perhaps no cartridge has been more quickly embraced by firearms manufacturers than the 6.5 Creedmoor. Savage’s Long-Range Hunter is one of a slew of makes and models chambered for the ballistically talented cartridge.
Then a funny thing happened, long-range shooting became as hot as the AR-15 a few years prior. And new long-range shooters crowding Precision Rifle Shooting competitions took notice of what was gunning down gold โ 6.5 Creedmoor.
Fanning the flames further was a slew of new and economical long-range rifles that began flooding the market in the early years of the decade. Their accuracy potential, true tack drivers, was nearly unheard of outside custom-built rigs. Suddenly, rifles such as Rugerโs Precision Rifle opened sub-MOA performance well past 100 yards to the average shooter, all without having to take a second mortgage on the house.
From there, gun companies fell like dominos, each producing their own relatively budget-friendly long-range rifle โ Savage the Model 10 BA Stealth, Howa the HCR Chassis Rifle, Bergara the B-14 BMP and more recently Mossberg the MVP Precision. On top of that, there were flocks of more tactical-practical long-range rifles that swamped the market, too numerous to list here. While many came in old favorites, such as .308 Win. or .300 Win. Mag., it was sure as tomorrowโs dawn each and every gun company offered their precision rifle in a 6.5 Creedmoor chambering.
The fever has yet to break on the rifles or the cartridge. The 6.5 Creedmoor is the second-best selling cartridge made by Hornady, only overshadowed by the .223 Rem. And the caliber is among the most sought after in new guns, with some manufacturers reporting the 6.5 as their No. 1 seller, if not accounting for a majority of their overall sales.
The Creedmoor Advantage
The magic of the 6.5mm wasnโt just discovered upon the advent of the Creedmoor. Hunters and soldiers have embraced the flat-shooting caliber going all the way back to the turn of the 20th Century. Perhaps the most noted early adopter was the Swedish military, which selected the venerable 6.5x55mm as its service rifle round back in 1894. Since, thereโs been more than one roe deer put on the spite across the pond thanks to a well-placed 6.5 bullet.
What makes this caliber so gifted are the bullets themselves. Boasting high ballistic coefficients (up in the 900s under the G1 model), they have the ability to slip through the air more efficiently, thus minimize the effects of gravity and wind. This characteristic alone is what has caught most shootersโ eyes, given it leaves standby American favorites, such as the .308, in the dust. But the 6.5 has another facet, sometimes overlooked, but highly practical โ exceptional sectional density. In short, has the weight-to-diameter ratio to penetrate things, things with much tougher hides than deer. Case in point, the Creedmoor has become a favorite with many African hunters for the continentโs sturdy plains game โ impala, wildebeest and the like.
Thatโs all and good, but what exactly does the 6.5 Creedmoor offer the .260 Remington or the 6.5-284 Norma doesnโt? Theyโre all pitching the same copper-jacketed lead after all. Good point. Line the 6.5 Creedmoor up against the .260 or 6.5-284 with a 200-yard zero, each shooting 120-grain bullets and all move at approximately 2,500 fps at 200 yards and remain within 50 fps of each other at 500 yards. Additionally, the 120-grain bullets each maintain roughly 1,700 ft-lbs of energy at 200 yards. It seems by these numbers this vaunted Creedmoor is simply a reinvention of the wheel. But push your seat back from the ballistic table and the cartridge starts to shine among its peers.
Efficient to the hilt, the 6.5 Creedmoor requires less powder to get the same job done โ the magic of its short squat case. With less powder comes less recoil, in turn itโs a milder cartridge shoot and potentially more accurate shot-to-shot, since a marksman can recover more quickly after pulling the trigger. Additionally, itโs more economical, not only in the powder it burns but also in the barrel wear department. Given its judicious appetite for propellant, the Creedmoor just isnโt going to erode the throat of a bore at the drunken pace of its blistering-hot 6.5 brethren.
On top of all that, the 6.5 Creedmoor arms shooter with the ability to harness everything cutting-edge VLD (very low drag) bullets have to offer. The 6.5 Creedmoorโs slight body taper and relatively steep shoulders allow the case to accept these exceedingly long projectiles without compromising capacity. And if thatโs not enough, and as mentioned before, itโs sized to fit in an AR-10 or a short-bolt rifle, which means shooters have a wide variety of firearms to choose from. In short, itโs armed to go the distance and then some.
Ammo And Reloading Considerations
Initially in 2008, Hornady offered the 6.5 Creedmoor in two loads, with either a 120- or 140-grain A-Max bullet and reloading information on the box. Out of a 24-inch barrel, the light load moved 2,910 fps, the heavier 2,710. They were kind of midline velocity catchalls meant to whet the marketโs appetite. Since then, the cartridgeโs factory-loaded options have exploded.
Hornady alone offers 19 loads tailored for everything from match shooting to reaping hogs on the trotter. And, overall, the ammunition market has embraced the Creedmoor with everyone from Federal Premium to Nosler โ each boasting their own home-cooked long-range pet incidentally โ getting in on the game. At the time of writing, Midway USA listed 51 different 6.5 Creedmoor loads for sale with options ranging from 95- to 160-grains and topped with everything from classic round-nosed bullets to next generation of VLDs.
Handloaders, ever at the vanguard of the accurate and precise, have also flocked to the 6.5 Creedmoor. With a medium to medium-slow-burning propellants, such as RL-15, Hodgdon Varget, IMR 4895 or IMR 8208 XBR they have achieved consistent sub-MOA bliss once only believed possible through luck. H4350 has gained such popularity because of its performance in the cartridge many reloading suppliers can barely keep it on the shelf due to demand.
Youโll see it often when talking about the 6.5mm family, most likely in a gun forum. โYeah, but what about barrel life?โ Cogent point. There is more than one six-and-a-halfer that burns as hot as the Sonoran Sun. A narrowish bore combine with the All-American pursuit of more speed, power and distance have a tendency to scald precious metal away. But should shooters expect the same short, yet glorious life from their 6.5 Creedmoorโs fire tube?
Thereโs a bit of dangle to the answer. Certainly, folks highly sensitive to gnatโs-ass accuracy and tend toward hotter loads might notice a quicker deterioration. Say, competitive precision shooters. They generally talk about getting between 2,000 and 3,000 rounds through before swapping a barrel. But, no slide against them, theyโre not average shooters with average accuracy expectations. Most likely they own a borescope, use it regularly and break out in a cold sweat at the first sign of fire cracking. Thatโs not average.
As for the everyday marksman, one with a Creedmoor for deer season and the occasional run at a gong 1,000-paces out, he can expect much more. Given the overall sober case capacity of the cartridge, bore damage per trigger pull is minimal. Itโs not a firebreather like the 26 Nosler or 6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum and others. In turn, it doesnโt tend to blister out the throat and leade in an excessively short amount of time. Master gunsmith and author Fred Zeglin figures youโll have to send between 3,000 and 5,000 rounds down range before youโll notice any change in accuracy.
โEssentially it is the same as the 260 Rem, 6.5×55 and the Ackley versions of those two. Ballistically, there is very little difference between them. I know that will cause todayโs competitors to have a heart attackโฆโ He said. โNaturally, if you have a reloader who is hot-rodding, barrel life is likely to be less. However, it is tough to get the Creedmoor to that point before you hit excessive pressures.โ
Also, you have to consider how badly your accuracy is suffering once barrel ware becomes apparent. Is a sub-MOA rifle that begins to shoot MOA or 1.5 MOA really fit for the ash heap or worth re-barreling? If you plan on squeezing the trigger at the โGrand Master Of The Universe Precision Shooting Cupโ then perhaps. Otherwise, you still have in your possession a fairly viable rifle for many applications, including hitting a deerโs vitals 500-yards out with little worry. Plus, getting to that point for the usual shooter could take years, if not a lifetime.
Parting Shot
There are some shooters not convinced with the 6.5 Creedmoor potential long-range prospects. Their belief is, once the interest in long-range shooting ebbs or the gun worldโs next hot ticket comes along, the round will once again slip into obscurity. While understandable, this viewpoint is a mistake.
