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The 10mm Auto: Cooper’s Big Bore

By
Robert Sadowski
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After a rough start, the powerful 10mm Auto has found its way into the hearts of many shooters.

  • The 10mm Auto is designed to run hot—with a max. pressure of over 44,000 psi, more than the .44 mag.
  • Designed for semi-auto handguns, the 10mm is roughly equivalent to the .41 magnum, ballistically speaking.
  • A favorite of handgun hunters, the big round is gaining favor with the self-defense market.
The Leupold Delta Point reflex sight extends the Glock G20’s effective distance with the 10mm Auto, making it better for hunting applications.
The Leupold Delta Point reflex sight extends the Glock G20’s effective distance with the 10mm Auto, making it better for hunting applications.

The 10mm Auto, or just plain 10mm, is an example of a cartridge that was a good idea but had a rough start. Designed to best the external ballistics of the .45 ACP, the 10mm easily surpasses the venerable round and the .357 Mag. and closes in on the power of the .41 Mag., and does so in a service-sized semi-automatic pistol.

Initial 10mm pistols were plagued with production delays and malfunctions. The round loaded as originally intended produced 44,440 psi, which is enough to shake the blueing off any pistol. The round battered pistols, which yielded poor accuracy, shadowing the 10mm early on.

The author’s 10mm hunting setup includes a Glock G20 Gen4 SF with a 6-inch barrel and Leupold Delta Point reflex sight.
The author’s 10mm hunting setup includes a Glock G20 Gen4 SF with a 6-inch barrel and Leupold Delta Point reflex sight.

If not for a disastrous FBI gunfight, the 10mm might have faded from memory. That shootout and the fans of the cartridge did not allow the round to die. In fact, Glock and SIG have recently debuted new pistols chambered in 10mm Auto, and ammunition manufacturers such as SIG Sauer, Buffalo Bore and Double Tap are loading the cartridge as it should be — to its full potential.

The 10mm Auto is going through a renaissance of sorts. There is no doubt the 10mm Auto is a powerful round with substantial recoil, and it’s well suited for hunting and combat scenarios.

Jeff Cooper is considered the father and the creator of the modern technique of handgun shooting. His tool of choice was the 1911 platform chambered in .45 ACP. If Cooper’s chosen tool had a weakness, it was the .45 ACP’s external ballistics.

Get An Edge On The 10MM:

The heavy bullet pushed at a slow velocity rapidly sheds power across distance. Cooper envisioned a combat pistol round that had more power. From 1982 to 1983, Cooper and his cohorts — John Adams, Whit Collins and Irving Stone — designed a round and used a .30 Remington case cut down to .992 inch and loaded with a .40 caliber bullet like the ones used in the .38-40 WCF cartridge. The ammunition manufacturer, Norma, ironed out the cartridge design and was the first ammo maker to produce the 10mm Auto.

The initial load debuted in 1983 and used a 200-grain full-jacketed truncated-cone bullet. The bullet was similar to 9mm and .45 ACP bullets of that time. The muzzle velocity was 1,200 fps, with 635 foot-pounds muzzle energy. This load had a mean working pressure of 37,000 psi with a maximum pressure of 44,400 psi.

The Bren Ten was the first production handgun chambered in 10mm Auto. It was adapted from the CZ-75f and manufactured by Dornaus & Dixon Enterprises Inc.
The Bren Ten was the first production handgun chambered in 10mm Auto. It was adapted from the CZ-75f and manufactured by Dornaus & Dixon Enterprises Inc.

For comparison, the 9mm has a maximum pressure of 35,001 psi, and the .45 ACP has a maximum pressure of 21,000 psi. The .357 Mag. and .41 Mag. have a max of 35,000 psi. Even the .44 Mag. pressure at 36,000 psi is less than the 10mm. It’s safe to say the initial 10mm Auto was hot. But remember, the 10mm Auto was designed to be a hot, powerful cartridge. At that point, the missing piece to the 10mm Auto cartridge was a pistol.

In 1979, a separate group of similar-thinking firearm enthusiasts, Thomas Dornaus and Michael Dixon of Dornaus & Dixon Enterprises Inc., began developing a semi-automatic pistol to address the power gap between magnum revolvers and semi-automatic pistols.

They made contact with Cooper in about 1980 and found he and his group were working on a new cartridge design. They threw in together to develop the pistol and cartridge, and the result was the Bren Ten pistol. Although the Bren Ten was adapted from the CZ-75, it’s highly modified, meaning it was beefed up to hold up to the pressure the 10mm Auto unleashed.

The Bren Ten was a semi-automatic pistol that used a selective double-action trigger system. It had a 5-inch barrel, high-profile visible sights, an 11-round magazine and a stainless frame and slide. The pistols were produced from 1984 to 1986, and perhaps about 1,500 total were made. Issues arose with the magazine, and the recoil caused the pistols to not function properly.

Initially, the 10mm was not considered an accurate round. Here is an eight-shot group fired from 25 yards out of the Rock Island Armory Tac Ultra FS, a 1911-style platform.
Initially, the 10mm was not considered an accurate round. Here is an eight-shot group fired from 25 yards out of the Rock Island Armory Tac Ultra FS, a 1911-style platform.

It seemed the only time the pistol functioned properly was when Sonny Crockett, the lead character on the TV show Miami Vice, fired his trademark Bren Ten. The show helped elevated the gun into cult status, but in reality, the pistol was released too soon. More testing should have been done. Dornaus & Dixon Enterprises filed for bankruptcy, and it appeared the 10mm was dead. Obviously, popularity of the round and the defective pistols began to wane with law enforcement and civilian shooters. The aforementioned gunfight in Florida changed perceptions.

In 1986, the FBI was involved in a shootout in Miami-Dade County. The battle involved eight FBI agents and two suspected bank robbers. The event lasted less than five minutes, and although agents outnumbered the suspects, who were ex-military, and even though the suspects were hit numerous times, they returned fire and pinned down law enforcement.

The agents were armed with 12-gauge shotguns, 9mm semi-automatic pistols and .38 Special and .357 Mag. revolvers. One suspect was hit six times, and the other was shot 12 times. About 145 shots were exchanged. In the aftermath, two FBI agents were killed, along with the two suspected bank robbers. An ensuing investigation by the FBI placed partial blame on the death of its agents on the lack of stopping power of the agents’ service handguns.

Soon after the shootout, in 1987, the FBI tested 9mm and .45 ACP ammo and found both calibers lacking. The agency began studying wound ballistics and concluded that a bullet that penetrated vital organs creating a larger wound channel would be most effective — a conclusion that seems obvious today. By 1988, the FBI had developed a protocol for testing ammunition for penetration on soft targets through various barriers.

The 10mm Auto is a beast of a round with substantial recoil. Here the SIG P220 Elite Match is captured in full recoil. All 10mms exhibit similar recoil.
The 10mm Auto is a beast of a round with substantial recoil. Here the SIG P220 Elite Match is captured in full recoil. All 10mms exhibit similar recoil.

Tests are conducted at set distances with a block of 10 percent ordnance-grade ballistic gel, which simulates human flesh. According to the protocol, a cartridge has a minimum requirement to meet, which includes a minimum penetration into ballistic gelatin of 12 to 18 inches, expansion of the bullet to at least 1.5 times original diameter and 100 percent weight retention of expanded bullet.

Bullets are fired through various barriers, including steel, wallboard, plywood, heavy clothing and automotive glass at 10 feet and 20 yards. The 10mm Auto excelled in the tests and offered a compromise between a larger caliber and low magazine capacity, such as the .45 ACP, and the high magazine capacity of a less powerful round such as the 9mm.

The FBI approved adoption of the 10mm Auto cartridge in 1989 but needed a pistol. An RFP was issued, and pistol manufactures such as Colt and Smith & Wesson submitted guns for testing. Smith & Wesson was awarded the contract for about 9,500 Model 1076 semi-automatic pistols.

Colt offered a 1911 pistol in 10mm, but the RFP specs for the new 10mm pistol design were detailed, and some requirements excluded a 1911-style pistol, such as the requirement for a DA/SA trigger and 11+1 magazine capacity. Besides, early on, when the 1911 was chambered in 10mm, it performed like it was off its meds. The classic platform needed tweaking.

Cartridges loaded with 180-grain JHP bullets make an excellent defensive round. The Federal 180-grain Hydra-Shok are loaded to a lower velocity — about 1,030 fps depending on the barrel length — compared to the SIG Sauer 180-grain JHP, which is loaded to a hot 1,250 fps. The Buffalo Bore load clocks at 1,350 fps.
Cartridges loaded with 180-grain JHP bullets make an excellent defensive round. The Federal 180-grain Hydra-Shok are loaded to a lower velocity — about 1,030 fps depending on the barrel length — compared to the SIG Sauer 180-grain JHP, which is loaded to a hot 1,250 fps. The Buffalo Bore load clocks at 1,350 fps.

The Model 1076 was a full-sized stainless-steel pistol built to take the abuse the 10mm doled out, with a 4.25-inch barrel, no manual safety, a bobbed hammer, a nine-round single-stack magazine and a frame-mounted decocker like SIG-Sauer pistols. Extended magazines of 11 and 15 rounds were also part of the FBI’s new pistol requirements. The FBI went all in on the 10mm and also chambered some ancient Thompson Model 1928 submachine guns in the cartridge. It also contracted with Heckler & Koch for its MP5 submachine in 10mm, calling it the MP5/10. The issue then was recoil.

Many agents could not control the 10mm Auto, even in the heavy Model 1076 pistols. The term used was “unmanageable recoil.” The FBI then decided to continue testing, with a 180-grain Sierra JHP bullet to a muzzle velocity of 980 fps. This load reduced recoil enough for agents to tolerate it.

The FBI requested Federal ammunition to duplicate that reduced load, which became known as the “FBI-lite” round.

Other ammunition manufacturers followed the light loading, and some shooters found their 10mm pistols did not function properly with the reduced-power load. The light load also defeated the purpose of the 10mm, which was meant to offer better penetration and more power. It was a similar experience the .41 Mag. received when it was offered to law enforcement as an alternative to the .38 Special and .357 Mag — too much recoil.

The 180-grain FMJ are good all-around training rounds or if you need extra penetration on your target. A variety of ammunition makers produce this go-to load.
The 180-grain FMJ are good all-around training rounds or if you need extra penetration on your target. A variety of ammunition makers produce this go-to load.

Because there was extra space in the 10mm Auto cartridge case because of the light load, Smith & Wesson cut the case from .992 inch to .850 inch to create the .40 S&W. The .40 S&W is essentially the 10mm Auto light load in a more compact cartridge.

The .40 S&W debuted in 1990 and was immediately popular with law-enforcement agencies because it could be chambered in 9mm-sized guns and had ballistics that nearly matched the 10mm Auto light load. Plus, recoil was much more controllable. It would seem the 10mm Auto was again in its death throes, but die-hard fans of the caliber remained.

Even before the .40 S&W hit the scene, other firearms manufacturers saw potential in the 10mm Auto. Again, the powerful round experienced fits and starts. In 1987, Colt debuted the Colt Delta Elite, a 1911-style platform chambered in 10mm Auto. The Delta Elite pistols were well made, but again, more testing with the round should have been conducted. The 10mm beat up the 1911 design.

The 10mm Auto (center) is flanked by the .357 Mag. (left) and .41 Mag. (right). The 10mm Auto exceeds .357 Magnum ballistics and has nearly the same ballistics of the .41 Mag.
The 10mm Auto (center) is flanked by the .357 Mag. (left) and .41 Mag. (right). The 10mm Auto exceeds .357 Magnum ballistics and has nearly the same ballistics of the .41 Mag.

The flaw in the Colt 10mm was the recoil system. A shock-buffer was needed to lessen the battering the pistol received from the round. Some receivers cracked as a result. Colt redesigned the recoil assembly to better withstand the recoil and added a slot cut into the receiver or frame to alleviate stress. Current Delta Elites function flawlessly.

Issues with the Bren Ten and early Colt Delta Elites did not endear the 10mm to accuracy. In fact, the round was thought of as inaccurate. Not so with current guns. Glock offered a full size striker-fire pistol the G20 in 1990 in 10mm Auto.

Subsequently, compact, sub-compact and long-barrel Glocks were offered in 10mm. In 2015, SIG redesigned the legendary P220 to handle the round. Probably the heir apparent to the Bren Ten is the full-sized Tanfoglio Witness, built in Italy and imported by EAA Corp. Like the Bren Ten, the Witness is based off the CZ-75 and is a heavy-duty version with features such as an SA/DA trigger, extended beavertail frame and exposed knurled hammer.

Kimber, Para, Dan Wesson and custom 1911-platform builders such as STI also chamber pistols in the caliber. In 1990, Smith & Wesson even chambered a revolver in the 10mm: the Model 610, a six-shot N-frame. It used moon clips to fire the rimless 10mm round and could also fire the .40 S&W cartridge.

The Rock Island Armory TAC Ultra FS is chambered in 10mm Auto. Expect excellent accuracy in this tricked-out 1911 platform.
The Rock Island Armory TAC Ultra FS is chambered in 10mm Auto. Expect excellent accuracy in this tricked-out 1911 platform.

Handgun hunters have found a lot to like with the caliber, and that’s the section where my seat is in the 10mm fan club. I have liked the round since the Colt Delta Elites hit dealer shelves, and I tend to like it even more every time I fire the round out of various platforms, such as the Glock and SIG. For a serious hunting semi-automatic pistol, nothing really comes close to the 10mm Auto. There are three platforms I tend to lean toward: Glock, 1911 and SIG — and that’s in no specific order.

If you think 1911 pistols can’t hunt, you haven’t fired the 10mm through one. Buffalo Bore and Double Tap push 200-grain wide flat-nose hard-cast bullets at speeds of 1,300 fps with about 750 foot-pounds of muzzle energy — big medicine in such a handy-sized pistol.

The 10mm offers good penetration when you need to collapse a wild pig quick or fill the freezer with venison. All the major ammo manufacturers offer loads, but specialty manufacturers such as Buffalo Bore and Double Tap load the cartridge to its maximum potential.

These 200- and 220-grain hard-cast bullets are made to punch holes through flesh and bones with ease. I keep my shots at less than 50 yards when hunting pigs and deer, though I’m sure others have pushed the round much farther. I’m sure the rounds would do well from tree stand on a black bear with a sweet tooth.

I’ve achieved my best accuracy with the 1911 platform, which I attribute to the pistol and my comfort with shooting it. A few years ago, I had the pleasure of running an RIA TAC Ultra FS in 10mm. I’m still running it. This is an inexpensive 1911-style pistol that shoots like a tight-fitting custom pistol. The TAC Ultra FS uses a Series 70 system along with a one-piece guide rod and bull-barrel design that dispenses with the traditional barrel bushing. This setup aids accuracy.

