A sporterized Springfield M1903 and Mauser Model 98 were among some of the top items at Rock Island Auction Company’s June Regional Auction. Photo RIAC
Rock Island Auction Company’s latest event had no trouble getting collector to break out their cash. In all, the Illinois company had $4.5 million in sales at its June Regional Auction.
As would be expected, a Civil War era Henry rifle drew top dollar at the event. Photo RIAC.
The numbers the world’s largest firearms auction house generated were of little surprise. The firearms that tallied up the numbers, however, did raise some eyebrows.
Classic blue chip rifles, shotguns and handguns had bidders reaching for their wallets at the June 26-28 event. But there was a fair share of more contemporary guns that had collectors attempting to best each other.
For the most part, these newer firearms all had one thing in common — military service. Along these lines, one of the top draws were actually two of the 20th Century’s most heralded battle rifles that had been modified for sporting purposes.
A lot containing a customized Springfield Armory M1903 and a Mauser Model 98 was sold for a whopping $5,462. This far exceeded what RIAC expected the .30-06 and 7x57mm to draw with the company estimating they would move for a humble $1,100.
A multi-gun collection of AK- and SKS-style rifles also vastly outperformed expectations. The five guns had been anticipated to move for a mere $1,300, but went out the door for $4,312 instead. This particular lot was so sought after there was activity from 26 bidders before the auction even began.
Appearing in The Outlaw Jose Wales made this replica Colt 1851 revolver’s price skyrocket into five figures. Photo RIAC
While some younger upstarts muscled into the spotlight of the auction, old standbys still drew top dollar.
As would be expected, a Civil War era Henry rifle recorded one of the highest prices of the auction. The rifle drew a winning bid of $20,700; adding to its desirability were markings indicating it was government inspected, thus had potentially seen action in the conflict.
The auction not only moved guns of national historic significance, but also those that had made a mark in entertainment.
A Pietta reproduction of a Colt 1851 Navy drew a winning bid of $17,250, given it was used in the Clint Eastwood film The Outlaw Josie Wales. The unique item came with a framed certificate of authenticity.
The author, Gun Digest Publisher Jim Schlender, left, joined author Massad Ayoob for a firsthand look at the new Glock 43 at the Glock range in Smyrna, GA. Ayoob serves on the board of the Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network.
Every day, sure as the sun rises, I receive a series of emails from Stephen Wenger with the latest news about guns. Much of what makes headlines is about the use of firearms for self-defense. Wenger’s site, Defensive Use of Firearms, is a treasure-trove of information on the topic, and I suggest you go there to sign up for his daily updates.
These incidents show that if, God forbid, you have to use a gun for self-defense, the trauma from that life-changing event is just the beginning. You’ll interact with witnesses, police and attorneys, and where the whole thing goes from there is only a guess. In a perfect world, the good guy is recognized as such.
But this isn’t a perfect world. Recognizing that fact, Marty Hayes, his wife (and Gun Digest book author) Gila Hayes, and J. Vincent Schuck, started the Armed Citizens’ Legal Defense Network (ACLDN).
The ACLDN is a for-profit membership organization that provides support following a self-defense incident. Its advisory board reads like a who’s-who of self-defense experts. The Network’s legal support means someone has your back when you need it most. A few of its services include up to $10,000 deposit against attorney fees to ensure you have legal counsel during questioning, to interact with the media, and to handle other initial defense needs. The ACLDN helps find you a competent attorney, provides case review and trial strategy assistance, and funds expert witnesses to explain your self-defense actions to a jury.
The member education package, which includes eight lectures on DVD plus a copy of Massad Ayoob’s excellent book, “Deadly Force,” alone is worth the $125 annual membership fee.
Gun Digest is proud to announce our partnership with ACLDN. You can now purchase a membership here at the Gun Digest store. When you sign up through Gun Digest, you’ll also get a free copy of a fantastic e-book, “Gun Digest Book of Concealed Carry Holsters,” authored by our online editor, Corey Graff.
I hope you don’t ever have to be in the headlines for defending yourself, but if you do, joining the ACLDN could turn out to be the best decision you’ve ever made.
Savage’s new Model 112 Magnum Target Rifle offers shooters a thrifty option in .338 Lapua.
There are few that will dispute the long-range accuracy of the .338 Lapua. However, there is a challenge in harnessing the round’s precision.
The powerful and ballistically gifted cartridge is none too cheap, and neither are the rifles that shoot it. But Savage Arms is shooting to end the assault on the pocketbook of those who desire the utmost exactitude at distance.
The Massachusetts manufacturer has done this with the recent introduction of the Model 112 Magnum Target rifle. The platform offers the effectiveness of the .338 Lapua, but with a MSRP of $1,177 is much more affordable than most other options presently available.