Part of the original design points for the 6.5 Creedmoor was it had to work with an AR-10, which it does nicely.
The Creedmoor continues to prove itself competitively match in and out. It keeps putting meat on the table one deer, elk and antelope season after another. And the almost-cheating ballistics excel no matter if a shooter is aiming a country mile or typical hunting ranges. Best of all, the rifles chambered for it are downright kittens to shoot.
Thatโs everything a cartridge needs to hit the mark with the American shooting public. And for those reasons, 6.5 Creedmoor will remain right on target for the foreseeable future.
A revolutionary new field suture system, ZipStitch replaces needle and thread with zip-tie technology.
How ZipStitch works:
Attach the two hydrocolloid adhesive strips on either side of the wound.
Adjust medical grade zip ties to pull wound together.
Trim excess zip ties to length so they do not catch on clothing.
Return to what you were doing with the peace of mind your injury is has been appropriately attended to.
Gun owners generally pride themselves for their preparedness. Chances are, weโll never have to use a firearm to defend our lives (thankfully). Yet, if the time comes, we know weโre covered. Itโs just like using a seatbelt in a car. But thereโs one facet even the most vigilant tend to neglectโemergency medical care.
A simple and effective system, ZipStitch stitches up a wound in the field without needle and thread.
Itโs a strange disconnect, but itโs one with dire consequences. Neglecting emergency medical equipment can lead to loss of life. To this end, I long ago added a tourniquet to my everyday carry kit. Along with this, I stash them in strategic locationsโvehicles, hunting pack, boat, wifeโs purse, etc. God willing, Iโll never have to break one out, but theyโre there if I need one.
The same should hold true for lesser lacerations, because toughing them out isnโt a smart move. While not immediately pressing, such wounds can have long-term consequencesโscarring, infection, etc. This is why Iโve found it wise to keep ZipStitch within reach at home and out and about. For minor to moderate lacerations, the system outdoes everything else on the market, in my opinion.
ZipStitch System
Even if youโre not familiar with the ZipStitch laceration kit, youโve most likely seen it in one form or another. Around for some time, medical professionals have used it to close wounds as major as surgical incisions. You might have even had a stitch-worthy gash patched up with the cutting-edge sutures.
Conveniently sized, the suture system will fit into any first aid kit.
If you havenโt caught wind of them, this is how theyโre laid out: ZipStitch consists of two strips of hydrocolloid adhesive, embedded with a micro-adjustable closure system. That system is where things get pretty cool and clever, given theyโre four medical-grade zip ties. Yup, you heard rightโzip tiesโabout the handiest thing next to duct tape and baling wire. Except, instead of MacGyvering your bumper back on, you use them to patch up your wound.
Itโs pretty profound how effectively the tie system works, closing you up as tight as if you were stitched with a needle and surgical thread โฆ except at a fraction of the time, trouble, cost and know how. Honestly, ZipStitch is band-aid easy to apply. Simple and effective, thatโs a powerful tool.
ZipStitch Advantage
I can hear you now: โSo, itโs pretty much a glorified butterfly suture, right?โ While the age-old wound treatment still has its place, it doesnโt hold a candle to ZipStitch. In fact, it comes off as little more than tape next to the medical device.
For me, among ZipStitchโs most impressive attributes is its longevity after being applied. On clean skin, the adhesive lasts up to seven days, keeping the wound closed and impervious to outside contaminants. Iโve even gotten them soaking wet fording streams without so much as a corner curling up. Impressive, given it not only saves your skin, but your adventure. When the elk are moving, the last thing you want is to break camp for stitches.
ZipStitch also doesnโt impede your movement, but rather it flexes with your body. Yes, the zipper locks protrude enough that working a sock over one is a bit of a task. But once youโre geared up, the suture is a second thought โฆ if that.
Though, when it comes to wound treatment, both of those aspects play a distant second fiddle. ZipStitchโs greatest benefit is how it closes a wound, which is like a battleship bulkhead. Itโs a custom closure, similar to traditional stitches, with just enough tension and pressure in just the right places. Once again, a cheer for the zip tieโthatโs the secret. Moreover, when applied correctly, it doesnโt impede blood flow around the injury, ensuring it heals properly.
Compared to the traditional stitches, ZipStitch is dramatically easier. And by the companyโs account, strongerโeight times, from their numbers. Iโll have to take their word for it; I personally donโt plan on putting it to the test. But Iโll vouch, ZipStitch is dang sturdy and more than rugged enough for backwoods medicine.
How To Use ZipStitch
No medical training is required, but you have to have a few fundamentals in mind when using ZipStitch.
The ZipStitch Kit comes with everything you need to tend your wound, including: ZipStitch, alcohol wipe, gauze and bandage.
As in any trauma case, the first step is evaluation. While ZipStitch is useful on common wounds, itโs inappropriate for major lacerations or ones that run a major risk of infection. An animal bite or gunshot wound are good examples. These and similar wounds require immediate medical attention.
If a wound doesnโt fall into these categories, using ZipStitch is a simple four-step process:
Clean and dry the wound. Making certain the wound is completely dry is imperative for the adhesive to stick properly.
Remove ZipStitch from its liner, center on the wound, press firmly on and remove its paper frame.
Once in place, adjust the zip tie tension straps, making certain you close the wound without over tightening.
Trim each tie as short as possible to the lock housing.
The ZipStitch laceration kit comes with everything you need to treat a wound. This includes: one 1.5-inch ZipStitch, one alcohol wipe, one gauze and one bandage. The bandage is a nice extra, allowing a little more protection in the early stages of the healing process.
Parting Shot
ZipStitch retails for $29.99 per kit, which might sound spendy. But when you think about it, itโs a great value and an exceptional means of keeping you trudging forward.
The best part of ZipStitch, aside from saving your skin, it saves your adventure.
In addition to saving you from ER and insurance fees, it also keeps you in the field in most cases. Most useful of all, it allows you to treat a stitch-grade wound like any other bump or bruise. A big leap from even a few decades ago.
Given this, it makes sense to have ZipStitch on hand. Just like a self-defense gun or a tourniquet, these do-all sutures have the potential to save your skin.
For more information on ZipStitch, please visit www.zipstitch.us.
Canik and Salient Arms team up to produce the high-performance TP9 Elite Combat Executive 9mm pistol.</h2
TP9 Elite Combat Executive Specs:
Caliber: 9mm Luger
Capacity: 14+1 (+3 extension incl’d)
Barrel Length: 4.73โ
Overall Length: 7.88โ
Height: 5.96″
Width: 1.45″
Weight: 25.8 oz. unloaded
Canik and Salient Arms International โ a match made in, err, heaven? Apparently so, as the Turkish purveyor of economically-priced pistols and the custom handgun specialist have teamed up on a new(ish) 9mm โ the TP9 Elite Combat Executive.
Basically, itโs Canikโs popular TP9 Elite Combat striker-fired polymer, dolled up with a bunch of Salient Arms International upgrades. These include a fluted and gold PVD-over-nitride coated match-grade barrel (threaded), black nitride-coated slide, aluminum Speed Funnel magazine well and fiber optic sights. Also, it looks to have a pretty nice flat-faced aluminum trigger and a 15-round magazine with a plus-three extension for a total of 18-rounds.
The TP9 Elite Combat Executive is a limited run, though there was no word on how many were made. They ship this month and have an MSRP of $749.
More from Canik:
Delray Beach, Fla. – – Canik, manufacturer of handguns and accessories used around the world and imported to the U.S. exclusively by Century Arms, is proud to announce the all-new TP9 Elite Combat Executive.
Based on the 2019 TP9 Elite Combat utilizing performance upgrades designed by Salient Arms International, the Executive features a distinctive gold barrel by Salient, fluted, match-grade, and PVD-over-nitride coated, and a black polymer frame topped with a nitride-coated jet black slide. The Executive is suppressor ready with 1/2 x 28 RH threads.