The SIG Sauer P220 Match Elite takes SIG’s legendary P220 frame and slide re-engineered for the 10mm Auto. Accurate and smooth, reliable operation is the result with the 10mm.
The SIG Sauer P220 Match Elite takes SIG’s legendary P220 frame and slide re-engineered for the 10mm Auto. Accurate and smooth, reliable operation is the result with the 10mm.

The flared bull barrel locks up tight at the muzzle. The barrel is stainless steel with a feed ramp, like a Clark Custom barrel. The integral ramp fully supports the case, so there’s no gap between the frame and barrel for bullet noses to snag on. The weight from an extra-long dust cover helps a bit with recoil, as do the serrations on the front strap and the checkered polymer main-spring housing. All aid in gripping and controlling this beast.

In the case of the Glock, the polymer frame makes recoil feel lighter. It flexes when the pistol is fired, so it absorbs some of the felt recoil. I’ve set up a Glock G20 FS Gen4 with a 6-inch hunting barrel and a Leupold DeltaPoint reflex sight especially for boar and deer.

The longer barrel helps squeeze out more velocity and, therefore, energy, and the red-dot increases my effective distance with the pistol. With 180-grain JHP loaded heavy by Buffalo Bore, I averaged 1,161 fps velocity with 539 foot-pounds of energy.

The G40 Gen4 MOS is set up like mine, except it doesn’t have an inch or so of barrel sticking out of the business end of the slide. The Glock 10mm pistols, in my opinion, are the softest shooting of the 10mm Autos I’ve fired. At first, I was prepared for the Delta Point reflex sight to fly off, but it has not — additional proof modern pistol designs have tamed the 10mm.

The iconic P220 has recently been re-chambered in 10mm, similar to how custom gun builder Gray Guns has been doing it for years. With Bruce Gray’s success at converting P220s to 10mm Auto, SIG approached him when it decided to go big bore with the P220.

“The 10mm creates an enormous volume of high pressure and a really fast acceleration rate of the bullet,” Gray said. “Lock-up systems take a beating like what was experienced initially with 1911 platforms chambered in the round.”

The frame of the SIG P220 pistol is very durable, and through some engineering, SIG used a combination of slide mass and recoil-spring system to tame the round. The P220 10mm pistol uses a multi-wire, stranded cable-style recoil spring to manage slide movement. Glock employs a flat spring configuration in its 10mm pistols.

The Colt Delta Elite 1911 uses a double-nested spring system to manage the recoil. Firing the 10mm out of a P220 Elite Match with its DA/SA trigger system, along with the grip shape and texture, allowed me to get back on target fast without the pistol shifting in my grip during recoil. It’s about time SIG chambered its P220 with a serious caliber.

Whether choosing the 10mm Auto for hunting, concealed carry or combat situations, remember to choose an appropriate load. As a concealed-carry pistol, it makes sense to load rounds that have less penetration. Remember, you are responsible for the bullets you fire. You do not want to defeat your assailant only to have the bullet pass though to accidentally kill a bystander.

Then again, if you like to go fly-fishing and share the stream with the locals, meaning bears, the 10mm Auto offers a lot of negotiating power in an easy-to-tote package.

The Delta Elite was Colt’s first pistol chambered in 10mm Auto. Initial models suffered from cracked receivers. Current models are rock solid.
The Delta Elite was Colt’s first pistol chambered in 10mm Auto. Initial models suffered from cracked receivers. Current models are rock solid.

Because the .40 S&W caliber is so popular — thanks in part to the 10mm — there are numerous bullet weights and styles from which to choose. For a reloader, the sweet spot for bullet weight is a 180-grain or 200-grain bullet, though lighter bullets work, too.

These weights prove to be most accurate, along with a powder that has a fast to fast-medium burn rate, such as Alliant Blue Dot, Accurate Arms No. 7, Accurate Arms No. 9 and Winchester 231. Your .40 S&W dies will load 10mm Auto, so there really is no reason not to have a 10mm. The history of the .40 S&W and 10mm Auto can’t be pried apart. The two cartridges will forever be entwined.

The rough start for the 10mm proved to make it a better round. Die-hard 10mm fans have numerous pistol platforms to choose from, and the round is being loaded to suit the use: full potential or “lite.”

One of those fans is Ted Nugent, who uses the round to hunt and for concealed carry. He Tweeted a while ago, “10mm is the best damn pistol cal, period. If ya ain’t got 1 get 2 asap.” Listen to Uncle Ted, who is not too particular on the platform as long as it fires 10mm Auto.

Who knows, perhaps the Bren Ten and 10mm will be resurrected. In 2010 to 2011, Vitor Mfg. started to manufacture the Bren Ten, but it also ran into issues with the pistol. But why wait when there are plenty of SIG, Glock and 1911-platform pistols available for the 10mm Auto beast?

Load Up On These 10mm Ammo Tips

 

Editor’s Note: This excerpt is from Cartridges of the World, 15th Edition.

Concealed Carry: Are Self-Defense Micro Guns Fine Or Foolish?

By
Patrick Sweeney
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Concealed carry of small handguns, a.k.a. micro guns or pocket pistols, is controversial. But sometimes it makes sense for self-defense, if you know how to make the most of it.

What are the micro guns and how do they stack up?

The subject of a .22, .22 magnum or .25 Auto for defense is controversial. They are not stoppers, period, end of story. However, these so-called “micro guns” are still lethal weapons. The reason they exist is twofold: compactness and low recoil. The smallest handgun to be had is an ultra-compact .22LR, or a .25 Auto. The lowest-recoiling handgun you can shoot is a standard-sized .22 pistol, like one of the smaller-sized Ruger Mk I, II, III or IV.

The .25 ACP/auto is not much different from the .22LR, with the exception that the bullet, almost always a full metal jacket, can be counted on to feed more reliably than the lead-bullet .22LR. But, that can also be a matter of maintenance (a lint-choked pistol isn’t going to feed anything reliably) and handling.

.25 ACP

I will just pass right over the .25. Despite the compactness of some of the pistols that use it, it offers nothing the .22LR doesn’t, ballistically, and does so at greater cost, less availability, and fewer options for pistol choices.

The .25 ACP is ultra compact, but also ultra-unpowerful. Yes, it can kill, and no, I wouldn’t want to be shot with one. But that doesn’t make it a good choice for a defensive caliber. - Micro guns
The .25 ACP is ultra compact, but also ultra-unpowerful. Yes, it can kill, and no, I wouldn’t want to be shot with one. But that doesn’t make it a good choice for a defensive caliber.

.22LR

The standard .22LR offers only a straight, bullet-diameter permanent wound, with a depth of 14-15 inches. There may be some expansion with hollowpoint bullets, but that comes at the expense of a couple of inches of penetration. Also, some bullets may yaw and end up stopping base-first in the wound track. When traveling sideways, it does create a marginally larger permanent wound than a simple cylinder, but hardly something to boast about.

The .22LR is not a big stick when it comes to defense, but it is better than a knife or a club, especially for someone who can’t handle heavier recoil.

The trick to its use in defense is to realize two points. First, you will have to depend on more than one shot. In fact, the standard response when shooting in defense with a .22LR should be to empty the magazine and immediately reload. Second, placement matters. The hits have to be high center of mass or else the effort is wasted.

This combination of needs does not make the .22LR a high-percentage option, even in the handgun realm. But, for those with no other choice, there is no other choice.

The .22LR bullet, compared to a .32 and a .380 JHP. This is not the Hammer of Thor, so don’t expect miracles. micro guns
The .22LR bullet, compared to a .32 and a .380 JHP. This is not the Hammer of Thor, so don’t expect miracles.

.22 Magnum

Stepping up, you have the .22 Magnum, which is a longer case than the .22LR and designed to contain the bullet inside the case. The jacketed bullet offers the promise of expansion, but not always the realization. You see, a .22 Magnum out of a rifle generates plenty of velocity. Out of a handgun, it is often no faster (or not enough faster to matter) than a .22LR.

The expansion of any of these bullets is not a reliable outcome. Even if they do expand, the degree is not great. An expanding .22LR, all 40 grains of it, could bump up to .27-inch in diameter.

Hornady has lead the way here, offering a defensive-use .22 Magnum loading, with a bullet designed to expand at velocities the .22 Magnum can deliver. Called their Critical Defense, it gives 9-10 inches of penetration in ballistic gelatin out of a handgun.

The .22LR bullet, compared to a .32 and a .380 JHP. This is not the Hammer of Thor, so don’t expect miracles. micro guns

Speer also makes its Gold Dot line of ammunition in the .22 Magnum. If you want as much performance as you can get, in a pistol that isn’t going to kick much, then the .22 Magnum can be a good choice.

Combined with a handgun such as the Kel-Tec PMR-30, someone who can’t handle a larger caliber can reasonably expect a good outcome. Part of that is the improved performance of the .22 Magnum over the .22LR, and the other is capacity. A standard .22LR pistol has a 10-round magazine. The PMR-30 magazine holds 30 rounds.

Nine to 10 inches isn’t FBI-passing performance, but it also doesn’t offer anything like the recoil of an FBI-compliant load. This is part of the compromise with using so-called “micro guns.”

5.7X28 FN

The outlier here is the FN 5.7×28 cartridge. This centerfire cartridge uses a jacketed bullet, longer than a .22LR or .22 Magnum. Out of the firearms for which it was intended it works reasonably well. That is, out of an SMG-sized firearm like the P90, with a 10.4-inch barrel, it can generate enough velocity to work. The PS90, with its 16.1-inch barrel, really delivers the goods, but that isn’t a handgun. Put into a handgun, it comes in a bit ahead of the .22 Magnum in velocity.

There is not a lot of data for the 5.7. It has been adopted by some law enforcement agencies, and has been used in shootings by them. Getting information out of those sources is difficult. The only one we have that offers a reasonable data set is the shooting at Fort Hood. There, Major Nidal Hasan fatally shot 13 people and wounded 32 more. He used an FN FiveseveN pistol and two ammo types: the FN SS192 and SS197SR. The SS192 is (or was, FN stopped making it in 2004) a jacketed hollowpoint with an aluminum core. Not much expansion, and not armor-piercing. The SS197SR is loaded with the Hornady V-max bullet, using a blue polymer tip to indicate a slightly higher velocity than the SS196SR.

The .22LR bullet, compared to a .32 and a .380 JHP. This is not the Hammer of Thor, so don’t expect miracles. micro guns - FiveSeven
The .22LR bullet, compared to a .32 and a .380 JHP. This is not the Hammer of Thor, so don’t expect miracles.

The ability of the rounds to stop fights was out of proportion from what one would expect with such a small cartridge. Three of the victims valiantly charged the shooter, attempting to stop him. They were shot for their efforts, were stopped and subsequently died. They charged from close range (the incident happened indoors, so there were not long distances to cover) and yet failed to close the distance due to the gunshot received.

Those wounded with hits to the extremities were unable, in many instances, to flee or fight, due to broken bones. When a “mere” .22 handgun cartridge can break a femur, there’s something going on that must be explained. That shot was received by one of the first responders, an in-base civilian security person. She took a hit to her wrist which made that arm unable to function, and a hit to the upper leg that broke her femur.

The .22LR bullet, compared to a .32 and a .380 JHP. This is not the Hammer of Thor, so don’t expect miracles.
The .22LR bullet, compared to a .32 and a .380 JHP. This is not the Hammer of Thor, so don’t expect miracles.

The drawback to the FiveseveN approach to low-recoil defense is cost. A FiveseveN lists for around $1,180, compared to the Kel-Tec PMR-30 at $455. The FN pistol holds 20 rounds (optional extensions make it a 30-round magazine) compared to the Kel-Tec at 30 rounds standard. An FN magazine is $35, with the extension costing another $18-20, while the Kel-Tec is $31.

5.7×28 ammunition costs (at the moment) $28 per box of 50 rounds, while .22 Magnum can be had for as little as $10 per box of 50 practice FMJs, up to $15 for a box of Hornady Critical Defense.

The last hurdle for the 5.7 is size. The grip is a bit larger than that of the Kel-Tec, and even if the recoil is mild, if you (or the person you are coaching in this situation) can’t get a hand or hands around it, it isn’t a good choice.

Recommendations

If you already have a .22 pistol and need it for defense, then use the most accurate, readily available .22LR ammunition to be found. Practice getting as many hits out of a full magazine, on a playing-card-sized target at 7 yards, as quickly as you can. Volume and accuracy need to be your focus here.

A better choice would be either Hornady Critical Defense or Speer Gold Dot in .22 Magnum in the Kel-Tec. The PMR-30 isn’t going to cost much, if anything, more than a good .22LR pistol. Use whichever of these two loads shoots reliably and accurately out of your Kel-Tec. As with the .22LR, practice hitting a playing card at 7 yards, as quickly as possible, and train yourself to keep shooting on the target until it (he, she, they) goes down.

If you have the hands and the budget, but not the recoil resistance, for something bigger in caliber, then go for the FN FiveseveN in 5.7×28, the 40-grain FMJ. The V-Max is accurate, but is designed as a varmint-level bullet. I’d be much more confident with an FMJ in this situation, than with a readily expanding bullet of only 40 grains.

While the effect is likely to be better than the .22LR or the .22 Magnum, the process should be the same: playing card accuracy, 7 yards, continuous fire until the bad guy goes down.

Caveats

There will be those who want to throw me under the bus for recommending the various .22s for defense. I have attempted to be clear: rimfire “micro guns” are better than anything not a firearm; and for those who cannot handle more recoil, these are perhaps the only choice. I would rather someone who needs a firearm for defense have a weak one than none at all, as long as they realize the limitations of the tool they are using.

There are no .25s I can recommend. For the cost, you can easily acquire .22LR or .22 Magnum ammo that will perform better. And since you have to depend on volume and speed of fire, the ultra-compact .25 “micro guns” are poor choices, as clever as some of the designs might be.

Editor’s Notes: This article is an excerpt from Choosing Handgun Ammo: The Facts That Matter Most for Self-Defense by Patrick Sweeney.

New Gun: Springfield Releases XD-E In .45 ACP

By
Elwood Shelton
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2

Springfield has upped the ante with its XD-E, releasing the hammer pistol in the hard-hitting .45 ACP.

What to know about this new Springfield XD-E model:

  • Springfield has expanded the XD-E line, adding a .45 ACP option along with 9mm.
  • The pistol is among the most compact and lightest .45 ACPs the company offers.
  • The double-action/single-action trigger and hammer offers shooters a level of safety.
  • And the XD-E’s trigger also gives shooters the ability to carry in a variety of ways.