The TP9 Elite Combat Executive includes the new flat-face aluminum trigger with a black full-face safety. The optics-ready slide comes with an optics mounting plate and charging handle. A side-reversible, extended magazine release and additional backstrap for customizing the fit is included in addition to a new retention holster with Slide Lock Release.
The slide, barrel and small steel parts are nitride-coated while internal components are nitride or high-wear nickel-coated. The Salient collaboration includes the barrel and thread protector, an aluminum Speed Funnel magazine well, and sight set with fiber optic front sight. A 15-round magazine with a +3 extension for a total of 18-rounds is included.
A limited quantity of the TP9 Elite Combat Executive is being produced. This exceptional handgun has an MSRP of $749.99 and is shipping in early May.
For more information on the TP9 Elite Combat Executive, please visit www.canikusa.com.
Built to bring .30-30 ballistics to the AR platform, the .300 Ham’r is on-target as a modern-day hunting cartridge.
What Makes the .300 Ham’r Such A Potent .30 Caliber:
The parent case is .223 Remingtion necked up to accpet a .30-caliber bullet.
Designed to Handle bulletweights from 110 to 150 rgains.
Has an COL of 2.260 inches, so it functions in an AR-15 magazine.
Capable of pushing a 150-grain bullet 2,240 fps at the muzzle.
In 2018, Bill Wilson of Wilson Combat announced the .300 Hamโr to match or better .30-30 Winchester performance in an AR magazine-length round. Thus, the cartridge was hatched to compete with the 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC, 7.62ร39 and .300 Blackout, with an eye toward killing wild pigs, thus the nod to โhamโ in the name.
Wilson himself says, โThe project originally started way back in 2005, when J.D. Jones sent me one of his .300 Whisper uppers and a set of dies. Being an avid hunter, my primary interest was terminal performance, and the .300 Whisper just didnโt get the job done for me. So, at that point, I moved on to the 6.8 SPC and did a lot of work with it, and I killed a lot of hogs and deer.โ
Then, in 2008, Remington came out with the .30 Rem. AR, and Wilson started getting the terminal performance on game that he was after. However, that caliber has its share of issues, such as a proprietary upper receiver, bolt carrier group and magazine. Also, shortly after Remington brought this cartridge to market, it quit supporting it.
Wilson was also familiar with the 7.62ร40, originally the brainchild of Kurt Buchert. Wilson Combat brought that round to market as the 7.62x40WT, a well-balanced cartridge that accepted virtually every .30-caliber bullet in the 110- to 135-grain weight range. However, to achieve this with the long-pointed bullets, the case length had to be limited to 1.565 inches, which wouldnโt allow the 7.62x40WT, in a ri๏ฌe utilizing a 5.56/.223 bolt, to equal the legendary and time-proven .30-30 Winchester in terminal performance.
Wilson then selected bullets he wanted to use and reverse-engineered the case length to ๏ฌt within the AR magwell, determining he could get .040-inch more case length than the 7.62ร40 and .260-inch more than the .300 Blackout. Ron Reiber of Hodgdon Powder Company then recommended Hodgdonโs new CFEBLK powder, which improved accuracy and velocity with less pressure. A 1:15 twist rate for the barrels ๏ฌnished the equation.
General Comments
The .300 Hamโr has noticeable velocity and energy advantages over factory .300 Blackout rounds at the muzzle. With a 16.25-inch barrel, the .300 Hamโr sends a Sierra 110-grain hollowpoint to 2,600 fps with 1,651 ft-lbs. of energy, compared to the Hornady Black 110-grain V-Max at 2,395 fps MV and 1,401 ft-lbs. of energy. Likewise, the .300 Hamโr beats the 7.62ร39 in a 16.25-inch barrel.
The Hamโr shoots a Hornady 150-grain SST to a muzzle velocity of 2,240 fps with 1,671 ft-lbs. of energy. The factory 7.62ร39 in the same barrel length and bullet weight (Winchester 150-grain Razorback XT) develops 2,056 fps and 1,408 ft-lbs. Out of a compact .30-30 lever-action with a 16-inch barrel, the shooter can expect to push a 150-grain bullet to about 2,250 fps.
Wilson Combat supports the handloader with Lee and RCBS reloading dies, a Wilson Combat headspace/bullet seating gage, โWC 300 Hamโrโ headstamped cases, and .308-caliber bullets. Wilson Combat has also introduced ๏ฌve AR-pattern ri๏ฌes for the new chambering: Bill Wilson Ranch Ri๏ฌe package, Tactical Hunter Model, Ultralight Ranger Model, Lightweight Hunter Model and the Ranger Model.
Tired of hearing about the 6.5 Creedmoor? Then itโs time to meet its hard-punching little brother, the 6mm Creedmoor, in a platform designed to highlight its skillset.
How Wilson Combat Created A Superior 6mm Creedmoor:
22-inch Wilson Combat Recon tactical match-grade barrel.
1:8 twist rate bring out full ballistic potential of the 6mm.
Light recoiling rifle-length gas system with an SLR Rifleworks gas block.
Wilson Combat’s snappy 4-pound single-stage Tactical Trigger Unit (TTU).
Rock-solid S7 tool steel bolt stops.
Itโs pretty easy to identify Superman in a crowd. The dude wears a cape.
Chances are, however, it wonโt be quite as simple to pick out a โsuper sniperโ among a field of accurate rifles, which is too bad because Wilson Combatโs latest semi-automatic rifle platform is far more useful than a comic book hero.
While the new Super Sniper has all the looks of a 2019 rifle, the foundation is built upon the long-standing principles of what an accurate rifle needs to be: balanced weight, mild recoiling and quick to point.
Iโm no stranger to Wilson Combat rifle platforms, and I have the taxidermy bills to prove it.
So, when I found an opportunity to review Wilson Combatโs latest creation โ the Super Sniper โ I was optimistic to say the least. After all, Bill Wilson and his team of gun-slinging machinists, engineers and shooters have never failed to deliver a high-quality firearm each and every time I have used one. Still, when you name anything โsuper,โ youโre setting up your customer base for some very high expectations. Add the word โsniperโ and, well โฆ it better be the gun that gets Carlos Hathcock to crawl out of his grave.
The day the WC-10 Super Sniper arrived at my FFL didnโt seem much different than any other day. There was no report of a meteorite crashing near the storefront with an alien-configured WC-10 style rifle wedged in a space rock. The rifle didnโt present itself with a clean-cut Clark Kent style, nor was there any hint of a cape.
The Super Sniper configuration is available in both the WC-15 and the WC-10 platforms. Cartridge choices include the .223 Wylde, .244 Valkyrie, .260 Remington, 6.5 Grendel and the 6mm Creedmoor.
However, the rifle did turn heads, raise eyebrows and initiate drool from more than a few Earthlings who happened to see the bronzed-finished gun slip out of its soft gun case and onto the countertop. For an AR-10 sized rifle, it was slim, light and quick to point. It looked accurate. It looked menacing. It looked expensive โ and was with an MSRP of $3,145.
Learn More About the Creedmoor 6.5
Gun Review: Rugerโs Updated Precision Rifle In 6mm Creedmoor
Still, in a store full of high-quality MSRs, it was obvious to everyone that this rifle was not of our world โ well, it wasnโt from Virginia at least. No. You see, Wilson Combat weapons are designed and built in Arkansas, which is a bit closer than Krypton and, just like the Wilson Combat Super Sniper, very real.
This Super Sniper was more than just a work of cosmic Arkansas firearms art, it was chambered in the super sexy 6mm Creedmoor.
The Super Sniper platform is designed to give long-range competition shooters and hunters a reliable, accurate and fast MSR platform chambered in todayโs most popular cartridges, such as the 6mm Creedmoor.
No, not the 6.5 Creedmoor. The 6mm Creedmoor: a smaller, faster, flatter Creedmoor family member, for which Hornady tightened the ballistic belt on their superb 6.5mm Creedmoor case from 6.5mm (.264 inch) to 6mm (.243 inch) to help take PRS matches to a whole new level. Itโs also a 6mm cartridge, which has escaped the lower bullet weight BC curse of the classic .243 Win. and 6mmโs 1:9 twist. Thatโs previously been the long-range death of the superbly designed .243 Winchester and 6mm Remington, but most 6mm Creedmoor rifles, including the Wilson Combat Super Sniper, are being built from scratch in the far better suited 1:8 twist rate.
Anyway, the idea worked. The peppy short-action cartridge pushes high ballistic coefficient bullets like Hornadyโs ELD Match 108-grain, ELD-X 103-grain and Barnes LRX 95-grain bullets near, at or slightly over 3,000 feet per second for ultra-flat, low-recoiling and extremely accurate performance.
Does the lighter, slightly faster 6mm Creedmoor punch as hard as its beefier brother, the 6.5 Creedmoor? No. But it doesnโt have to because its pings are loud enough and the critters it hits canโt be deader than dead. Itโs superbly accurate, soft to shoot, easy to load for and it loves the high BC bullets being made these days for the 6mm long-range shooting crowds at PRS matches โ and for long-range hunters. Itโs an ideal partner to the Wilson Combat Super Sniper rifle.
Behind The Cape
Before we talk about the Super Sniper rifle, letโs talk about the super elephant in the room. Wilson Combat firearms arenโt cheap. Some folks might even say theyโre not reasonably priced. Wilson Combat firearms cost more to buy because they cost more to build โ because theyโre built better than most guns.
An exploded view of a Wilson Combat Super Sniper rifle shows the upper and lower receiver, the bolt carrier group, magazine and riflescope mounting system.
In my opinion, there truly is a difference in the fit, form and function of a Wilson Combat weapon โ and the Super Sniper platform is no different. Iโve seen it, and Iโve felt it both on the range and in the field. If you spend any reasonable amount of time talking to Bill Wilson about his firearms, youโll quickly understand just how much of a perfectionist he is, and perfection is expensive because things always have to be just right.
One example of this in his WC platform development is the fact that Wilson Combat uses S7 tool steel for their bolt stops, proudly proclaiming theyโve never had one break, despite AR-10 bolt stops industry wide being notorious for doing just that. โWe have spared no expense in development, testing and production of these rifles,โ said Bill Wilson. โIf we could build a better one, we would!โ
With that said, letโs get back to the Super Sniper. It was designed and built to enable the very thing the 6mm Creedmoor was designed to do โ win competitions. Now, there are two kinds of competitions youโll likely find a 6mm Creedmoor at: one involves shooting steel, and the other ones having nerves of steel as hunters. I can and do see the Wilson Combat Super Sniper doing well with both tasks.
The Super Sniper follows a long line of successful competition and hunting rifles designed and used daily by Bill Wilson himself. Never far from the product, the lifelong hunter and world-class competitive shooter is constantly tinkering with rifle configurations, cartridges and barrel twist rates to give his shooters the maximum advantage in the field.
A Wilson Combat WC-10 carries like many other manufacturerโs AR-15s in their size and weight, which is a big plus. I think I could carry a Super Sniper anywhere Iโd carry any other hunting rifle, from the swamps of North Carolina after feral hogs, to the hills of central Virginia after Eastern white-tailed deer, to the steep and unforgiving mountains of the Frank Church Wilderness in Idaho after muleys.
Fit, Finish And Firepower
Once you get past the gorgeous bronze finish, youโll find that Wilson Combat built the 6mm Creedmoor Super Sniper with a 22-inch Wilson Combat Recon tactical match-grade barrel, billet upper and lower receiver, a rifle-length gas system with an SLR Rifleworks gas block, a Wilson Combat M-Lok rail, and of course Wilson Combatโs own trigger โ known as their Tactical Trigger Unit (TTU), which is a single-stage with a 4-pound pull.
The 22-inch 1:8 twist Wilson Combat Super Sniper rifle was fed a steady diet of three 6mm Creedmoor factory loads, which included Hornadyโs 103-grain ELD-X, their slightly heavier match-grade 108-grain ELD Match, and a Barnes 95-grain VOR-TX LRX โ from 100 to 300 yards. MidwayUSA lists at least nine factory loads as of December 2018, and Iโm sure as the cartridge grows in popularity, more ammunition manufacturers will join the rat race to manufacture 6mm Creedmoor loads. Optically, I used a Leupold VX-3i 4.5-14x40mm riflescope to test the rifle.
The Super Sniper can be configured to meet the demanding needs of todayโs top competition shooters in long-range precision matches, which require the very best rifles, cartridges and effort from todayโs shooters. Paint schemes, barrel lengths, stock designs and of course cartridge choices can all be customized at Wilson Combat.
I got the following data from my five-shot groups for accuracy at 100, 200 and 300 yards. The 100-yard zero work was done indoors, and the 200- and 300-yard work was done at an outdoor range.
Throughout the entire battery of tests, the gun never failed to function, fire or deliver equal performance behind the trigger. I have always been very happy with the TTU triggers Wilson Combat uses on their rifles, and this Super Sniper was no different. It broke at 4 pounds consistently using my mechanical RCBS trigger gauge.
There are a lot of little things about the Super Sniper that contribute to it being an easy gun to shoot well. The trigger is one big reason because itโs so consistent. Other key factors are the gunโs slim build, its light and evenly distributed weight, and its adjustability in the stock.
Iโm a small guy so I need small guns, and the ability to adjust the length of pull helped me get comfortable behind the trigger. Thatโs a must these days. The rifleโs light but even weight helped me point and maneuver the rifle smoothly and quickly before, during and after the shot, so it certainly lives up to the โsniperโ designation. The 22-inch barrel and overall gun mass helped dampen recoil, so I watched the impact of shots fired at 100, 200 and 300 yards. As a hunter, this is a big deal because ethical follow-up shots are much easier to make if you never lose sight of the prey in your riflescope.
The Consensus
In the end, if I was a shooter looking for a semi-custom PRS rifle in 6mm Creedmoor, then the Wilson Combat Super Sniper would answer a lot of questions Iโd likely spend some wasted dollars on answering in other ways. Itโs built properly all the way through, and thatโs evident from the moment you unbox it.
As a hunting platform, itโs an easy choice for the well-funded hunter. I can and will hunt with the rifle, and Iโd be lying if I didnโt admit to hoping I see a nice buck or even a black bear out past a decent poke just so I can conjure up my inner โsniperโ fantasies. Though, I am a self-admitted โget as close as I canโ kind of hunter, so Iโd see a long shot I could have gotten closer on as a cop-out.
Do I think this is the rifle that Carlos Hathcock would crawl out of his grave to shoot? No. No, I donโt. Thatโs not to say I donโt like the rifle, but just because itโs made to ring steel at out of this world distances doesnโt mean it deserves to wear the red cape of a superhero amongst a crowded field of pretty good rifles.
If you decide to spend the money a Wilson Combat rifle commands, I know you wonโt regret investing in the Super Sniper โ just note that the cape costs extra.
Americans have an infatuation with bullets of .308-inch diameter, and we love just about any cartridge that will launch them. And while the moderate .30-caliber cartridges โ like the .30-30 Winchester, .308 Winchester and .30-06 Springfield โ are certainly among the undeniable classics, the faster .30s, the magnum cartridges, have intrigued shooters for the better part of a century now.
Make no mistake about it: The .30-06 Springfield set the bar in the first decade of the 20th century, and that mark remains to this day; all other .30-caliber cartridges are compared to it, and it remains a very effective choice for the hunting field. But less than 2 decades after the release of the .30-06 Springfield, it was a British company that would put the first official โmagnumโ moniker on a .30-caliber cartridge.
Since that point in time, weโve had magnums that are long and lean, short and fat and almost everything in between, and that story continues to this day. Letโs take a look at the wide selection of .300 magnums, a bit of their history โ and predict what the future holds.
.300 Holland & Holland Magnum
The one magnum that started it all, the .300 Holland & Holland Magnum.
Based on the success of the British firmโs universal .375 H&H Belted Magnum, Holland & Holland necked the case down to hold .308-inch caliber bullets, and in 1925 released Hollandโs Super .30, or as itโs known in America, the .300 Holland & Holland Magnum.