Springfield Armory has certainly proven its chops when it comes striker-fired and 1911 pistols. Over the years, the Illinois company has churned out a healthy selection of the popular styles of handguns in its XD and 1911 lines, arming shooters with pistols perfect nearly every situation — from concealed carry to competition.

XD-E-First

But this year, Springfield took a much different turn, expanding one of its most popular lines with a type of pistol most certainly not associated with the brand. The XD-E might be the first example of a company evolving a striker-fired pistol into a double-action/single-action hammer-fired pistol. And while some might cry foul this is more of a regression from the line’s current trajectory, there is a certain method to Springfield’s madness.

There’s a case for DA/SA semi-autos versatility and safety — not to mention second-strike capabilities. And for those curious if it fits their style of carry, Springfield has made it easy to get behind the trigger of this style of handgun, with the XD-E’s MSRP well below the $600 mark.

They’ve also gone one better recently, especially for those who tend toward a big-bore for their self-defense gun with the addition of the XD-E in .45 ACP. Presently, the new release gives shooters two calibers of the pistol to choose from, with the XD-E initially released in 9mm. Time will tell if ‘Mama Bear’ .40 S&W is on the horizon, but it would make sense, given a majority of the XD series’ models are offered in the three popular self-defense calibers.

XD-E-Second

The new XD-E is a whisker larger than a couple existing XD models in .45 ACP (MOD.2 Sub-Compact, XD-S), but the single-stack still comes in among the most demure pistols Springfield offers in that chambering. The 3.3-inch barreled semi-auto has a 5-inch height with its flush-fit magazine (5.25 with its grip-extension mag) and weighs in at a manageable 23 ounces unloaded. Given the tale of the tape, the XD-E .45 should prove extremely manageable for any carry style, even if concealment boarders on skimpy.

The barrel length and weight of the 6+1 capacity pistol (7+1 with grip extension) does bring up the issue of controllability in .45 ACP, something potentially compounded with the transitioning trigger pulls. But like so many challenges in the shooting world, dedicated practice to master the firearm mitigates many of the control issues.

Like much of the XD series, the XD-E is purpose-built for concealed carry and Springfield has configured it thus. The polymer-framed pistol comes with low-profile combat rear sights, designed to facilitate a clean draw stroke. The front fiber-optic sight creates a lightning fast and clear sight picture. And, the grip is aggressively textured like the XD MOD.2, which makes it ready for any environmental conditions, as well as adding a level of controllability to the pistol.

XD-E-Fourth

The double-action/single-action trigger gives shooters the best of both worlds — a manageable, yet long first shot, trailed by quick and snappy pulls on follow-ups. This adds a level of safety to a self-defense pistol, making it more forgiving of a sympathetic reaction that might result in a negligent discharge. If that was perhaps not enough, Springfield has added a manual ambidextrous thumb safety/decocker — though there could be an entire debate about whether that is a help or a hindrance.

In addition to safety, the XD-E also offers flexibility in carry method. Armed citizens can holster the pistol from cocked-and-locked all the way down to Israeli (hammer down, unchambered).

While still competitive in regard to the rest of the concealed-carry pistol market, the XD-E .45 ACP does run a bit more than the 9mm version. But with a MSRP of $568, it definitely is in range for anyone out for a concealable DA/SA pistol or those curious if this option fits their profile.

Specifications:

XD-E .45 ACP
Height: 5-inches flush-fit mag; 5.25-inches magazine extension
Weight: 23 ounces
Length: 6. 75 inches
Grip Width: 1 inch
Trigger: Double-Action/Single-Action
Recoil System: Dual Spring with full-length guide rod
Slide: Forged steel, Melonite finish
Frame: Black polymer
Sights: Fiber optic front; low-profile combat rear
Barrel: 3.3-inch, hammer forged steel, Melonite finish
Capacity: 6+1 flush-fit magazine; 7+1 magazine extension
MSRP: $568

The 12-Gauge Shotgun Home Defense Solution

By
Larry Case
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A 12-gauge shotgun is an exceptional all-around weapon for home defense, especially when you build it to your preferences.

What are defensive shotgun features and accessories you need to focus on?

Anyone with a lick of sense knows that a 12 gauge shotgun is the best weapon for home defense. Fans of the AR rifle platform and various handguns generally howl like banshees when this is brought up, but like cream in your coffee, the truth will rise to the top.

Defensive 12 Gauge Shotgun eighth

When we say we are going to use a weapon for home defense, we are defending our home and hearth, everybody and everything most precious to us. For this reason, I believe in using the weapon that will give me the most advantage over my adversaries. Nothing about a gunfight should be “fair.” Any semblance of fairness goes out the window when someone breaks into my house. Therefore, I want to be armed with the firearm best suited for this work, and that my friend is a 12 gauge shotgun loaded with buckshot.

Why the shotgun? In a nutshell, it’s the distance between you and your enemy. Most home defense situations are going to happen in the length of a room. If we take the fight outside, usually we are talking less than 50 yards. This is where the shotgun shines in performance. No other weapon will deliver as much firepower in the brief time that most gunfights occur. Three rounds of 12 gauge 2¾-inch loads with 00 Buckshot delivers 24 .33-caliber pellets to the bad guy. Most of us cannot deliver this much carnage upon our foe in the same amount of time with a rifle or handgun.

A state trooper friend I worked with some back in the day was a great advocate of the shotgun. When it looked like things were about to get real, he would always pick up the issued 870, which he called “The Hammer of God.” Enough said.

There is an abundance of 12 gauge shotguns and various aftermarket upgrades out there designed and perfectly suited for home defense. Here are a few out-of-the box options to consider, as well as some aftermarket accessories to trim out your scattergun to your personal preferences.

Service, Straight From The Box

Home defense shotguns, Mossberg 590 ATI Scorpion, Remington 870 Tac-14, Mossberg Shockwave, Remington 870.
Home defense shotguns, Mossberg 590 ATI Scorpion, Remington 870 Tac-14, Mossberg Shockwave, Remington 870.

If you don’t want to add on to your current shotgun, the Mossberg 590 ATI Scorpion comes already dressed for the party. In short, Mossberg took the time-proven Model 500 action, added several ATI (Advanced Technology International) accessories and gave us a very well equipped defensive/tactical shotgun ideal for home defense.

The best feature here might be the ATI T3 shotgun stock, which allows for quick adjustment to the individual shooter. Most of us need a shorter stock with less length of pull on the defensive shotgun as opposed to what we would use to shoot clays or waterfowl. The ATI cushioned pistol grip on this stock allows for good control of the weapon while firing, but it’s necessary to break your grip to operate the tang mounted safety located on the back of the receiver. The ATI heat shield covering the 18.5-inch barrel has two Picatinny rails, one on each side, which would serve to mount a light or a laser. The forearm on the Scorpion is the ATI Akita, which is comfortably textured and easy to grasp.

Mossberg also attaches a machined, anodized aluminum, ATI Halo Side Saddle to the 590’s receiver. This mount allows for a shell holder on either side of the gun with a Picatinny rail on top, on which you can mount whatever sight or optic you might choose. With this setup, you could carry up to nine extra loads on the gun — six on the left and three on the right. While I’m not a big fan of a shell carrier on the same side as the ejection/loading port, if you train with this and are comfortable with it, more power to you.

“I believe in using the weapon that will give me the most advantage over my adversaries. Nothing about a gunfight should be ‘fair.’”

I really took the time to get to know this gun and attended the Gunsite Academy 260 shotgun class with the Mossberg 590 ATI Scorpion, and other than being a tad heavy at 8.4 pounds, I have no complaints.

If you should decide to upgrade your current shotgun, the good news is that all of the above items found on the Scorpion are available individually from ATI — the T3 adjustable stock, the Akita fore end, Halo heat shield, Halo side saddle and shell carriers … the whole shootin’ match. ATI makes these to fit the Mossberg 500 and 590s, the Remington 870, the Winchester 1200 and 1300, and others.

A New Breed Of Protection

Mossberg 590 Shockwave
Mossberg 590 Shockwave

OK, so we won’t call them shotguns even though they are both built on revered shotgun actions — the Remington 870 and the Mossberg 500 — and both shoot shotgun ammo. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE) has confirmed the 500 Shockwave as a “firearm” — same for the Remington Tac-14 — per the Gun Control Act (GCA), but not a Class 3/NFA firearm.

Both of these guns sport a 14-inch barrel and the Shockwave Technologies “birds head” Raptor Grip stock. I had some misgivings about the Shockwave and the Tac-14 at first. I believed these guns would be a good choice for home defense, but I felt they needed some help and here is why.

Although both fit the need for a compact weapon in tight places, there’s a problem with how these guns are fired. Neither the Shockwave nor the Tac-14 should be fired from a shoulder or eye level position, which means they must be shot from the hip. This brings up a problem with accuracy because even with a cylinder bore barrel you will find shot patterns to be surprisingly tight at short ranges.

So, how do we accurately fire the Remington Tac-14 or the Mossberg Shockwave? The answer: You need a light and a laser.

Light ‘Em Up

Defensive-Shotgun-Fourth
Crimson Trace Rail Master Pro Laser and Light.

Most defensive shotgun instructors would agree that you need a light on your shotgun. When things go bump in the night, identifying your target is critical. The Remington Tac-14 and the Mossberg Shockwave both need a way to be aimed and fired accurately, and the Crimson Trace Rail Master Pro provides both.

The Rail Master Pro attaches to any shotgun that you can get a M1913 Picatinny rail or a Weaver-style accessory rail on. This is a compact, durable light-and-laser combination with instant tap-on and tap-off activation, and controls for windage and elevation adjustments. The Rail Master Pro has four different operational modes for the light and the laser, and it’s powered by a CR2 Lithium battery. The green laser diameter measures a half-inch on target at 50 feet, and the white light projects 100 lumens.

I like the Rail Master Pro because it’s a two-for-one deal with the light and the laser. On top of that, it’s very compact, and most importantly, it works.

Simple Brilliance, More Firepower

OPSol’s Mini Clip helps the Mossberg Shockwave properly feed Aguila’s Mini Shells, giving the shotgun a capacity boost.
OPSol’s Mini Clip helps the Mossberg Shockwave properly feed Aguila’s Mini Shells, giving the shotgun a capacity boost.

Some innovations are so simple they’re brilliant.

A few years ago, Aguila Ammunition gave us the Minishell, a 12 gauge shotgun shell 1.75 inches in length. The shorter length of the shell allows for more ammo to be loaded in the magazine than with traditional 2.75-inch shells. The problem is that many pump guns and semi-autos will not feed the Minishell. After ejecting the empty, the next round will turn within the action or, in the case of the Mossberg, simply fall through the receiver before it can be fed into the chamber.

OPSol of Texas devised a simple “rubber plug” that fits into the rear of the loading port of the Mossberg 500. The Mini Clip serves as a stop, captures the Minishell and allows it to be fed into the chamber. The Mossberg 590 Shockwave can now be loaded with nine rounds of Aguila Minishells, which are available in buckshot, 7½ birdshot or slugs.


A Short-Stock Solution

The Mesa Tactical Stock features a multi-position configuration that also reduces felt recoil.
The Mesa Tactical Stock features a multi-position configuration that also reduces felt recoil.

Here’s the deal: We don’t shoot a defensive shotgun the same as one for breaking clays or hunting. Our stance is (or should be) different, and we’re not swinging on moving targets. Unless you’re 7 feet tall and have arms long enough to play in the NBA, you need a shorter stock, which gives us a shorter length of pull. This prohibits you from “crawling up the stock” to maintain control of the gun.

The Mesa Tactical LEO Telescoping Stock Conversion Kit allows you to grab the adjustment lever and run the stock down until you’re nice and snug on the gun.

This stock also helps with that old demon … felt recoil. It’s no secret that shooting full house buckshot or slug loads is about as much fun as going to the dentist. The Mesa Tactical LEO stock has an optional Crosshair hydraulic recoil buffer available. Mesa Tactical will tell you this feature reduces felt recoil up to 70 percent. No doubt such things are hard to measure, but I can tell you that the reduction in recoil is substantial.

This is important. Less felt recoil means most shooters will not be afraid of the gun, which will translate to better accuracy and getting back on target quicker after the shot.

A Sight Built For Speed

Trijicon MRO on a Mossberg 590 ATI Scorpion
Trijicon MRO on a Mossberg 590 ATI Scorpion

We can only shoot any firearm as well as we can see and acquire the target. On most shotguns, a simple front bead fills the bill, but many of us can use all the help we can get. When I went through the Gunsite shotgun class, I didn’t believe the Trijicon MRO (Miniature Rifle Optic) could be faster for target acquisition than a plain front bead. I was wrong.

The MRO is a sealed reflex sight intended for use on rifles, carbines and shotguns. The large aperture and tapered light path maximizes the viewing area and allows for better situational awareness and fast target engagement — from any shooting position. You fire the shotgun with both eyes open while using this optic. Mount the shotgun to firing position, see the red dot on the target and pull the trigger. It’s that fast.

The 25mm objective lens makes for a huge field of view, and when you learn to shoot with both eyes open, the tube of the optic seems to disappear. The red dot goes on the target, boom, work the action, and then move to the next target.

Trijicon optics are manufactured with military and law enforcement needs in mind. This optic is rugged, has a 7075 aircraft-grade aluminum housing, with sealed lenses waterproof up to 100 feet. I didn’t run over this sight with my truck, but I didn’t baby it either. The MRO will take anything you dish out.


Parting Shot

Unless you’ve been living under the proverbial rock, you know this is not a complete list of possible home defense shotgun upgrades, but it will give you a good idea of some of the best choices available. In my mind, there’s no doubt that the 12 gauge shotgun is the best home defense weapon, but hopefully, you will never have to wield The Hammer of God.

This article originally appeared in the November 2017 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

Ammo Brief: .475 Turnbull Is A Modern Classic

By
Gun Digest Editors
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In an effort to keep the classic lever-action rifle useful in the modern era, firearms restoration legend Doug Turnbull crafted the .475 Turnbull.

  • The .475 Turnbull is built from a blown-out, necked up .348 Winchester case.
  • It’s a modern cartridge meant for vintage lever-action rifles.
  • Vintage Winchester 1886 actions are strong enough for the cartridge’s pressure.
  • However, they must be rebarreled for proper function.
  • The cartridge shoots widely available .475-caliber bullets, seated in a .502 neck.

Turnbull-475-first - 475 TurnbullDoug Turnbull has been restoring high-quality firearms for more than 20 years, and in 2007, he began working on a modern cartridge for vintage lever-action rifles, specifically the Model 1886 Winchester. The eponymous result was this round, built from a blown-out necked-up .348 Winchester case. Turnbull has said that vintage Winchester 1886 actions are strong enough to handle the 40,000-plus psi pressures the .475 Turnbull generates, but they must be rebarreled with modern steel alloys.

The .475 Turnbull shoots widely available .475-caliber bullets seated in a .502 neck. The shoulder diameter is .5371 with a 17-degree, 15-minute shoulder angle, its SAAMI drawing shows. The rim diameter measures .610 and is .070 thick. The base diameter is .5517. The case is 2.20 inches long and the COAL is 2.78. Turnbull Mfg. supplies headstamped brass and bullets manufactured by Barnes, Nosler, and Hawk. Others are available. Reloading data is available on the Turnbull Mfg. website, and reloading dies (either RCBS or Hornady brand with shellholder) are also available. Cor-Bon sells .475 Turnbull factory-loaded ammunition. Caution is advised shooting full-power .475s in a traditional Winchester stock with a steel crescent buttplate.

475-turnbull-spec

Editor’s Note: This article is an excerpt from Cartridges of the World 15th Edition.

How-To: Block Bedding Synthetic-Stock Rifles

By
Steve Sieberts
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Block bedding is a very effective way to accurize the newer factory synthetic stocks that have internally structured compartments in the forend and around the action area.

  • Block bedding basically involves surrounding the recoil lug with a block of steel.
  • You’ll bed the rifle at four points: recoil lug, back of tang, around the two guard screws.
  • A metal epoxy, such as Devcon, is used to create the bedding.
  • Modeling clay is used to control its flow in the stock.
  • If this doesn’t work for you, the block in front of the lug can be removed.
  • Then the entire barrel is free floated.
The contact pads of the forend are removed, since you are bedding the rifle in order to provide the stabilization needed for best accuracy.
The contact pads of the forend are removed, since you are bedding the rifle in order to provide the stabilization needed for best accuracy.

Block Bedding A Synthetic Stock

So, what is block bedding? Basically, block bedding involves surrounding the recoil lug of the rifle with a giant block of solid steel. It’s accomplished by filling in the structural chambers in front of and behind the recoil lug.

There are two chambers directly in front of the lug that measure about .750 of an inch, and two chambers behind the lug that measure about 1.25 inches, which becomes our 2-inch block of steel.

To get started, ensure the rifle is unloaded, and remove the two stock screws and the bolt. Take the floorplate off, along with the magazine box. Separate the stock from the rifle. Notice on the forend’s tip that there are two pads of material.

Fire up your Dremel or Foredom tool, and remove these two pads. They are there to provide upward pressure on the barrel when the stock is screwed on, and keep reverberation to a minimum upon firing.

Modeling clay is used to block off the area where you do not want epoxy to flow.
Modeling clay is used to block off the area where you do not want epoxy to flow.

Old-time benchrest shooters tried this technique with varying levels of success in the 1960s with wood stocks, and it’s an inexpensive way for a mass-produced firearm to achieve a decent level of accuracy out of the box, but you can do better.

You are going to bed this rifle at four points — bedding the recoil lug, back of the tang, and around the two guard screws underneath the rifle at the trigger guard.

First scrape out the stock material where the bedding material will go. This ensures a large enough gap for the bedding material, as you don’t want stock-to-metal contact. Always maintain a gap between the stock and the firearm, this will make room for the epoxy.

Also, by scraping, it will rough up the stock so the epoxy will stick to it. You will need to use sandpaper to really rough it up. I use #120 grit, and if I had access to a bead blasting cabinet, I would tape off the stock and bead blast the epoxy areas to further rough it up. After scraping and sanding, spray it out with brake cleaner and blow it dry.

Next step is to tape the barrel. You want to free float the barrel, but you need to extend the bedding material out in front of the recoil lug about ¾ of an inch, rather than have the barrel completely free floating like you would when using the spot bedding technique.

Make sure you get a good squeeze of epoxy. This will give a visual assurance that the bedding material has flowed into all of the areas where support is needed.
Make sure you get a good squeeze of epoxy. This will give a visual assurance that the bedding material has flowed into all of the areas where support is needed.

Tape off the front of the barrel at the forend tip, and wrap tape around the barrel ¾-inches in front of the recoil lug. Look down the muzzle of the rifle to make sure the barreled action is exactly on center and you haven’t used too much tape, causing it to sit too high.

Everything should be leveled and centered at this point. Next get out the modeling clay, and fill the barrel channel chambers in front of the two chambers you are using that are located in front of the recoil lug. That is, from front to back, epoxy goes in the two chambers in front of the lug, then the lug chamber, and two chambers behind the lug. See the photo if this is not perfectly clear.

You want to fill the two chambers in front of and behind the recoil lug, but don’t waste expensive epoxy by allowing it to flow into chambers where it’s not needed. Next, spray release agent onto the areas of the barreled action, the stockmakers’ screws and the floorplate. Remove the magazine follower and spring from the floorplate, as these just get in the way.

Once you have everything taped off, greased up with release agent, and modeling clay applied in places you don’t want the epoxy to flow, mix Devcon in a 2.5 to 1 ratio.

Screw the rifle together with the stockmakers’ screws to allow everything to set up overnight.
Screw the rifle together with the stockmakers’ screws to allow everything to set up overnight.

Apply it to the four points within the stock, starting with the chambers in and around the recoil lug. There is a special technique to use when filling in deep areas like that with an epoxy that has a thick consistency such as Devcon.

Use a Popsicle stick to apply a thick glob of epoxy down into the chamber, stir with a butter-churn action to get the bubbles out; otherwise, large voids and bubbles will form, negating the beneficial effects of a big block of steel around the recoil lug, which is the whole reason for doing this job.

You’ll know you are getting the air bubbles out by the popping noises.

Once you have all of the epoxy in place, screw the rifle together, being careful to not screw it together too tightly, just enough to snug it up. Set the rifle in a cradle to let the epoxy set up, do not put the stock or the barrel in a vise during the curing process. You want the stock to sit as stress-free as possible. Wipe off the excess epoxy, and let the rifle sit overnight.

Once the epoxy has cured, the barreled action and stock are broken apart and the bedding surface is inspected for voids and pinholes.
Once the epoxy has cured, the barreled action and stock are broken apart and the bedding surface is inspected for voids and pinholes.

The next day, break it apart and take a look. It should look like the photos. Use the Dremel or Foredom tools with the structured tooth carbide bit to grind off the excess steel epoxy where it overflowed, and degrease the entire rifle.

Put everything back together, and give it a good function test, making sure all of the safeties work and that the rifle will feed dummy ammunition. Set the torque on the front and rear guard screws to 65 in.-lbs. and mount the scope.

That completes block bedding a bolt-action rifle in a nutshell. It’s a basic yet very good technique to improve accuracy, especially with heavy-barreled rifles, or rifles that generate quite a bit of recoil that use a synthetic stock with compartments in the forend.

Notice that, in this project, you applied a bedding block in front of the recoil lug, and also bedded the barrel for about ¾ of an inch in front of the lug. Free floating the entire barrel is another option, but which technique is correct, or most effective? It depends on who you ask. I’ve used both methods and have had good results with both.

The front and rear guard screws are torqued to 65 in.-lbs. for best results.
The front and rear guard screws are torqued to 65 in.-lbs. for best results.

In most cases, placing a small amount of bedding on the barrel in front of the recoil lug produces more consistent results, especially with very heavy varmint barrels.

I believe that is due to the fact that supporting that section of the barrel tends to dampen the harmonics in a positive way. Remember, when the rifle is fired and the bullet is traveling down the barrel, the barrel is acting like a whip, but is also rotating around in a circle as it’s snapping whip-like. I think this block reduces this whip-like effect, makes it more consistent, and better controls the barrel’s harmonics.

So why did you remove the pads at the front of the forend on this stock? Wouldn’t that have the same positive effect? The short answer is no. Applying upward pressure at the forend exerts pressure unevenly, and causes a very inconsistent bounce or slapping effect from the stock and the forend out toward the end of the barrel.

It’s an OK way to get a decent amount of accuracy from a mass-produced rifle, but you are trying for more than just decent accuracy, especially from a potentially tack-driving caliber like the .22-250 — one intended for small targets at long range.

The front and rear guard screws are torqued to 65 in.-lbs. for best results.
The front and rear guard screws are torqued to 65 in.-lbs. for best results.

This is why I’ll free float the barrel, except for the first ¾ of an inch or sometimes a full inch and a half past the front of the recoil lug with a really heavy barrel.

Some barrels may not respond to this technique. If the rifle won’t shoot and you’ve exhausted all other possibilities, you can always easily remove the block in front of the lug and free float the entire barrel to see if that improves accuracy.

Remember that none of these techniques involve pillar bedding. These are techniques that you as a beginning home gunsmith can use to get your “feet wet” in the technique of custom riflesmithing.

This article is an excerpt from Custom Gunsmithing for Self-Defense Firearms.

6 John M. Browning Machine Guns That Bring The Noise

By
Elwood Shelton
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John M. Browning is perhaps most widely known for his sporting arms and handguns, but the firearms design genius churned out his fair share of wicked Browning machine guns.

What were the most-famous Browning machine guns?

  • Since an unnamed Chinese fellow concocted gunpowder in the 9th Century, there has been a litany of gentlemen who have conjured up ingenious methods of launching projectiles with it. But, by all accounts, nearly everyone pales in comparison to John M. Browning.

    Browning was the wellspring from which modern firearms design flowed. Prolific, the son of a gunsmith (an innovator in his own right) closed life with nearly 150 gun and gun-related patents to his name. And as is plain as a shotgun blast, his ideas were enduring and industry defining. One need only consider his perfection of the locked-breech action to truly appreciate his continuing influence on firearms.

    Browning is perhaps best known today for his sporting arms and handguns that are commonplace in most shooters’ arsenals. A little less know for many, except for museum curators and U.S. Military veterans, is his impact on a bit heavier class of firearms — machine guns. But, as would be expected from this genius, his fingerprints are all over these vital tools. So, here’s a look at these innovative weapons that have played their role in winning America and her allies’ wars, and vaulting Browning to the status of firearms icon.

    Colt-Browning M1895

    Colt_Potato_Digger

    The lever-action design is typically associated with repeaters. But leave it to Browning to apply this concept to a fully automatic machine gun. The result was the M1895, which acquired the nickname “the potato digger” due to the actuation of the swinging lever at the fore of the gun.

    Strange as it appears today, it was revolutionary for its time, because it was the first gas-operated machine gun and the first adopted by the U.S. Military. And able to strip off 400 rounds per minute from a belt, the air-cooled gun gave the U.S. Military a decisive edge in some late 19th- early 20th-Century battles.

    The M1895 served through World War I, but was quite dated at that point, especially compared to other machine guns making their appearances in the European trenches. And, it always was a bit hamstrung by its own unique design. For the gun to cycle, it needed clearance for the lever to operate, which required a higher profile for its operator. This, for obvious reasons, was not ideal.

    Browning M1917 Machine Gun

    Browning_machine_gunner-1917

    Built for sustained fire, from a fixed position, to support infantry, the M1917 was the ideal weapon for World War I. However, Browning’s heavy machine gun saw somewhat limited action in the Great War, due to production delays. But its next iteration — the M1917A1 — was a mainstay for U.S. Forces all the way through the Korean War.

    Able to lay down 600 rounds per minute of continuous fire, it’s understandable why the machine gun endured. But as time wore on, and battle tactics became more mobile, the water-cooled lead slinger displayed a major flaw — its heft. With its water jacket filled, the heavy machine gun lived up to its classification, weighting in at a cumbersome 37 pounds. Its base added around another 50. It’s easy to deduce that it was less than ideal for storming beaches or patrol duties.

    Despite this shortcoming, the M1917 might be among the most important Browning machine guns. Its short-recoil operation, two-piece firing pin and buffer became the foundation of lighter, more mobile and arguably more vital Browning machine guns to come.

    M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle (B.A.R.)

    B.A.R.

    There is just something nasty about the B.A.R. Guess that goes with the territory for any rifle that can pitch .30-caliber bullets to the tune of 500 per minute almost anywhere that volume was needed. Born into World War I, it saw limited action in the first great European conflict. It was the Second World War that galvanized its legendary status.

    The select-fire rifle was essentially used as a squad automatic weapon, supporting infantry soldiers armed with the M1 Garand. And while it proved adept at this role, providing enough firepower to pin an enemy down, it did have a few chinks in its armor.

    The first was its weight, which exceeded 20 pounds when outfitted with a bipod and other doodads. U.S. G.I.’s fixed this by stripping down the BAR to its barest essentials, like Browning had intended.

    The long-stroke piston operated rifle’s second issue was capacity. Feeding off 20-round box magazines, B.A.R. teams gave enemies a reprieve — often deadly to their comrades — as they reloaded. This was solved simply enough — more B.A.R. teams per squad and a tactic where one fired while the other reloaded.

    Not that soldiers of the Axis powers ever really noticed these problems with the B.A.R., as the automatic rifle was among the most feared weapons of the American arsenal.

    Browning M1919

    Gunner_with_Browning_M1919

    Essentially an iteration of the M1917, the M1919 had one notable and vital difference — an air-cooled barrel. While this did not allow for the sustained firing of its water-cooled forerunner, it gave the machine gun an important weight advantage. The M1919 tipped the scales at 22 pounds and operated off a much lighter base. In turn, it could keep up with the ever-quickening pace of the troops.

    The .30-caliber machine gun played an important role for the U.S. during World War II, especially the Pacific Theater, where it was quickly deployed to support troops during amphibious operations. And the M1919 was ubiquitous in the conflict, found mounted on everything from jeeps to the tail guns of bombers.

    Despite being capable of firing 700 rounds per minute, the machine gun had one major issue — overheating. Once at a critical temperature, it could ignite an unfired round, then proceed through the entirety of a belt of ammunition, a situation known as a “cook-off.” The cure, controlled bursts of a few rounds when fired, slowed the heating process and kept the gun safe and in the fight.

    More than 5 million of the M1919 and its variations were produced and served U.S. Forces all the way through the Vietnam War. Even today, the odd example of this rugged brute still turns up in third-world fights.

    M2 Browning

    BrowningM2

    In the pantheon of Browning’s machine guns there’s perhaps none more significant than “Ma Duce.” The .50-caliber heavy machine gun’s service life is a testament to this fact. Designed at the end of World War I, though it saw no action in that conflict, the M2 has been in continuous service ever since.

    While the M2 is part of the M1917 family tree, a scaled up version capable of handling the .50 BMG round, it does have a few different design points. Perhaps the most substantial was its oil buffer, a unique feature that allowed strengthening of the gun without increasing its weight.