Launching a 180-grain bullet to 2,925 fps, the .300 H&H betters the velocity of the .30-06 by more than 200 fps. It has the same 2.85-inch case as the .375 H&H, requiring a magnum-length action, but it also has plenty of case capacity. At the time of its release, the .300 H&H represented the highest velocity attainable by a factory loaded .30-caliber cartridge, and until the advent of the .300 Winchester Magnum, when you saw โ.300 Magnumโ on a barrel, it referred to the .300 Holland.
To this day, the .300 H&H makes a fantastic hunting cartridge, giving a great blend of flat trajectory, accuracy, striking energy and manageable recoil. Factory loads are still available, as are some affordable rifles, but the largest influence the Super .30 had would be the offspring it produced.
As a note of interest, the .300 Holland & Holland Magnum would be the only belted cartridge of this lot to rely on the belt for headspacing. The belt on all the other cartridges is simply a carryover from the H&H design, and it serves no real purpose.
.300 Weatherby Magnum
.300 Weatherby Magnum
Roy Weatherby began experimenting with the .300 H&H case during WWII, releasing his now-famous .270 Weatherby Magnum and .257 Weatherby Magnum. With a signature double-radius shoulder, his name became synonymous with speed, and his .300 Weatherby was no exception.
Using that same 180-grain bullet as an example, because I feel it makes one of the best all-around choices for hunting with the .300 magnums, youโll see that the Weatherby drives that bullet to 3,150 fps, providing a definite increase over the .300 H&H. While it took some time for the Weatherby line to come to the forefront, the .300 Weatherby has fervent followers to this day, and with good reason: Itโs accurate, it certainly hits hard, and it shoots very flat out to sane hunting ranges.
That velocity does come at a price, however; the recoil of the .300 Weatherby can be nasty, especially from the bench. With its 2.85-inch-long case, it requires a magnum-length action and remains a popular choice among those who hunt open ground.
.308 Norma Magnum
The .308 Norma Magnum was the first to match the .300 H&H ballistics in a long-action rifle.
The 1950s saw a return to peace, and hunters began travelling the globe again. Winchester started experimenting with a shortened H&H case, releasing their .458, .338 and .264 Magnums in the middle of the decade. Everyone expected Winchester to release the .30-caliber variant, but it was the Swedish firm of Norma that beat them to the punch. Wildcatters had necked down the .338 Winchester Magnum to hold .308-inch-diameter bullets for a few years โ the .30-338 remains a viable wildcat โ but Norma made it legitimate in 1960 with their .308 Norma Magnum.
Using a 2.56-inch case, the .308 Norma Magnum was designed to mimic the performance of the .300 H&H, in a .30-06 length action, and it did that wonderfully. Pushing a 180-grain bullet to 2,950 fps, the .308 Norma Magnum is, perhaps, my favorite design of the lot, especially considering the modern bullet designs.
.300 Winchester Magnum
The .300 Winchester Magnum probably has the widest ammunition selection of .30-caliber magnums, and the author doesnโt see that changing anytime soon.
Having released three other shortened magnums, Winchester added the fourth in the series in 1963: the .300 Winchester Magnum. Though the three previous cartridges used a 2.50-inch case length, Winchester changed things up with their .300 โ presumably because Norma had come so close with their .308 Magnum โ and used a 2.62-inch case, with the shoulder moved forward to maximize case capacity. The resulting design left a neck-length of 0.264 inches, less than one caliber, and the cartridge has been criticized for that feature.
It gives identical performance to the .308 Norma Magnum โ driving a 180-grain bullet to 2,960 fps โ and can be housed in a standard long-action rifle. Itโs extremely accurate, being one of the favorite choices among military snipers, and it makes a good choice for both the target range as well as the hunting fields. Due to the successful marketing on Winchesterโs part, the .300 Winchester took the stage and won the hearts of shooters quickly. Itโs readily available and sits comfortably at the head of class when it comes to the .30-caliber magnum cartridges.
.30-378 Weatherby Magnum
The behemoth .30-378 Weatherby is the largest of the .300 magnums.
In response to an Army contract, Roy Weatherby necked down his behemoth .378 Weatherby Magnum to hold .30-caliber bullets, and the result was a seriously fast cartridge. The .30-378 Weatherby Magnum will drive a 180-grain bullet more than 3,300 fps. It was designed in the late 1950s, yet it wouldnโt be released commercially until 1996. Iโve spent a considerable amount of time with this cartridge, and it can be seriously accurate. Sub-MOA loads are a regularity, though burning 105-grains of powder โ sometimes more โ isnโt easy on the wallet or shoulder. This cartridge begs for a muzzle brake and some really good ear muffs.
House Jeffery, And Its Descendants
The beltless .404 Jeffery is one of the unsung heroes of the African safari world; it was the workhorse of the bush while the .416 Rigby got all the glory. However, at the end of the 20th century, there would begin a wave of cartridges based on the Jeffery case that would have a serious impact on the shooting world.
It began with the .300 Remington Ultra Magnum, a full-length blown-out .404 Jeffery case with a rebated rim, which is fully capable of equaling the velocities of the .30-378 Weatherby. My father, Olโ Grumpy Pants, absolutely loves this cartridge, and he has taken it around the world for all sorts of game. It, too, can digest a healthy amount of powder, and like most .300s itโs capable of excellent accuracy, pushing a 180-grain bullet to 3,250 fps โ and Iโve added 100 fps to that figure with handloads.
Winchester used the Jeffery case for its .300 Winchester Short Magnum, released in 2001, giving .300 Win. Mag. velocities in a short-action rifle. This caught on like a wildfire, and among the WSM family, the .300 is, was and will be the most popular of the lot. The .300 WSM has its drawbacks, namely magazine space and feeding issues in some of the rifles Iโve shot, but it is accurate and fully capable of taking all of our North American game. Some believe a short, squat powder column gives more consistent (and therefore accurate) results, and while there is some merit to the theory, Iโve not seen any dramatic improvement in group size when using the WSM case.
Remington countered shortly after the release of the .300 WSM with its own .300 Remington Short Action Ultra Magnum (SAUM), giving identical performance to the WSM cartridge. But alas, Winchester got the drop on the SAUM as far as marketing goes, and the WSM far exceeded the success of the .300 SAUM. Nonetheless, no animal will ever tell the difference between the two cartridges.
Lastly, Noslerโs proprietary line of cartridges includes the .30 Nosler, a .404-based cartridge designed for a long-action, giving velocities between the .300 Winchester and .300 Weatherby, without a belt and the case-stretching associated with the belted design. The .30 Nosler is a fantastic cartridge, boasting an efficient design capable of serious accuracy. Of the lot of .404-based .300 Magnums, I like this the best because it offers external ballistics that are useable in the field without beating the snot out of the shooter.
.300 Norma Magnum
The .300 Norma Magnum is a fast and accurate cartridge, adopted by the US Army SOCOM.
In an effort to best adapt a cartridge to the use of the high BC bullets that perform so well at extreme ranges, Norma took the .338 Lapua case โ revered by snipers and long-range shooters โ and shortened it. This was not to use a shorter receiver; it was done to effectively seat those really long, sleek bullets without having magazine issues.
The .300 Norma Magnum is a great choice for those wanting to ring long-range steel because it pushes a 230-grain bullet to 2,950 fps, but there arenโt many hunting loads available unless you were to handload the cartridge. Iโve spent a bit of time with the .300 Norma at Normaโs factory in Amotfors, Sweden, and I can tell you itโs a seriously accurate cartridge. The U.S. Special Operations Command must agree with me; theyโve chosen the cartridge for their new Advanced Sniper Rifle Cartridge.
.375 Ruger-Based .300s
The Hornady and Ruger collaboration on 2008โs .375 Ruger made some definite waves in the safari industry โ as itโs the only real threat to the hugely successful .375 H&H โ and those waves made it all the way down to the .300 magnums. Designed for a long-action receiver, the .375 Ruger uses a body diameter equal to the dimension of the belt on the .375 H&H case; this allows for greater case capacity without unnecessary length.