    Ma Deuce’s versatility is what keeps her forever young. The massive .50-caliber has and is used for nearly every conceivable military purpose, from anti-personnel to hard-target interdiction to anti-aircraft to primary and secondary weapons on fighting vehicles. And it has an incredible range of projectiles to send at enemies, giving a heavy machine gunner an astonishing toolbox from which to work.

    Incidentally, the M2 at one time also boasted the longest sniper kill ever recorded. A shot from the .50-caliber fitted with optics by Carlos Hathcock in 1967 stood for some 35 years.

    M4 37mm Auto Cannon

    M4_cannon

    Easily the largest gun — cannon — John Browning ever saw go into production, the M4 is probably better known in Russia than America. The aircraft gun was mounted in the Bell P-39 Airacobra and P-63 Kingcobra, which the U.S. supplied to the Soviets in World War II as part of the Lend-Lease Act.

    Contrary to expectations of a gun that could lob 1-pound armor-piercing rounds, the M4 was not used by the U.S. ally as a tank buster on the Eastern Front. Supplied with only high-explosive rounds for the recoil-operated M4, the Soviets used them only in air-to-air combat — but with great effect.

    Though, there where a few complaints about the massive gun. While the M4 could hit like a hickory stick, it held only 30 rounds in its horse-collar belt. And with a rate of fire of 150 rounds per minute, it did not exactly spit fire at enemies. Nevertheless, when the M4 connected, woe to the unlucky pilot and his aircraft.

Handgun Snapshot: Getting A Grip With Walther’s PK380

By
Brad Fitzpatrick
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0

Rightsized, the Walther PK380 is small enough to slip into a pocket, but has the performance of a much larger self-defense handgun.

What does the PK380 have to offer those who carry?

  • The Walther PK380 hits a sweet spot when it comes to carry.
  • It’s smaller than a subcompact for easy concealment.
  • But it’s also large enough to offer a longer sight radius and more capacity.
  • The gun is well balanced in hand, has a good fit and feel and is a comfortable shooter.
  • Given its ease of use and ergonomic design, the Walther PK380 is a great choice.

Walther-lead PK380

Walther’s PK380 is a ‘tweener of a carry gun — not as small as the subcompact .380s that slip in your pocket but not quite as large as most 9mms. That just-right size means you get a light, portable gun with a longer sight radius and more capacity.

One thing that Walther has figured out is how to make guns that are well balanced and comfortable to shoot, and the company takes pride in building guns that fit well and feel good.

“Like all Walther pistols, the PK380 features an extremely comfortable ergonomic grip,” says Vice President of Marketing for Walther Luke Thorkildsen. “Walther has become synonymous with grip and trigger because we have found that there is confidence in comfort.”

When faced with a life-and-death situation, you need to have complete faith in your gun, and that faith is developed by long sessions on the range. You’re far less likely to spend time shooting a gun that hurts your hand or leaves you cringing with every trigger pull, so finding a pistol with a good grip is more critical than it might initially seem. Walther’s PK380 has an ergonomic design that’s slightly larger than some of the other guns in this article, yet it’s still easy to conceal. In addition, having those extra .380 ACP rounds on tap offers a level of comfort all its own.

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the September 2017 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

.380 Ammo For Defensive Use

By
Brad Fitzpatrick
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2

Let’s look at what the facts say about the .380 ACP and its capabilities as a defensive option.

  • .380 ACP bullets averaged 9 to 18 inches of penetration at distances less than 30 feet.
  • This is according to data the author gathered.
  • Some deep penetrations were due to bullets not expanding upon reaching their target.
  • The author advises care in choosing the proper .380 defensive round
  • But he states there are many solid options that will perform, even at lower velocities.

Based on ballistic gel data that I gathered from multiple sources, the .380 ACP bullets averaged somewhere between 9 and 18 inches of penetration in ballistic gel at defensive distances under 30 feet (with 12 inches of penetration with proper bullet expansion being considered effective for personal defense).

380-self-defense-sixth

In large part, the deeper penetration results were a result of bullets that did not expand and retained their profile as they passed through the test. Failing to expand is good for producing deep penetration on ballistic gel, but it’s bad news in real-life defensive situations because a bullet that doesn’t open properly doesn’t create as much hydrostatic shock or tissue damage. Only a portion of a bullet’s kinetic energy is transferred to the target if the bullet passes through, and unless that bullet strikes a bone or nervous tissue, it might not stop the attacker immediately, which can be disastrous.

Bullet expansion results from a combination of factors. First, the bullet’s construction plays an important role. Second, the velocity at which the bullet is traveling is critical. Lastly, any barriers to the target will affect performance. You can’t choose the wardrobe your attacker will be wearing, but you can choose your bullet and gun.

There are a number of great personal defense .380 loads, and they vary in construction. Some expand reliably at lower velocities, while others require a stronger push to initiate expansion. Based on my personal tests, both Federal’s HST and Hornady’s Critical Defense will expand when fired from light, compact pistols at close range into bare gel, and I’m sure that there are several other loads that will do the same. Pistols with longer barrels have an edge in terms of velocity, and that ups the odds of expansion.

From Pocket Pistols to Perfect Loads: .380 ACP Insights

 

Editor’s Note: This article excerpt originally appeared in the September 2017 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

10 Custom Guns From Gun Digest 2018

By
Tom Turpin
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2

Our annual review of the finest examples of beauty and artistry in the world of custom guns.

Custom Guns, from Gun Digest 2018. Gary Goudy Custom Winchester Model 70

My latest rifle from the shop of Gary Goudy in Dayton, Washington. I started the project with a pre-’64 Winchester Model 70 action that I sent to Danny Petersen, superb barrel maker from Prescott, Arizona, who fitted the action with one of his cut-rifled barrels and chambered it for the .300 Win. Mag. cartridge. When he finished, I sent the barreled action and my very best stick of English walnut to Gary for stocking. I obtained the super stick of English from Jim Bisio of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Gary whittled out the stock and when it was finished, sans checkering, he sent the metal to Bruce Farman for finishing with his lovely slow-rust blue job. While he was doing that, Gary checkered my stock with his fleur-de-lis pattern.

Custom Rifle From The Past

Custom Rifle From The Past

The author’s first sort of commissioned custom rifle. He provided a pre-’64 Model 70 barreled action, chambered for the .270 Winchester cartridge, to a gunsmith in Germany, to do the metalwork. This included making and fitting a quarter-rib with one standing and three folding leafs and a new front sight ramp. He also slicked up the action and adjusted the trigger to a nice crisp 3-pound pull. As instructed, he returned it to me in-the-white for stocking. I then gave the barreled action to one of Germany’s best stockmakers with instructions to shape and bed the stock using a blank of French walnut that I provided, including fitting a rosewood fore-end tip, grip cap and Pachmayr recoil pad. I asked that he deliver the stock back to me finish-sanded, but otherwise unfinished. I then finished and checkered the stock myself. While I was finishing the stock, I returned the barreled action to the metalsmith for finishing in a nice glossy blue, which was in vogue at the time. If I were to build this rifle today, I would change a bunch on it, but it has served me very well as my primary hunting rifle just as it is for several years. Photo by Tom Turpin.

Gun Engraving From The Past

Gun Engraving From The Past

Here is a floorplate engraved by one of my favorite engravers, Lynton McKenzie. Australian-born McKenzie moved around a fair amount during his life, spending his final years in Tucson, Arizona. He engraved this floorplate, part of an extensive engraving job he did on a David Miller Co. rifle. Sadly, he did this engraving toward the end of his life and much too early, as he was diagnosed with cancer not too long after finishing this work. The engraving was very distinctive and easily recognized as his work immediately by those very familiar with it. Photo by Tom Turpin.

Gun Engraving From The Past

Erich Boessler engraved and gold inlaid a mountain goat head on this Model 70 triggerguard. It adorned my hunting rifle for a few years.

Robert Strosin Custom Parker Shotgun

Robert Strosin Custom Parker Shotgun

This Parker shotgun, engraved by Robert Strosin, won the Best Engraved Shotgun award at the recently completed Firearms Engravers Guild of America (FEGA) Exhibition in Las Vegas. Photo by Sam Welch.

Reto Buehler Granite Mountain Arms .300 H&H Magnum

Reto Buehler Granite Mountain Arms .300 H&H Magnum

One of the younger members of the American Custom Gunmakers Guild (ACGG) is also one of the best, Swiss-born Reto Buehler. The rifle shown here is a perfect example of his exceptional talent as a gunmaker. This magnificent rifle began with a Granite Mountain Arms small-ring long action. Chambered for the .300 H&H cartridge, Buehler did all the metal and stockwork on this rifle, including shop fabricating H&H-type scope mounts. Charles Lee did the lovely engraving and Doug Turnbull did his magic color case-hardening on the action. As some wise person once stated, it just doesn’t get any better than this. Photo by Brian Dierks.

Mike Dubber Custom Colts

Mike Dubber Custom Colts

Mike Dubber Custom Colts

Hoosier engraver Mike Dubber has done a lot of engraving on Colt pistols over the years as a Colt Master Engraver. As such, it should come as no great surprise that a couple of his latest engraving canvasses for his artistry are both from Hartford – a Python and a Single Action Army. At the 2017 FEGA Exhibition in Las Vegas, the Python won the Best Engraved Modern Firearm Award. Not to be outdone, the SAA won an Engravers Choice Award of Merit. Photos by Sam Welch.

Keith Heppler Peter Noreen Action .460 Weatherby

Keith Heppler Peter Noreen Action .460 Weatherby

This rifle is an excellent example of the work of gunmaker Keith Heppler. Keith has been turning out exquisite rifles from his California shop for a very long time. This one, built on a custom action from Peter Noreen, is chambered for the massive .460 Weatherby cartridge. He used a magnificent stick of English walnut to craft the stock. He had to watch his P’s and Q’s in selecting the blank for this rifle as the recoil of the .460 is pretty fierce. This one is great with the wonderful figure in the butt and nice, straight grain through the remainder of the stock. Also, please note the detail sculpting around the cheekpiece. Photos by Steve Heilmann.

Lee Griffiths Custom Colt Model 1911

Lee Griffiths Custom Colt Model 1911

This Colt Model 1911 was engraved by Lee Griffiths utilizing a World War I motif. It won the Best Engraved Handgun Award at the recently completed FEGA (Firearms Engravers Guild of America) exhibition in Las Vegas. Photo by Sam Welch.

Editor’s Note: This article appeared in the Gun Digest 2018 annual available exclusively at GunDigestStore.com

How To Attach Your New Suppressor

By
Patrick Sweeney
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0

If you make a mistake mounting your new suppressor, you might not get a second chance. Putting the right one on correctly, and putting the right one on a compatible rifle, will avoid a busted suppressor, perhaps a broken rifle, and maybe even injuries to you or bystanders.

  • While not overly complex, properly mounting a suppressor is important to get right.
  • Centering the suppressor with the rifle’s bore is key.
  • If it’s not centered, shooters run the risk of damaging the baffles or caps.
  • A Geissele alignment rod can be among the most important tool for this procedure.
  • Once mounted, care must be taken to evaluate how flush the can sits on the muzzle.

Let’s start with two pieces of advice that I hope you take: buy a Geissele alignment rod in the caliber of your suppressor. That means a 5.56 or a 7.62 rod or both. And second: read the instructions. No, I’m not kidding, actually read them. They all come with instructions, and while we joke about deductions to our man-cards for reading them, do you really want to risk it?

I’m telling you this before we even begin the process of mounting your suppressor because, while the risk of misalignment might be small, the cost of it will be great if the odds go against you. The Geissele alignment rod will either be the best $60 you ever spent, or the biggest waste of $60 I’ve ever recommended. Either way, it is only $60, less than the cost of two weeks of over-priced coffee beverages on your way to work.

The Geissele reaction rod saves a lot of wear and tear on the rifle, and also makes the job a lot easier.
The Geissele reaction rod saves a lot of wear and tear on the rifle, and also makes the job a lot easier.

The use of the rod is simple; once you have your rifle and suppressor, hand-assemble all the parts (that means a muzzle device also, if you have a QD system) on the unloaded rifle. Do this with the rifle in a vise or other holding fixture, with the barrel horizontal. Then poke the rod down the bore. Let it rest flush with the front cap of the suppressor, and look at where the rod sits in the clearance hole of the front cap. Where it sits determines the future of your rifle/suppressor combination.

Geissele Alignment Rod: Pass Or Fail

Geissele rates the alignment by a set of pass-fail standards: centered, not centered but not touching, touching, not exiting, and one I call Epic Fail.

The instructions direct you to insert the rod into the barrel from the breech end and see how it fits as it passes out the bore. Some rifles won’t allow that, and it is just as easy to poke it in through the muzzle, so that’s the way I check.

Mounting-Suppressor-second
Top: You want the alignment check to end up with the rod going dead-center through the opening in the front cap. Middle: You want the alignment check to end up with the rod going dead-center through the opening in the front cap. Bottom: Epic fail. The rod won’t even get out of the suppressor without binding. There’s no chance this will work, you either have to re-thread the barrel or try another firearm.

Centered

When centered, the rod sits perfectly centered in the exit hole of the suppressor. This is what you want, and you will not have any problems with this alignment provided you are using the correct ammunition for your rifle. As an example, even a centered alignment won’t help if you have a 1/12 twist and are firing heavy bullets in a .223/5.56 rifle. Those bullets will yaw, and baffle strikes will be a certainty.

Not Centered But Not Touching

Not centered but not touching means you have a less than perfect setup, but you will in all likelihood be just fine. I can’t guarantee that, because I don’t know how far “not centered” your rod is, and you may find that it works for you. Off a little, maybe barely noticeable? You’re probably just fine, and as good as perfectly centered. Really off-center, and almost touching the front cap hole, but not touching? Hmm, I think I’d fail that one.

Not Centered And Touching

Not centered and touching the front cap is not good, and you probably should not shoot this combination. There are guys who will, and have done so not knowing this is what their rifle/suppressor combo would gauge. I would not shoot such a combo.

This can be the result of trying to get by with “good enough” suppressor alignment. Good enough, really?
This can be the result of trying to get by with “good enough” suppressor alignment. Good enough, really?

Not Exiting

This is where the rod stops on a baffle somewhere inside of the tube and won’t come out. This is obviously a bad arrangement, and you should not fire it. (Do I really have to tell you that? I hope not.)