The first of the .30-caliber offspring was the rather unnoticed .300 Ruger Compact Magnum; the short-action cartridge can equal the ballistics of the .300 WSM and .300 Winchester Magnum. Unfortunately, the short/fat designs were on the wane, and what part of the market those cartridges held onto was gobbled up by the .300 WSM. But, the new Hornady .300 PRC (Precision Rifle Cartridge) may have a chance to make a serious impact on the market.
Hornady .300 PRC
Hornaday’s .300 PRC
Using a 2.580-inch case, the .300 PRC uses the H&H standard 0.532-inch case head diameter, without a rebated rim. The maximum cartridge overall length (COL) is listed at 3.70 inches, which is considerably longer than the 3.34-inch COL of the .300 Winchester, or even the 3.600-inch length of the .300 Weatherby and .300 Remington Ultra Magnum.
I wonder what advantage this design will give over the .300 Norma Magnum, which will require the same action/magazine length; they are both designed on the โshorter case/longer bulletโ theory. In testing, Hornady has claimed that the velocity spread for the .300 PRC has been considerably lower than that of the .300 Norma. The PRC beltless design uses a 30-degree shoulder for positive headspacing and it attains respectable velocity, driving a 225-grain ELD Match to 2,810 fps, and the 212-grain ELD X to 2,860, making a dual purpose cartridge suitable for both long-range shooting and hunting at longer ranges.
Will the .300 PRC catch on? Well, that remains to be seen, but the paper formula seems sound.
Characteristics Of The .300 Magnums
Iโve found that cartridges generating magnum velocities are best served by a heavy bullet. In the .300 magnum class, this usually means 180-grains and heavier, though Iโve had good results with some of the 150- and 165-grain monometal bullets. Perhaps bullet bearing surface has a significant role in getting the faster .30s to deliver the best accuracy.
The author with a good South African kudu bull, taken cleanly with a Legendary Arms Works .300 Winchester Magnum.
Iโve also found that buying a .300 magnum is no cure for poor shot placement; a .308 Winchester is much better than any .300 magnum in the wrong place. That said, they are much easier to use in truly windy conditions, and their ability to send the heavier bullets โ especially those of premium construction โ take the bore diameter to the next level.
As bullets and ogives grow longer, the need for more room in the magazine increases, hence my reasoning that the .308 Norma Magnum is a better long-range cartridge than the .300 Winchester. The shorter .308 Norma case makes seating the longer bullets within the confines of a long-action magazine easier. But, the .300 Winchester has an undeniable marketing advantage, and that makes all the difference in the world sometimes.
Do We Need More .300 Magnums?
Including the Dakota, Lazzeroni and other boutique cartridges, my tally comes to more than 15 magnum-class .300s. Is that too many? I personally think it is. Thereโs a ton of overlap, though there are many sound designs.
I predict that the .308 Norma Magnum and .300 Remington SAUM will fade further than they already have, taking the .300 Ruger Compact Magnum with them.
I feel the .300 WSM has the greatest chance of survival of the WSM lineup, and that โ rather unfortunately โ the .300 Holland & Holland has seen its heyday come and go.
The .300 Weatherby will always have its following, but the larger .300 RUM and .30-378 Weatherby have already begun to fade, as the slower velocity/higher BC bullet combination gains ground.
I am also confident in saying that the .300 Winchester Magnum, in spite of its belted design and short neck, will remain at the top of the heap for years to come. Many of our modern designs have simply been a reinvention of the wheel, with one niggling change or another, yet in the grand scheme offering a performance level that already existed. Still, we hunters and shooters remain intrigued by the .300 magnums, and I know thatโs not going to stop anytime soon.
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the January 2019 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
The Mossberg 500 Centennial is a dazzling addition to the gunmaker’s anniversary collection.
What are the specs on the 500 Centennial:
Gauge: 12 gauge
Chamber: 3 inches
Barrel Length: 28 inches
Barrel Finish: High-Polished Blue
Receiver Finish: Nickel-Plated
Sights: Twin Bead
Chokes: Accuset
Overall Length: 47.5 inches
Length of Pull: 13.87 inches
Stock: Walnut (High-Polish Finish)
Weight: 7.5 pounds
MSRP: $910
Even with a new iteration of the shotgun, you canโt say much about the Mossberg 500 that hasnโt already been said. Well, itโs possible to squeeze a little extra verbiage in about this one โฆ itโs a looker!
Nickel-plated receiver, jeweled bolt, gold-plated trigger, high-polished blued metal finish on the barrel and high-gloss finished walnut โ all stops were pulled for the Mossberg 500 Centennial 12 Gauge. On top of that thereโs plenty of engraving, always a nice touch on a field shotgun. This includes Mossberg’s 100th Anniversary logo on the right side and a flushing ruff grouse on the left, each accented with 24-karat gold. Plenty of bling for a scattergun with an MSRP of $910.
More from Mossberg:
NORTH HAVEN, CT โ O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc., a leading American firearms manufacturer, continues the celebration of the companyโs 100th anniversary with the introduction of a limited edition Mossberg 500 Centennial pump-action shotgun, chambered in 12 gauge. This commemorative model features a nickel-plated receiver engraved with the Mossberg 100th Anniversary logo on the right side and a pair of flushing ruffed grouse on the left, highlighted in 24 karat gold. This model will be limited to 750 units, each with a special serial number that incorporates a unique prefix, used only for this production run.
The Mossberg 500 pump-action shotgun is designed for reliable, smooth operation with the combination of non-binding twin action bars; dual extractors; a positive steel-to-steel lock-up; anti-jam elevator; anodized aluminum receiver for added durability; and universally-recognized, ambidextrous top-mounted safety. And with over 12 million sold and over 50 years in production, the 500 platform has proven to be one of the most reliable shotgun designs available.
Mossberg 500 Centennial 12 Gauge (50100) – A Talo Group distributor exclusive, this attractive field pump-action features upgrades that distinguish it from our extensive line of 500 special purpose and hunting guns. The traditionally-styled, high-gloss walnut stock and forend has fine checkering on the pistol grip and wrapping around the underside of the forend and the stock is fit with a classic red rubber recoil pad. Distinctive jeweled bolt, gold-plated trigger and attractive high-polished blue metal finish on the barrel complement the high-gloss wood finish. The 28-inch vent rib barrel comes with Mossbergโs interchangeable ACCU-CHOKE™ choke tubes (Full, Modified and Improved Cylinder). The nickel-plated receiver is engraved with the Mossberg 100th Anniversary logo (right side) and flushing ruff grouse (left side), both highlighted with 24 karat gold accents, and each gun has a special serial number. MSRP: $910
For more information on the 500 Centennial, please visit www.mossberg.com.
Even with all the options available to the sporting optics shopper, one major question persists: Which is better, Euro optics or Asian-made optics?
What are some defining features between European and Asian optics:
Most European optics are engineered to be the best product possible, regardless of cost.
Asian manufacturers have the opposite approach, starting with price-point and building to meet that particular criterion.
Overall, you generally get what you pay for, regardless of what region the optics originate.
The conundrum expands when you know there are some very good โhybridโ binoculars and riflescopes โ products designed in Europe and manufactured in mainland China.
Euro optics have set the standard for generations. World-class glass and meticulous engineering made for high performance and big price tags, and they continue to blaze the trail of optics innovation. But optics technologies in Asia have advanced by leaps and bounds as of recent, so asking which continent produces the best optics is a legitimate question.
Itโs an apples vs. oranges comparison of sorts. While manufacturers on the two continents both make awesome sports optics, each comes at the market from an entirely different perspective. To accurately resolve an answer, you first have to understand how the various brands approach the manufacturing process.
Worth Every Penney
The famous European brands start with a list of specifications and performance benchmarks they want in a specific product, and they leave little room for compromise. The engineers do the math on what it will cost. The cost is the cost, and they cipher the retail price from there. Their goal is to build the best product possible โ damn the cost.
In optics, you get what you pay for โ but do you need everything that youโre paying for? Leica optics are in a quality class above many, but so are the accompanying price tags.
Brands sourcing optics in Asia approach product development from the other direction: They start with a price-point and build from there, and their list of specifications and performance standards are subject to hacking once the engineers plug in the numbers. Ultimately, they come up with a binocular or scope that reaches the desired price-point, but it might be something slightly less from a performance perspective.
So, the answer is: You get what you pay for. If you demand the absolute best of everything in your optics, the Europeans have it locked. You will pay accordingly, however, but they will be worth every penny.
The Best Tactical Red-Dot Performance-to-Price Option?
Shifting Winds: SIG BDX Changing Shooting For The Better
Consider, for example, Leicaโs spectacular HD-B 10X42 Geovid 3000 range-finding binoculars. They feel good in your hands and their profile is downright sexy. The majority of big game guides in the West carry one permutation of the Geovid or the other. The fluoride glass is as sharp as a pin and delivers superb color fidelity. The integrated laser rangefinder provides dead-on distance measurement out to 3,000 yards with the stroke of a button.
Non-Euro glass and mediocre quality do not go hand-in-hand. The new Bushnell Forge line of binoculars and riflescopes utilize Asian-sourced glass, offer exceptional quality and wear an attractive price tag.
Shooting long range? Another stroke of the button and you get ballistic measurements in three output formats: holdover, click adjustment and equivalent horizontal range. Barometric pressure, temperature and angle are also included in the measurements and calculate the correct point of aim with the highest precision. With a microSD memory card and the Leica ballistic calculator, users can import individual ballistic data to their Geovid HD-B 3000 to receive data perfectly adjusted to load and caliber.
The German-made binocular might be best you can buy, and with a suggested retail price of $2,949, they should be.
Digital Targeting
Swarovski Optikโs new ds riflescope takes state-of-the-art to a whole new level. The amazing design combines the optical features of a conventional riflescope with digital targeting technology, meaning the 5-25x52mm scope requires integration with a smartphone. Exchanging data is simple and straightforward via a Bluetooth, and the personal data supplied when sighting in the target are input directly into the app and transmitted to the scope.
Bushnell Forge Binoculars
What exactly does that mean? When you look through the dS, the correct aiming point is displayed automatically in the riflescope. With the press of a button, the dS measures the exact distance to the target, having factored in the magnification setting, air pressure, temperature and angle. This takes into account the personal ballistic data for your firearm/ammunition combination youโve uploaded via your smart phone.
Important ballistic data โ distance, bullet energy and other information โ shows in the heads-up display. The windage mark intervals are calculated based on the distance measured, the wind speeds set, and the ballistic data. All that with the push of a button.
Thereโs virtually nothing that compares to the Austrian-made dS, but prepare yourself: This wonderful slice of optic and ballistic technology will set your trust fund back about $4,400.
Finding Middle Ground
If youโre searching for the best optical clarity money can buy, complete with cutting-edge technology, the Swarovski ds 5-25x52mm riflescope with digital targeting technology is it โ but there might be some sticker shock.
Asian-made optics, however, are no slouches. In fact, with some of them you will be hard-pressed to detect a performance difference between them and comparable European products โ and you will spend a fraction as much to acquire them. Lower labor rates and more favorable exchange rates allow manufacturers in the Far East to excel in producing volumes of high-quality products at modest prices.
Once upon a time, Bushnell was a mid- to low-level sports optics brand. Today, they are a major player in the industryโs upper tier with scopes and binoculars sourced in Asia.
The new Forge 10×42 binocular is as sharp, bright and color correct as almost anything comparable. The coatings on Forge glass repel water, oil, dust and debris. Sure, the Forge lacks some of the bells and whistles of the Euro binoculars, but you might not need all that technology โ or, honestly, you might not be able to detect the difference in terms of optical performance. Street price on the Bushnell 10x40mm Forge binocular is just over $400. The difference between that and the price of the high-end glasses will pay for a lot a taxidermy.
Whatโs important to you in optics will dictate the price youโll have to pay. You can have top-end glass in an optics featuring all the bells and whistles, but you can also get high-quality glass without paying for all the extra features.
The scopes in the Forge line trade on much of the same technology. Designed for a variety of precision shooting applications with 21 variations on the theme, the line ranges from a versatile 2.5-15x50mm to a 1,000-yard gong-ringing 4.5-27x50mm. And none of them break the $1,000 mark at the sales counter.
The European manufacturers can rightfully claim the high ground when it comes to innovation and performance, budgets be damned. Optics manufactured in China, Japan and Korea have mastered techniques and technologies to produce high-performance binoculars and scopes that most shooters will be happy with because, for most people, cost must be a consideration.
Price-To-Performance Ratios
As another example, ponder Weaverโs Class K Series scopes. No digital displays or smart phone interfaces here: Just fabulous glass and a crisp crosshair in a lasts-forever tube. Available in two fixed focal lengths (4x and 6x) for well over a half-century, Asian-sourced Class Ks are as efficient and effective as theyโve ever been. Mount one on just about any modern rifle and you will never feel under equipped โ which is pretty amazing because they both come with street prices of well under $200.
And donโt overlook American-made glass. Leupold keeps 500 people busy in their Oregon factory kicking out some amazing scopes and binos, and theyโve been doing it for a very long time. Their performance-to-price ratios are very good, sometimes great, and their commitment to customer service has been as steadfast as their product quality. If you insist on buying American, you would not sacrifice performance even slightly and would probably save a few bucks.
Manufacturers east, west and here at home have been very responsive to trends in the optics marketplace. Theyโve engineered all kinds of precision bells and whistles โ which is good, if thatโs your thing. But simplicity has a nice ring to it, too. Keep in mind that you donโt have to pay for features you will never use. Thereโs enough variety in the market that you can locate binoculars and scopes to match your needs precisely with little effort.
A popular choice for decades in defensive ammunition, Federal Hydra-Shok bullets are now available as a reloading component.
What Hydra-Shok bullets offer reloaders:
Established performance for around three decades.
Known for excellent accuracy and terminal performance.
Available in the four most popular defensive handgun calibers.
If youโve studied defensive ammunition for any time you’re certain to have heard of Hydra-Shok. Federal Premium cooked up the stuff around 30 years ago, a response to the FBIโs call for something better than old cup-and-core. Since, the hollow-point with the unique center post has achieved near iconic status, becoming a favorite of law enforcement and armed citizens alike. The next segment to conquer โ reloaders.
Yup, Hydra-Shok bullets are now a reloading component. So, cook away reloaders โฆ within reason. Given its primary purpose is defensive, Federal has focused on the most popular defensive calibers โ .355 (.380 ACP, 9mm), .357 (.357 Mag, .38 Spl), .400 (.40 S&W, 10mm) and .451 (.45 ACP). But itโs offering each in two weights, so youโll have a little wiggle room for your personal preferences. Depending on caliber, the MSRP on batches of 50 to 100 range from $18.95 to $30.95.
More from Federal Premium:
Federal Premium Hydra-Shok, the bullet design thatโs defined self-defense for a generation, is now available as a component for handloaders. Shipments have been delivered to dealers.
Introduced in 1989, Hydra-Shok remains one of the most popular choices for protecting home and family, thanks to a proven hollow point and iconic center post that provide extremely consistent and effective expansion. Now available in a complete range of bullet weights and diameters.
Features & Benefits โข Proven self-defense bullet design now available as a component for reloading โข Superb accuracy and overall ballistic performance โข Notched copper jacket โข Center-post hollow-point design provides reliable expansion
It might be an age-old design, but the revolver is better and more versatile than ever now.
Though itโs been a standby handgun design for going on two centuries, the revolver is better than ever now. Todayโs wheelguns offer more options, are tailor made for specific uses and spit out among the most powerful cartridges ever devised. That last point โ red-hot cartridges โ is among the top reasons why a lot of people are attracted to revolvers. Who doesnโt want to hold thunder?
John Tupy of The Modern Sportsman, showcases one of the all-time favorite brutes in the above video with Smith & Wessonโs Magnum Hunter chambered in .44 Magnum. Along with this, he also gives the single-action Ruger Vaquero and concealed-carry specialist Kimber K6 the once over. Of course, there are more reasons why you should fall in love with the tried-and-true handgun besides the potential to shoot big lead.