Epic Fail

I encountered this when I was measuring some AKs for suppressor mounting. The commies hadn’t ever considered the muzzle threads for more than a slant brake, and so the threads can be wildly off-center and not aligned. I had some combinations where, having poked the alignment gauge up into the suppressor, it bound in place so tightly that I was worried I’d bend it getting it back out. One suppressor was even visibly tilted on the barrel. I didn’t even bother trying to poke the alignment rod into that one.
This should be, as they say in police work, a clue.

AKs are notorious for having off-center, crooked, awful threads on the muzzle. Don’t be surprised if your AK fails the alignment gauge, many do.
AKs are notorious for having off-center, crooked, awful threads on the muzzle. Don’t be surprised if your AK fails the alignment gauge, many do.

What Does All This Mean?

It means that short of an epic fail, a visibly tilted suppressor on our muzzle, there is no way to eyeball the alignment of a suppressor. If you don’t have an alignment rod, then you are just guessing. And unlike the lottery, where guessing a set of numbers just risks losing the dollar you put on the counter, guessing wrong about the alignment of your suppressor on a given rifle risks losing you the cost of your suppressor, the tax you paid, and the time spent waiting for it. If someone ever asks, “Can I try your suppressor on my AK?” the answer should be an immediate and emphatic NO.

Suppressor Attachment Instructions

You’ve all probably worked with mechanical devices before. If you’ve overhauled an engine for your lawn mower, if you’ve changed oil, recharged the air conditioner compressor gas in your car, you know that there was a learning curve. You didn’t do it right the first time, and sometimes you had to go back and do it over again.

Read the instructions. This is no time for misplaced manly pride, read the bleeping instructions.
Read the instructions. This is no time for misplaced manly pride, read the bleeping instructions.

If you make a mistake mounting your suppressor, you may not get a second chance. Putting the right one on incorrectly, or putting the wrong one on an incompatible rifle, will lead to a busted suppressor, perhaps a broken rifle, and maybe even injuries to you or bystanders.

It will only take a few minutes, it may remind you of a step you had forgotten, and the manufacturer might have a slightly different approach to the process, required by their design, a process that you’d never think of.

Read the instructions. Pay attention. Benefit from the mistakes of others.

What if you forget that your barrel has a slow twist, and use bullets that are too heavy? Expect something like this in your future.
What if you forget that your barrel has a slow twist, and use bullets that are too heavy? Expect something like this in your future.

Mounting, Direct Thread

Let’s assume for the start that your rifle came with a threaded muzzle. In the case of an AR, this usually means there is a flash hider already there. So, remove the flash hider. If it is secured with a thread-locking compound, this may require some wrenching, maybe even an application of heat from a propane torch. Remove the flash hider and any/all washers that might have been used to time the flash hider.

It might be a good idea at this point to recommend you use another Geissele product, their reaction rod. This is a steel bar that engages the locking lug slots in your barrel extension. You use this to put the torque of wrenching off the flash hider into the barrel extension and reaction rod. Otherwise, the little pin in its slot in the upper receiver takes the gaff. Forcing off a flash hider, you can damage the slot and make your rifle less accurate.

You must have clean threads and a clean bearing shoulder for the mount or suppressor to tighten up against.
You must have clean threads and a clean bearing shoulder for the mount or suppressor to tighten up against.

You do not want the old washers, and you must not use them, either the old ones or new ones.
This is an important detail that will hold for all suppressor mounting applications: do not ever use the standard washers that come with, or are used with, flash hiders, muzzle brakes or other doodads on the muzzle. None of them.

If you ever do have need of some sort of shim or spacer to get a mount, device or other suppressor gizmo properly timed on the muzzle, you should only use whatever washers that manufacturer supplied. They will be guaranteed flat, something other washers cannot be.

With the flash hider off, clean the threads. You can brush them with a nylon bristle cleaning brush, you can use a wire brush, you can even get out a dental pick and pry the residues out of the threads. But get them clean. It would not be beyond reason, if you have one available, to use a tapping die to chase the threads and make sure they are clean.

While you’re at it, also pay attention to the bearing shoulder, the surface at the back of the threads, the one your suppressor is most-likely to stop against. Clean all the gunk off of that surface, also.

Hand-spin your suppressor onto the barrel (you’ve done all this after making sure the rifle is unloaded, haven’t you? Haven’t you?). Then insert your Geissele alignment rod. Look at the alignment, and don’t kid yourself. What is it, really?

Judgment Time

This part applies to all suppressor mounting systems and applications. So, when I later in the book say “check alignment,” I mean go through this whole process. It thought it would be just a bit pedantic, and perhaps even a bit insulting, to throw all of this next part into each and every section where I put “check alignment,” so it is here for all those times. Pay attention, the suppressor you bust may be your own. (And probably will be, when the owner insists you pay for its replacement.)

No Joy

If it is Fail, or Epic Fail, then you cannot use your suppressor on that rifle. You may only have the one rifle and the one suppressor. I feel for you, but having only one of each is not going to change the results or the future. If you mount that suppressor on that rifle, there will be an unpleasant surprise, and very soon.

Your choices are simple: buy another rifle, replace the barrel on this rifle, or have a gunsmith/machinist re-thread the barrel so it is correct and not too short. This last one won’t be much of an option if what you have is a carbine with a 16.1-inch barrel. There really won’t be much a gunsmith can do with it. A 20-inch rifle can be trimmed back an inch, re-threaded, and be a one-off rifle. But there aren’t many other options.

Careful Joy

If it is off-center but not touching, then you have to decide how much risk you are willing to take. A very slightly off-center but not touching situation is no big deal. But if it is off-center and not touching but almost touching, then the risk increases.

One thing you can try here is remove the suppressor, re-clean the threads and try again. Also, you can use a torque wrench or an open-end wrench and an educated arm to tighten the suppressor to its correct working torque. You might get lucky. You might find that there was some un-noticed bit of grit or left-behind Loctite that caused your suppressor to tilt slightly.

Also, you might find that the bearing shoulder has a slight high point, and when you tighten the suppressor it evens out, straightens up, and your suppressor now passes the test.

In a rare instance, there might be a left-behind tool mark on the bearing shoulder, and carefully stoning this flush removes the suppressor tilt.

Joy, Joy, Joy

Your suppressor tightens on with the alignment rod, centered. Then make sure it is torqued to the correct limit and plan for the next trip to the range.

Mounting, Muzzle Device

The process here involves more steps because you are assembling more gear. As before, remove the old gear and clean the threads. Take the muzzle device (your QD mount for your suppressor) and hand-spin it onto the barrel, making sure it fits and comes to a proper stop.

The muzzle device must come all the way back to the bearing shoulder and tighten down properly, unless (and this is important) the designer intended it to stop on the crown of the barrel and not the bearing shoulder. If yours stops short of the bearing shoulder, you have some problem-solving to do.

First, read the instructions again. Is it supposed to stop on the muzzle? Or the bearing shoulder? Is this the correct-caliber muzzle device?

If everything checks out, spin the device off and take a quick measurement of the length of the threaded portion of your muzzle. Then, phone the manufacturer. Explain the situation, and when they ask, you already know the length of the threaded portion of your barrel. It may well be in your situation that whoever threaded it didn’t know (or did it so long ago, no one knew) the standard length for suppressor mounting. Yours may be too long. You’ll have to take it to a gunsmith or machinist who can shorten it, and also check to see that it is correctly centered, before you move on.

Assuming the device threads on properly, attach the suppressor to the hand-tight muzzle device.

Fair warning here: when you attach the suppressor to the hand-tight muzzle device, they may stay attached when you go to remove the suppressor. If this happens, stop. Find a wrench to hold the muzzle device in place while you remove the suppressor, as you proceed to the next step.

With the muzzle device hand-tight and the suppressor correctly mounted on the muzzle device, use the alignment gauge to check clearance. Follow the process above of observing and correcting any problems.

If you have alignment problems, the solutions will be much the same as with the direct-thread mounting process, since you are threading the QD mount onto your barrel.

This article is an excerpt from The Suppressor Handbook by Patrick Sweeney.

5 Questions To Ask Before Buying An AR

By
Eric Conn
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0

A lot of options on the tried and true AR can be both a blessing and a curse.

What to consider when buying an AR:

During the past decade, there has been an explosion in the number of manufacturers and, as a result, the production of AR-type rifles. Thanks to an anti-gun presidency that lasted almost a decade and a firearms market that grew in response to it, for a while it seemed there were as many different AR options as there were garages to build them in.

Buying-ar-lead

This growth has been seen not only with specialty, custom-type shops that design and build premium rifles, but also among larger manufacturers that are now producing cost-friendly versions in both AR-10 and AR-15 platforms. Traditional long gun makers such as Savage and Mossberg, for example, have even jumped into the fray with a wide variety of ARs, from tactical models to long-range predator thumpers.

On the plus side, it means there have never been more calibers and configurations of the AR-type rifle than there are today. There’s literally an AR for every budget and intended use, from 3-gun competition and 1,000-yard steel banging to predator hunting and home defense.

The downside? There’s an awful lot of options to sift through when putting together your next rifle budget or build, and it can be altogether confusing to know where to start. To help with your next purchase, here are the top five questions to ask before you buy your next AR.

What Is My Intended Use?

AR-type rifles have come a long way during the past decade, making them capable of nearly every task imaginable. Buying or building one to suit your needs is the simple part — deciding exactly what those needs are is often the challenge.
AR-type rifles have come a long way during the past decade, making them capable of nearly every task imaginable. Buying or building one to suit your needs is the simple part — deciding exactly what those needs are is often the challenge.

The most important question you need to ask and answer before purchasing your next AR is what you intend to use it for. While some rifles are inherently more versatile than others, there isn’t really one rifle that can cover every application. As a result, it’s best to narrow down intended use to a couple of categories.

Do you intend on using your AR for home defense? If so, you’re probably going to want a carbine- or mid-length gas system, which will allow you to run a shorter barrel (roughly 10-20 inches) and overall rifle setup, a definite benefit for close-quarters rumblings. Lighter, generally more compact, and more recoil friendly, the AR-15 is going to be the most likely platform of choice for home defense.

The same will be true for competition rifles, in which lightweight maneuverability is a non-negotiable and the AR-15 excels. Competition guns, which typically run on custom or match ammo and feature higher-end triggers, are ideally equipped with an adjustable gas system that maximizes accuracy and minimizes recoil for fast follow-up shots. While competition guns are equally well suited for predator hunting, they generally require fine-tuning for different loads and cost quite a bit more.

If you plan on hunting with the rifle, you’ll likely want to go with a mid- or rifle-length gas system, which gives you a barrel generally between 14-24 inches. It also depends which type of hunting you want to do — while the AR-15 is great for predator and small deer hunting, the big game and hog hunter will probably consider the AR-10 for larger calibers, most prominently the .308 Winchester. Since the AR-10 is heavier, it’s not as ideal for maneuvering in a house-clearing, home-defense situation, and bullets tend to over-penetrate through walls and human targets at close ranges.

Long-range competitors will likely settle on an AR-10, too, because weight is less of an issue and caliber selection is everything. The AR-10 can house the .260 Rem., .308 Win., and the hot new 6.5 Creedmoor, among many others, all favorites among the long-range crowd.

Which Caliber Best Suits My Needs?

Lead_AR-15-223-vs-556-8-0411

Related to the decision between AR-10 and AR-15 is caliber selection. One of the reasons the AR-15 is well-suited for home defense, for example, is that the .223 Rem./5.56 NATO round is available in many home defense loads that are highly effective on target and minimize penetration through walls and other in-home barriers. That same rifle, depending on twist rate of the barrel, can generally double as a good coyote gun because there is an endless supply of high-quality loads for hunting in the .223 Rem.

If you do want to hunt larger-bodied game with the AR-15, there are some great options by way of caliber selection. One is the 6.5 Grendel, which can capably take larger game out to several hundred yards and was pioneered by Bill Alexander of Alexander Arms. Hornady produces the 6.5 load with a 123-grain SST bullet, which is ideal for deer and bear.

There is a wide variety of AR-15 chamberings that will do the trick, including 6.8 SPC, .300 BLK and, for small game, several rimfire variants such as the .17 Winchester Super Magnum (WSM) and both the .22 long rifle (LR) and magnum (WMR). If you’re looking for something outside the box and want to stretch your distances, the 22 Nosler might just be the ticket. With 25 percent more case capacity than the .223, the 22 Nosler is 300 fps faster and is available in several different 55-grain loads.

Built with a beefier bolt carrier group and buffer tube components, the AR-10 can handle the abuse of larger rounds such as the .308 Win. and is better suited for larger animals and longer distances. This is where most long-range shooters will live, given caliber choices that go all the way up to .300 Win. Mag.

What Can I Upgrade Later?

Buying-ar-fifth
Modularity is the best part about any AR-style rifle. From upgrading handguards to adding flash suppressors, you can buy low and build your dream gun.

Just like vehicles, AR-type rifles go up or down in price based on the quality of accessory packages and components. The chassis itself is more or less always the same — either a direct gas-impingement system, as Stoner envisioned, or a slightly modified gas-piston design, with upper and lower receivers, a buffer tube system, bolt carrier group and handguard. One of the key points of the AR design, after all, was modularity and interchangeability of parts. This means, if you’re working with a tight budget, you can buy a base AR and upgrade parts — of which there are literally thousands of different designs — and upgrade down the road.

Your base model AR will come with the world’s grittiest Mil-Spec trigger, generally in the 5- to 9-pound range, and is usually the first thing I’d swap out. A good drop-in trigger will run you $150-200. For competition, this is an absolute must. The same is probably true for hunting, whereas you can get away with the standard trigger for general home defense purposes.

Beyond the trigger, you can add handguards that are lighter and more accessorizable, pistol grips, adjustable gas blocks, muzzle devices (suppressor/compensator/brakes) and buttstocks. And you thought women were bad about accessorizing — just hang out with a diehard AR aficionado. You can spend hundreds of dollars on the accessories alone, but that also means you don’t have to spend all your money right away.

One thing to keep in mind is that the AR-15 is generally much more standardized than the AR-10. As a result, a lot of AR-10 parts won’t fit on different models, a problem generally not had with the AR-15. The one standardization for the AR-10 you can kinda sorta rely on is the “DPMS” designation, which most retailers will list.

Which Components Are Functional vs. Cosmetic?

Depending on the use of the AR, one man’s necessity might be another’s luxury. Regardless of duty, the right optics and a high-quality trigger are a must — handguard accessories generally less so.
Depending on the use of the AR, one man’s necessity might be another’s luxury. Regardless of duty, the right optics and a high-quality trigger are a must — handguard accessories generally less so.

Of all the AR rifles I’ve tested, I can honestly say the biggest difference between a $2,000 gun and a $1,000 gun is, in many cases, cosmetic. Spiral fluted barrels, artfully machined billet aluminum receivers, flared mag wells and posh paint jobs.