Reliability is among the most reassuring assets of the revolver. Certainly, these guns can and do malfunction โ a pulled case is catastrophic and all but renders a revolver a hunk of metal until taken to a gunsmith. But overall, this and other cases are rare.
Hand in hand with this is ease of use. Most of the time, many issues with the gun โ say a cartridge that does not fire โ is addressed by simply pulling the trigger again until it goes bang. Not the case with semi-automatics. While the newer style of handgun has the revolver beat in capacity and reloading, it is more sensitive to malfunctions and more involved in addressing them.
Overall, there is still a load of reasons to give the revolver a look.And with the options available today, youโre sure not to be disappointed. Follow The Modern Sportsman on Facebook
Minnesota may be the land of 10,000 lakes, lefse, lutefisk and goofy accents, but itโs also home to some great manufacturing. Weโve got 3M, Target, General Mills and Best Buy. And, as a shooting enthusiast, weโve got Federal Premium Ammunition, Birchwood Casey, WildEar, a host of others โ and JP Enterprises (aka, JP Rifles).
The SCR-11 from JP Rifles in .224 Valkyrie proved to be a prairie-dog-plinking machine.
JP Enterprises is a high-end gun manufacturer specializing in custom AR parts and builds. They have loads of options and configurations to choose from, and thereโs literally something for everyone, regardless of discipline โ from hunting rifles built to customer specifications, to tack-driving long-range AR-platform guns.
The 224 Valkyrie
When Federal announced the introduction of the .224 Valkyrie, only a few companies were able to put together barrels and bolts in short order. JP Enterprises is one of those companies who got on the ball โฆ and kept it rolling.
JP has been around for more than 25 years, and their shop has a great following from shooters โin-the-know.โ Very popular amongst precision and competitive shooters, and gaining traction with the weekend shooters, JP offers everything from full custom rifles to simple add-ons to existing builds, such as triggers, buffer springs and everything in between.
The Full Rifle: SCR-11
Iโve been lucky enough to tinker with a few JP Rifles in .224 Valkyrie. They offer the JP-15, the PSC-11 and the new SCR-11. SCR stands for Side Charging Rifle, highlighting the fact that the charging handle is located on the side of the receiver.
The first five shots through the SCR-11 provided the author with close to 1-MOA accuracy in windy conditions.
The SCR-11 is a small-frame equivalent to their already popular LRP-07, designed for both competition and hunting enthusiasts. The SCR-11 can be purchased as a full package with pre-suggested configurations, or you can select parts from JPโs online rifle builder, customizing it to fit your needs. The rifle comes in .223 Wylde, .300 BLK, 6.5 Grendel and โof course โ .224 Valkyrie. The gun features top-of-the-line JP components, sustained sub-MOA accuracy guaranteed, improved ergonomics for easier operation and a constant cheek weld while manipulating the side-charge system.
Outside The Box: The SCR Concept
The SCR, or Side Charging Rifle concept, is an incredible feature because it keeps any gas from escaping or venting out the top of the receiver. It also keeps the internals protected due to less exposure. In short: Say goodbye to blowback and powder residue in your eyes.
The SCRโs side-charge system is ideal for competition use where leverage and a constant cheek weld can save critical seconds. The bigger handle allows for easy access and lighting fast charging, while still folding away cleanly.
The Receiver
The machined-from-billet 7075-T6 upper/lower receiver set features the left-side-charging system on the upper, and an exaggerated magazine well for easier, faster reloads. This is a great addition for competition shooters: Thereโs nothing worse than fumbling with a mag, losing precious seconds. Standard finish on the receiver is anodized matte-black hard coat, but Cerakote is optional โฆ and highly recommended.
The Barrel And Bolt
While the options are nearly endless, ranging from 10.5 inches to 22 inches, the SCR-11 I got my hands on featured a 20-inch JP SuperMatch 416R air-gauged, button-rifled, cryogenically treated barrel thatโs thermo-fit to the receiver. It also had a JP large-profile muzzle brake and an adjustable gas block.
The Low Mass bolt from JP reduces reciprocating force, allowing the shooter to get back on target quickly.
The adjustable gas block is a very cool feature, allowing me to fine-tune the amount of gas that was being pushed toward the bolt carrier group to optimize the operations of the action. The rifle has a Low Mass bolt, which was significantly lighter than a mil-spec bolt, making the reciprocating mass much lower.
The Guts And Trigger
The SCR-11 also had one of my favorite AR accessories from JP โ the Silent Capture recoil spring. The Silent Capture spring eliminates the โtwangโ you hear when firing many of the ARs on the market, and it allows you to get back on target with ease and retained focus.
Another important tool on the SCR-11 is the Armageddon Gear Revolution Trigger. One of the most common inconsistencies for precision shooters is the lateral force they apply on the trigger when they squeeze, causing pulled shots. The โroller trigger,โ which was developed by Tom Fuller from Armageddon Gear, features a free-rolling trigger that makes it nearly impossible to squeeze the trigger with any lateral force because your finger will roll off to the side.
Whether you are in the market for an SCR-11 or want to upgrade your existing ARs, I suggest checking out the trigger options from JP Enterprises.
The Furniture
Again, the buttstock and grip are fully selectable based on customer needs, but, the rifle drove featured the MagPul UBR Gen 2 stock and a MagPul MOE grip.
The adjustable gas block allows the shooter to configure the amount of gas released to fine-tune an already precise gun.
The UBR was an adjustment for me: I like to run smaller-profile stocks and Iโm used to standard adjustment protocol. The UBR is a bit less friendly when it comes to speedy adjustments. However, if youโre going to shoot long-range and arenโt going to be moving the stock, itโs a great option.
The handguard is the JP MK III modular, rapid-configuration system. With a Cerakote finish and options from 7.125 to 17.25 inches in length, itโs not only sexy and comfortable โ itโs not tied down.
Getting Glass
Sitting atop the rifle was a Bushnell XRS II 4.5-30x50mm G3 scope. The XRS II features the deadly Horus reticle, 10 MILs per revolution on elevation, windage turrets for exact adjustments and the Throwhammer throw lever for speedy magnification adjustments. The scope was more than enough for predators and varmints โ and perfect for precision shooting.
The Test
The SCR-11 performed flawlessly in comfortable temps, as well as scorching heat. Like any test gun, thereโs no babying or gentle charging. From humid air to dust-blown, sun-bleaching prairie heat, there were no failures to feed or eject, or with any other issues with gun operation. And thatโs saying a lot with you add sand into any shooting equation.
The accuracy was nothing short of fantastic โ on paper, steel and prairie dogs.
The Armageddon Gear roller-style Revolution Trigger helps eliminate any shooterโs errors with pulling shots.
On paper, with a 200-yard zero in a non-controlled setting, MOA accuracy was common, with an initial five-shot group coming in at just a hair over that benchmark. After putting 140 rounds of the 90-grain Sierra MatchKing .224 Valkyrie from Federal Premium through it, then switching to the 60-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip for another case of testing, I can comfortably say that the gun is sub-minute-of-prairie-dog at 550 yards. Whilst pushing the gun and the cartridge to the limit, I was able to take down a prairie dog at 686 yards, confirmed. On a calmer day with a good rest and bags, I would think that 1,000 yards would be easily attained.
With the options on the SCR-11 I had in-hand, target and prairie dog shooting was an absolute blast. With little-to-no recoil and long-range capabilities, the gun exceeded expectations.
The only drawback, however, is the weight. If the gun wouldโve been setup for a spot-and-stalk antelope or deer hunt (for which the .224 Valkyrie is more than capable), an 18-inch lighter barrel wouldโve been ideal, with a smaller and lighter-weight optic as well. The nice thing about JP is that those are options you have.
With the introduction of the .224 Valkyrie in 2018 and the customizable options of the JP SCR-11, the small-frame AR platform guns have been elevated to a new level.
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the December 2018 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
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