While I’m as much of a sucker as the next guy for something that just downright looks cool, it’s important to realize that most of these cost-heavy features don’t actually add anything to the functionality of the firearm.

If you have the extra cash and the cool factor is a good enough justification, great — feel free to dump your dollars into a custom paint job or spiral fluted barrel. But realize that your gun isn’t necessarily going to perform any better than a plane Jane, black barrel. Also in the cosmetic category goes CNC-machined billet receivers.

Yeah, sure, they might be slightly more durable after the 50,000th round, but that is negligible for something like 99 percent of shooters. In all reality, they look nice.

Other components, however, greatly impact the actual functionality of the rifle and are, in my opinion, the things I’d upgrade or add to my build first. As I said before, the first is the trigger. Timney and Geissele are two names that come to mind for excellent drop-in, match-grade AR triggers. A good trigger will make for improved accuracy and is imperative for quick follow-up shots. A good barrel with an adequate twist rate to match your intended bullet weight is second to none, while a high-quality adjustable buttstock will greatly improve accuracy, too, especially for the long-range shooter or hunter. And yes, most standard A2 buttstocks are wobbly and worth replacing.

Which Type Of Optics And Shooting Aids Do I Intend To Use?

AR-Optics-Options-5
Most ARs will come with a Picatinny top rail that’s adequate for mounting any number of riflescopes, red dots or ACOG-style combat optics. Beyond that, there are a number of options for scope mounts — two piece, one piece, quick detach, lightweight and different height options for more or less elevation (helpful for the long-range guys). There’s also a case to be made for the full-length Picatinny rail on the top of the handguard, which gives you even more mounting options.

For home defense or predator hunting, I prefer a handguard with 3, 6 and 9 o’clock attachment points, either in M-LOK or Key-Mod, for whatever light and laser combinations I want to add. The same handguard will work just fine for the long-range or hunting rifle, and allows for the addition of things such as a bipod or sling attachments. If you don’t intend on adding lights or lasers, you can also find a handguard without attachment cutouts.

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the Winter 2017 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

New Rifle: Smith & Wesson’s Economical M&P10 Sport

By
Elwood Shelton
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Smith & Wesson is giving budget-conscious shooters plenty to consider with the release of the M&P10 Sport.

Why should shooters consider the S&W M&P10 Sport?

  • The Smith & Wesson M&P10 Sport has an incredible $1,049 MSRP.
  • This makes the Sport more competitively priced than other AR-10s on the market.
  • The rifle has a 16-inch medium-contour barrel and 5R rifling.
  • It also features a mid-length gas system and ambidextrous controls.
  • The A2-style handguard and M4-style buttstock are more Spartan but still functional.

It’s indisputable that the AR-15 has captured the fancy of a wide swath of the greater shooting public. And while the semi-automatic provides a deadly accurate and very manageable system (especially in .223 Rem/5.56 NATO), it is not a panacea for every situation a shooter might encounter.

There are operations that demand riflemen go big. And when faced with these larger tasks, the AR-10 platform is usually the solution — at least when it comes to semi-autos.

M&P10 Sport -Lead -1

Beefier in receiver and bolt, the bigger brother of the AR family opens up larger calibers, including the popular and ubiquitous .308 Win/7.62 NATO. Whether it’s tracking big game that require a larger bullet coming out of the bore to bring them down or a fast-shooting sniper rifle that reaches out, the AR-10 is generally the preferred platform.

Since 2013, Smith & Wesson has offered a solid selection of AR-10 options, and it recently continued to show its dedication to the platform with the introduction of the new M&P10 Sport.

At an initial glance, the new rifle does not appear to veer drastically from the original M&P10. Outside of a medium-contour, 16-inch barrel (with 5R rifling), the Sport boasts nearly the same features as Smith & Wesson’s original .308 Win/7.26 NATO. But there is one other important spec on the new model that should catch shooters’ eyes almost immediately: price. With an MSRP of $1,049, a price that should be below the $1,000 mark coming off a store shelf, it is by far the most economical AR-10 the company offers.

“The M&P10 SPORT rifle offers consumers a top performing modern sporting rifle at a competitive price,” General Manager of Smith & Wesson and M&P brands Jan Mladek said in the rifle’s press release. “[It] is well suited for target, hunting and competitive sport shooting.”

M&P10 Sport -Feat

Common to S&W’s AR-10s, and handy as all get out, are the M&P10 Sport’s ambidextrous controls. The company has gone the extra mile, making not only the magazine release and safety right- and left-hand friendly, but also the bolt catch/release. And with a mid-length gas system, the M&P10 Sport should prove a very manageable shooter, with less felt recoil.

Helping along in this direction is a nifty A2-style flash suppressor, which should also work as a compensator with the way it’s designed. The muzzle device does not have bottom porting; in turn, it should mitigate barrel rise, thus making the .308/7.62 more accurate shot to shot.

The handguard and furniture are Spartan, yet enough to get those who aren’t looking to doll up the gun on target. The M&P10 Sport is dressed in a standard mid-length A2-style handguard and handgrip. It also boasts Smith & Wesson’s six-position M4-style telescoping buttstock.

M&P10 Sport -First

The rifle comes without sights, but is optics ready with a Picatinny top rail and gas block. The rifle is finished with Armornite on the exterior and interior of the barrel. And the M&P10 Sport ships with one 20-round PMAG.

Smith & Wesson’s M&P10 Sport doesn’t really break any of the rules or blow shooters away with bells and whistles. But from all appearances, given the price, it should intrigue many who have been tinkering with making a jump to the AR-10 to go ahead and add one to their gun safe.

Specifications:

M&P10 Sport
Caliber: .308 WIN/7.62×51 NATO
Capacity: 20 (ships with PMAG)
Safety: Ambidextrous Manual Safety on Lower
Barrel Length: 16 in.
Overall Length: 34.0 in.
Front Sight: None
Rear Sight: None
Action: Gas Operated Semi-Auto
Stock: 6-Position Telescopic
Grip: Synthetic
Weight: 128.0 oz. / 3,628.7g
Barrel Material: 4140 Steel
Barrel Twist: 1 in 10 in. – 5R Rifling

Classic Guns: The Ithaca Model 37 Shotgun

By
Jerry Lee
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A survivor of 80 years on the shotgun scene, the Model 37 remains a dependable and classic option for hunters and sporting shooters.

What to know about the classic Ithaca Model 37 pump-action shotgun:

  • The Ithaca Model 37 has had the longest production run of any pump-action shotgun.
  • The Model 37 was based on a patented John Browning design.
  • More than two million Model 37s have been produced over its 80-year history.
  • This pump-action, bottom-ejecting shotgun is available in a number of configurations.

The pump-action shotgun has been the favorite choice of many American hunters for well more than a century. Its popularity is widespread with all types of shooters and for any shotgunning applications, including hunting, competitive shooting, self-defense, law enforcement and the military. The pump, or slide-action, can do any job well.

Generation after generation, the pump-action remains a favorite scattergun for a variety of reasons. It’s the go-to gun for those shooters who prefer its simple design over the more complicated autoloaders and the pricey doubles and over/unders. Many shooters prefer the sighting plane of a single-barrel shotgun. America has been called a nation of riflemen, and those who learned how to shoot with a rifle are likely to be more comfortable sighting down the rib of a shotgun with one barrel.

Ithaca Model 37 Shotgun -policeThe same can be said for the semi-auto, but the self-loading guns aren’t for every shooter. There are several different types of semi-auto actions, but all have a more complicated operating system that can be more troublesome than a pump. They tend to be heavier and are not as easy handling in the field. Gas-operated actions are dirtier due to the burnt powder that accumulates and they generally require more maintenance and cleaning. The recoil-operated autos are cleaner but some, especially the older long-recoil designs, have more of a kick than either the gas guns or pumps.

Some shooters prefer the manually-operated pump because they want to be more in control of the gun’s operation. They may not truly trust a semi-auto and are comforted by the simplicity of a pump. And it’s a safety concern with some shooters. Fire a pump gun and the chamber isn’t reloaded until you “rack the slide.” Fire an autoloader and, if there’s ammo in the magazine, you instantly have another round in the chamber ready to go — with your finger on the trigger. This is not always a good thing, especially with an inexperienced shooter.

At one time, there were predictions that the autoloader would someday replace the pump gun. That obviously hasn’t happened, and today, some 120 years after the first successful slide-action went on the market, the good old pump still plays a big role in the shotgun sports.

Ithaca Model 37 Shotgun -1The Dawn Of The Pump
That first successful pump-gun was the Winchester Model 1897, which was an improved variant of the Model 1893. It should come as no surprise to a reader of this publication that both designs came directly from the fertile mind of John M. Browning.

The 1893 was caught between two eras in firearms history, the end of black powder and the beginning of smokeless powder. It was designed to be used only with black powder, and after it was on the market for a short time, Winchester had John Browning beef up the receiver and make several internal changes to enable the gun to handle the smokeless propellant’s higher pressures.

By 1897, Winchester had made and sold about 30,000 Model 1893s. With the growing popularity of smokeless powder, and to avoid any injuries and lawsuits, the company did what might have been the first recall by a firearms manufacturer. Ads were bought in outdoor magazines asking owners of 1893s to send their shotguns to Winchester and be replaced by a new one, the Model 1897. This was free of charge and, while exact numbers aren’t available, many Model 1893 owners took advantage of the offer.

The Model 97, as it was later known, became the most popular shotgun in the country. More than one million were produced over its 60-year life-span between 1897 and 1957. It was made in several variations, including a riot-gun model with a 20-inch barrel that became popular with many law enforcement agencies. A similar model, known as the Trench Gun, was made for the military during WWI. This rare variation is very popular with collectors.

Ithaca Model 37-20-ga-featherlightThe 97’s first serious competition in the pump gun category was its sibling, the Winchester Model 12, introduced in 1912. It was one of the streamlined “hammerless” (internal hammer) designs that soon took over the pump-action shotgun world.

The next pump gun to give both the Model 12 and the 97 serious competition was the Ithaca Model 37. It, too, was based on a John Browning design. He had patented a pump shotgun in 1915 that was somewhat radical because its ejection and loading port was located beneath the receiver. This feature gave the gun a solid receiver that protected it from the elements and prevented twigs or other debris from getting into the action. Since the loading port for the magazine was at the bottom of the receiver and the spent shells ejected from the same location, the design appealed to both right- and left-handed shooters.

Browning sold this patent to Remington, and the plan was to put the new gun on the market in 1917 as the Model 17. However, due to interruptions of civilian gun production during the First World War, it was 1921 before Remington could begin manufacture of the new gun. About 48,000 Model 1917s were manufactured by the time it was discontinued in 1933 and replaced by the side-ejecting Model 31, which later evolved into the Model 870.

The Rise Of The Model 37
Meanwhile, the Ithaca Gun Company wanted to get into the slide-action shotgun business. Well known for its line of high-quality side-by-side doubles, the company saw a bright future for the less expensive pump models. The Winchester Model 12 had become very popular and was setting the standard for pump-action shotguns. The management at Ithaca wanted to give the Model 12 some competition. They were intrigued with Remington’s Model 17 and wanted to produce a similar gun.

The decision was made to wait until the patent for the Model 17 expired in 1933, at which time Ithaca would introduce a new bottom-ejection slide-action to be known as the Model 33. However, plans changed when Ithaca became aware of a patent obtained by designer John Pedersen for an improved version of the Remington Model 17, which was due to expire in 1936. Ithaca once again pushed back its plans for a pump gun.

There was time to have gun designer Harry Howland make some changes to the firing pin and ejector mechanism and, by 1937, Ithaca was ready to introduce the Model 37 to the shooting world. The Model 37 was a big success and went on to have the longest production run of any pump-action shotgun, surpassing that of the Winchester Model 12 — which had inspired the 37’s very existence. More than 2 million Model 37s have been produced over the gun’s 80-year history.

Ithaca Model 37 7-100th-Anny-catalogLike most of the old-line gunmakers of the 19th century, Ithaca has an interesting and complicated history. The company was founded in Ithaca, New York, in 1880 by partners William Henry Baker, Dwight McIntyre, John Van Natta and Leroy H. Smith. Mr. Smith was a brother of L.C. Smith, founder of the legendary double-barrel shotgun company that bore his name. When Leroy Smith died in 1902, he left his share of the company to his son, Louis, who for 17 years was Ithaca’s only salesman. He worked his way up to become president of the company and later was mayor of the city of Ithaca, New York.

Ithaca soon established itself as a major player in the firearms history. By 1924 Ithaca was making more than 50,000 guns per year, which was a lot for that period. During World War II, the government contracted with Ithaca to produced 1911A1 pistols, and at one time the company was making more than 2,000 pistols per day. More than 300,000 of the .45-caliber guns were made by Ithaca during the war.

In the 1960s, changes began to occur at the company. A Colorado company, Baldritch & Associates, bought Ithaca in 1967. It later became General Recreation Inc., which added general sporting goods, outdoor clothing and catamarans to its line. At that point, Ithaca was no longer a gun company.

In the early ‘70s the company went public and within a few years ran into financial troubles, sold off everything except Ithaca, and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1978, closing the plant for several months. General Recreation again filed for bankruptcy in 1985. Ithaca Acquisition took over the company and moved all the manufacturing to King Ferry, New York.

In 1987, the name of the Ithaca 37 shotgun was changed to the Model 87. Other than the name change, it was the same gun. The company changed hands again in the mid ‘90s, which changed the name of the pump gun back to the Model 37, and moved Ithaca Gun Co. LLC to Upper Sandusky, Ohio, where it remains today, turning out high quality Model 37s, 1911s and several variants of a high-grade rifle.

Ithaca Model 37 -Shotgun-takedownEvolution Of The Model 37
The Model 37 operates in much the same way as other pump-action shotguns. After loading the shells into the magazine and pressing the slide release located in the forward part of the trigger guard, rack the slide and push it forward, loading the chamber. Firing the gun by pulling the trigger releases the fore-end slide so it can be pulled to the rear to eject the spent shell and then pushed forward to quickly load another round into the chamber.

In the current catalog, you will find the Featherlight, Defense Gun, Deerslayer II, Deerslayer III, Turkey Slayer, Waterfowl, Trap Model, Women’s Stock and 28 Gauge. Other special models over the years have included the Military & Police, English Style with a straight grip, Sporting Clays, Grouse Special, Hogslayer, Home Defense, Rifled Deluxe with a rifle barrel for slugs, Magnum, Bicentennial and others.

Several big-city police departments, including New York City and Los Angeles, issued the 12-gauge, 20-inch barrel Military & Police Model to patrol units for many years. The M&P Model served our troops well in World War II, the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War.

In addition to those mentioned, there have been various high-grade models with hand-engraving gold inlays and highly figured walnut stocks. There is significant collector interest in some of the above models, especially the high-grade presentation and military-marked tactical guns.

The receivers of today’s Model 37s are made the way they were made years ago, from a solid block of steel. Modern CNC technology means that the machined parts are made more precisely than ever. Ithaca likes to make it clear that every part is made and assembled in the U.S.A.

Another feature of today’s Model 37 is that no soldering or brazing is used in the manufacture of the barrel. Lugs that are machined out of the barrel’s original steel block create what Ithaca calls the “truest, strongest barrel you will ever shoot.”

Stocks and fore-ends have laser-cut checkering and a nice red/brown stain, which brings out the grain of the fancy walnut. Grades are available in Fancy A, Fancy AA and Fancy AAA levels. Comb and length dimensions differ for the various models, and if specific measurements are needed, the Ithaca Custom Shop will provide. Standard dimensions are a 1.5-inch drop at comb, 2.25-inch at heel and a 14.25-inch length of pull, reduced to 14 inches for the 28 gauge. Each stock has a black Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad.

Ithaca Model 37 -Shotgun-beautyToday’s Model 37 is available in 12, 16, 20 and 28 gauge. The 28-gauge guns are built on a smaller receiver, which gives the model the easy handling and trim appearance one would expect for the gauge. Barrel lengths for 12-, 16- and 20-gauge guns are 26, 28 or 30 inches, and for the 28 gauge, 26 or 28 inches, all with lengthened forcing cones for better patterns and reduced recoil.

All barrels are steel-shot compatible, and current Model 37s come with three Briley choke tubes in full, modified and improved cylinder; a red TruGlo front sight; gold-plated trigger; and a five-round magazine capacity, with a plug to reduce it to 2+1 where required. Weights are listed at 7.6 pounds for the 12 gauge, 7.4 pounds for the 16, 6.8 pounds for the 20, and 6.1 pounds for the 28 gauge.

Suggested retail prices start at $784 for the Home Defense models, $895 for the standard hunting models, $1,020 for the trap guns, $1,145 for 28 gauges, and $1,150 to $1,350 for the Deerslayer models, depending on features.

I’ve owned quite a few shotguns over the years — over/unders, side-by-sides, autoloaders and pumps. In my safe I still have my 20-gauge Model 37 from 1960, which was my first shotgun and is still my favorite.

Editor’s Note: This “Collector’s Corner” column is an excerpt from the November 2017 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

Ballistics Basics: Bullet Efficiency And Ballistic Coefficients

By
Ryan Cleckner
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How aerodynamic a bullet is certainly has an appreciable effect on that bullet’s speed on its way to the target.

  • The more efficient a bullet is, the better it will maintain its speed.
  • And this means it will also be less affected by external variables.
  • A bullet’s ballistic coefficient is calculated by a model based off its density and shape.
  • A bullet’s BC will differ depending on whether the G1 or G7 drag model is used.

We have discussed how gravity and wind are the two main variables that affect your bullet’s path. The longer they have to act on your projectile, the more of an effect they’ll have. For example, your bullet doesn’t fall more at farther distances because of the distance (the bullet doesn’t know how far it is traveling), but rather because it takes longer to reach a farther target, and therefore it has more time to fall due to gravity.

Ultimate-Predator-Rifle-1024×682

There are three variables that determine a bullet’s speed on its way to the target:

  1. The initial speed of the bullet
  2. The efficiency of the bullet
  3. External/environmental variables

We explored the first variable, the initial speed of the bullet, in the last column. Simply, the faster one starts out, the more remaining velocity it will have at the target. Although a faster bullet isn’t necessarily more accurate, it’s affected less by gravity and wind.

Time To Slow Down

All bullets start to slow down the moment they leave the barrel. This is because of drag caused by wind resistance. How much a bullet slows down depends on the density (thickness) of the air and the efficiency of the bullet.

External/environmental variables, such as air pressure, temperature, altitude and humidity can change the density of the air. These variables, which we’ll discuss in the next column, can change each time and location you shoot. Therefore, these variables are mostly a concern when you’re trying to determine the change in your bullet’s speed from the last time(s) you went shooting.

Efficiency Matters

A more efficient bullet will maintain its speed better, and it’s not affected as much by the environmental variables.

Think about it this way: An arrow is more aerodynamically efficient than a tennis ball. Both can be launched at the same speed, but an arrow will fly farther because it doesn’t slow down as much due to wind resistance and therefore maintains its speed better. They are both going to fall at the same rate due to gravity, but the arrow will travel farther in the amount of time it takes both objects to fall.

4_Star-Rifle-Review

If we change the density of what the two objects are traveling through, the less-efficient tennis ball will be affected by the change more. As an extreme example, let’s use water because it is easy to picture how much denser it is than air. Both objects will slow down much faster in water, but the arrow won’t slow down as much from its original speed in the air as will the tennis ball. Conversely, if we launched the two objects in a vacuum (no air resistance), then both would continue to fly at the same speed.

These hypothetical examples show us two things: 1) A more aerodynamically efficient bullet won’t slow down as much on its way to the target, and 2) efficiency doesn’t matter as much when the air density is low (thin air).

Bullet Efficiency

A bullet’s efficiency is measured by its ballistic coefficient (BC). The higher the BC, the less drag on the bullet.

The BC of a bullet is a ratio calculated by a mathematical model based off of its density and its particular shape. The best styles for long-range shooting will have high density and aerodynamically efficient shapes. Bullets for hunting, however, might benefit from not having an aerodynamic shape. For example, a lead round-nosed bullet can sure pack a punch! It doesn’t pass through the air, or the animal, easily.

A bullet’s density is a ratio of a bullet’s mass and its cross-sectional area. Simply, large and light bullets are less dense than small and heavy ones. For example, a ping-pong ball is less dense than a marble.

For BC calculations, the shape of a bullet is compared to pre-determined “drag models.” The two most common drag models are G1 and G7. The G1 drag model is based off of a stereotypical spitzer bullet (pointed nose) with a flat base. The G7 drag model, which is gaining popularity, is based off of a more aerodynamically shaped options with a boat-tail base (it tapers back).

A particular bullet will have a different BC depending on whether the G1 or G7 drag model is used. This is because the value for the shape of the bullet is determined by how close its shape is to the drag model. A decent BC for a bullet based on the G1 drag model is in the 0.5-0.6 range, whereas the same bullet’s BC based on the G7 drag model will be in the 0.2-0.3 range.

Bullet-efficiency-first

This difference in the two BCs for the same bullet is because an efficient bullet’s performance will be much better than the G1 model and only slightly better than the G7 model. If a bowling ball was used for the drag model, the BC would be very high because the bullet would be much more efficient as it flew through the air.

Be careful here. Manufacturers might be tempted to advertise high BCs for their bullets, and the comparison to the drag model is more complicated than I made it out to be and actually changes with speed.

Does the actual BC matter? Absolutely not. Instead, the BC is best used as a comparative number between different bullets. Don’t chase a particular BC. Instead, when you’re making the decision on which one to use for the best long-range performance, choose the one that shoots well in your rifle first. If more than one bullet shoots equally well, then choose the one with the higher BC.

This article originally appeared in the Fall 2017 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

Gun Review: Nighthawk Border Special 1911

By
Doug Larson
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The Nighthawk Border Special 1911 does whatever you ask of it, and it does it well. It is designed by former peace officer Jim Wilson.

What to know about Nighthawk’s Border Special 1911:

  • Retired peace officer Jim Wilson issued design specs for the Nighthawk Boarder Special
  • It is a 1911 tailor made for concealed carry and personal defense.
  • Built on a Commander-sized frame, the Border Special has a 4.25-inch barrel.
  • The .45 ACP has a shorter trigger than most 1911s and no noticeable overtravel.
  • Each Border Special is hand-fitted by one gunsmith, ensuring each is tuned to near perfection.

Not many shooters had ever heard of Nighthawk Custom when it began making 1911 pistols in 2004. Started by four individuals, more than a decade later it now employs about 65 people and specializes not only in custom 1911s, but also in fighting shotguns, and most recently in revolvers. It produced a few models of a freakishly accurate bolt-action rifle for a short while but discontinued that line, resulting in a sharp increase in the value of those previously purchased.

A striking, deep and smooth Cerakote Elite Midnight finish applied to the frame and slide promotes abrasion resistance, and highly polished double-diamond cocobolo grips with custom grip screws provide a solid gripping surface during recoil. Border Special 1911
A striking, deep and smooth Cerakote Elite Midnight finish applied to the frame and slide promotes abrasion resistance, and highly polished double-diamond cocobolo grips with custom grip screws provide a solid gripping surface during recoil.

But Nighthawk has always made high-end 1911s, and one of the most recent additions to the line is the Border Special, which was designed by Jim Wilson, a retired peace officer with nearly 30 years of experience and who also served as the Sheriff of Crockett County, Texas. Wilson has lived in the Southwest border country for many years, where gunfights happen all too regularly. He’s also a well-known gun writer and has applied his accumulated knowledge and experience in selecting the features for the Border Special. His good taste and insight about what works shows in every feature of this gun.

Simple And Functional Elegance

The Border Special is a gun designed for carry and personal defense, so it was built on a Commander-size 1911 frame that has a standard-length grip — with a shorter slide and a 4.25-inch barrel instead of a 5-inch barrel. A little muzzle velocity is sacrificed, but the gun is easier to carry. Besides, the Border Special is chambered in .45 ACP, a cartridge with a good reputation for ending violent criminal behavior, even from the shorter 4.25-inch barrel.

A striking feature that’s immediately obvious when the Border Special is first seen is the beautiful, deep and smooth Cerakote Elite Midnight finish applied to the frame and slide. Traditional Cerakote is a thin film ceramic coating that’s extremely hard and corrosion resistant, but the Elite series of coatings is even harder, more abrasion resistant and has a low coefficient of friction that provides lubricity.

The rear sight is a Heinie Slant Pro Black, and up front Nighthawk installs its own gold bead front sight — complemented by glare-reducing serrations that run between the sights. Border Special 1911
The rear sight is a Heinie Slant Pro Black, and up front Nighthawk installs its own gold bead front sight — complemented by glare-reducing serrations that run between the sights.

The highly polished double-diamond cocobolo grips with custom grip screws contrast nicely with the Cerakote and provide a good gripping surface to anchor the gun in the hand during recoil. Nighthawk has also applied what it calls a “concealed carry cut scallop” to the front strap and mainspring housing to enhance the grip. These scallops are not only good looking, they also provide a slip-resistant surface that doesn’t have the sharp edges associated with traditional checkering that can cut hands after repeated draws in a long training class.

In order to reduce telltale printing through a garment worn over the gun to carry it discreetly, Nighthawk bobbed the heel of the grip. Basically, the heel is lopped off, which requires a cut to the frame and the mainspring housing. Despite the loss of a little of the real estate at the back of the gun, it’s still a comfortable gun to shoot and provides plenty of gripping surface.

Trigger Technicalities

These days, most manufacturers install a long-reach trigger on 1911s, but the Border Special has a short trigger with an overtravel adjustment screw and serrations on the front. There was no discernible over-travel, and the trigger broke cleanly after just a bit of take-up. Reset was distinct for those who are overly concerned with this feature.

Many people are going to like the trigger because the finger doesn’t have to be extended as far as with the normally seen long trigger. It’s a subtle difference, but the shooter will find it easier to apply a steady, firm pressure. When the finger is not extended as far, leverage changes, and a heavy, steady pressure can be more easily applied, resulting in a smoother stroke and more trigger control. And shooters with shorter fingers will definitely appreciate it.

Subtle Details

The nicely checkered magazine release is a little longer than a stock release, but not so long as to be prone to accidental activation. The magazine well is slightly beveled to easily accept the two eight-round magazines supplied. The slide stop has a fairly wide shelf to make it easier to manipulate, and Nighthawk has added a special touch — a groove or notch cut into the back that contacts the plunger tube pin during assembly. The groove pushes the pin back into the plunger tube, allowing the stop to be pushed straight into the gun, reducing the possibility of scratching the frame. It makes assembly a bit easier and is a nice touch.

Although not visually obvious, the shooter’s trigger finger doesn’t have to be extended as far as with the normally seen long trigger, which changes leverage and results in a smoother stroke and more trigger control. Border Special 1911
Although not visually obvious, the shooter’s trigger finger doesn’t have to be extended as far as with the normally seen long trigger, which changes leverage and results in a smoother stroke and more trigger control.

The thumb safety is also a bit wider than normal, making it easier to manipulate, and it worked positively during testing. The hammer is skeletonized, and the beavertail grip safety has the familiar palm swell to assure positive activation.

Up top, the slide has rear cocking serrations with the Nighthawk logo behind them on both sides of the slide. On the right side of the slide, the gun sports the words “BORDER SPECIAL” in front of the ejection port, but on request, Nighthawk will omit them. The ejection port is wide, flared and lowered, and there was no evidence of ejected brass contacting the slide on the test gun.

Nighthawk-Accuracy

On the upper surface of the slide, Nighthawk has cut glare-reducing longitudinal serrations that run between the front and rear sights. The rear sight is a Heinie Slant Pro Black with a square notch and horizontal serrations on the backside. There are no dots on it. Up front, Nighthawk installs its own gold bead front sight. The front blade is all black except for a genuine gold dot that draws the eye, encouraging a front sight focus. Gold bead front sights have been around for a long time, but fell out of favor when white dots, fiber optics or night sights became popular. But the old-timers knew something about sights when they used a gold bead because it does not tarnish, is tough and reflects what little light there might be, making the front sight easier to see. Gold glitters.

The Border Special’s match barrel has a fluted hood that gives it a distinct look. The barrel and bushing fit tightly — but not so tightly that it degraded reliability of the test gun. The bushing fit snugly in the slide, but disassembly and turning the bushing were still possible without the aid of a bushing wrench. And the guide rod and spring plug are shortened for use in a Commander-size gun.

One-On-One Attention

Nighthawk-specs
All this attention to detail and hand fitting by one gunsmith — Nighthawk lets one gunsmith build each gun instead of having several gunsmiths work on a single gun — resulted in the test gun being very accurate, with some groups off the bench at 25 yards being less than 1 inch. The slightly extra weight of the all-steel frame compared to a lightweight aluminum frame sometimes found on Commander-size 1911s helped absorb felt recoil, making the Border Special pleasant to shoot and easy to get back on target quickly. Sheriff Jim Wilson obviously put a lot of thought into designing this gun, and it delivers.

Editor’s Notes: This article originally appeared in the October 2017 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

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