Savage built the rifle around its single-shot Magnum Action and mated it with a number of other features to enhance accuracy. Some of these include a pillar-bedded heavy barrel and the company’s adjustable AccuTrigger, which can be dialed down to a pull weight of just 6 ounces.
The Model 112 Magnum Target rifle weighs in at 12 pounds and is 49.8 inches in overall length. It has a 26-inch barrel, which is button rifled — like all of Savages firearms. And the long-range instrument is outfitted with a grey wood laminate stock and comes with a muzzle break.
The Pro Sporting, one of two new Citori 725s Browning recently released.
Browning has added a slew of new models to its Citori 725 line of shotguns this year. And the latest additions appear tailor made for shooters searching for a customizable gun.
The Utah company’s Pro Sporting and Pro Trap models are designed to adjust to their owners through a number of modifiable features. The one that might catch the most eyes is the Pro Balance System.
The in-stock weight system allows shooters to fine-tune their guns balance point. This feature should make both the field and competition over/unders fast to shoulder and quick to swing.
The Pro Trap Citori 725 features a raised rib, making it a quick pointer.
Also adding to the Pro Sporting and Pro Trap’s adaptability are their Pro Fit Adjustable Combs. This should be a nice add-on, which will allow each shooter to make his gun a natural pointer with a few turns of a screw.
The new shotguns have a number of features common to all Citori 725s, including: Fire Lite Mechanical Trigger System; full-width hinge pin and tapered locking bolt; and Invector-DS choke tube system.
The Citori 725 Pro Sporting will be offered in 12 and 20 gauge with 30- or 32-inch barrels at a suggested retail of $3,999.99. The Citori 725 Pro Trap 12 gauge features a high rib and with 30- or 32-inch barrels and a suggested retail of $3,999.99.
Concealed carry training in gun safety, marksmanship and legal issues is the pathway to the “not guilty” verdict we want to hear at the end of a month-long court case. Here is how it works.
In every state in the land, the jury will judge your self-defense actions against the standard of the reasonable person. What would a reasonable person, knowing what you knew at the time, have done under the same or similar circumstances? The jury will receive jury instructions from the court, but when it is decision time, when an individual juror votes “guilty” or “not guilty,” they will be asking themselves, “Would I have done the same thing, in his or her shoes?”
Of course, the jurors weren’t in your shoes, and they likely don’t have a level of training and expertise equal to yours, so giving them that level of training, communicated through your defense attorney, will be your job.
You see, the issue is your mindset at the time you pointed your gun at the criminal suspects and, if necessary, pulled the trigger. The jury needs to see the incident through your eyes, but it is your responsibility to make sure what they envision is accurate.
You accomplish this through the admission of evidence of your training, and I do not mean just a list of classes you attended. You need to introduce actual training documents or videos into court. The judge will rule whether the jury can see those materials.
In fact, the judge has great latitude over what evidence is admissible, and admissibility of evidence is rarely overturned on appeal. The appellate courts routinely write that they believe the court (the judge) knows best as far as the admissibility of evidence. The rule of admission of evidence basically states that all “relevant” evidence is admissible, unless it is either unreliable or excessively prejudicial.
If the judge believes that you actually did not know the training material and it was not part of your mindset, or that the training material or video is “overly prejudicial,” then he or she will not let your attorney discuss it. A real life example is seen in Larry Hickey’s trial.
Before the incident, Hickey had studied a dash cam video of a Texas law enforcement officer being overpowered and killed with his own weapon. Hickey testified that he thought about that footage while he was being attacked, but the judge would not let the video be played in court because she said it was overly prejudicial. Of course, defense attorney Matthew Messmer objected to the disqualification of this video. If Hickey had been convicted, Judge Godoy’s ruling would have been a very valid point of appeal.
Admitted into Evidence
How do you get a DVD or set of class notes admitted into evidence? Let’s say that you become the victim of road rage. Perhaps the assailants followed you to a parking lot and surrounded you. This is a classic pre-attack maneuver. Your decision to draw your firearm and display it to short-circuit what you perceived as an impending attack, despite the fact that they never exhibited any overt intention to harm you, can likely be justified if you were trained to recognize pre-attack indicators.
In my work with the Armed Citizens’ Legal Defense Network, I am tasked with developing court-admissible educational materials for the protection of our members. For example, in one video, Recognizing and Responding to Pre-Attack Indicators, I focus on being able to articulate what you saw that put you in danger. In that program, Marc MacYoung stages scenarios to clearly demonstrate what people do when they are preparing to commit a crime of violence against another person. Of all the titles in our member-education set, this one is of critical importance when it comes to defending yourself in court.
For that DVD program to be introduced in court, you must be able to positively state that you knew the lesson’s content ahead of time and learned it from that DVD. The DVD would then be introduced to the jury, the judge having previously ruled on its admissibility. The jury can be shown the part of the DVD pertinent to your situation, and then the jury will be able to decide if they, knowing what you knew at the time, would have drawn a gun and told multiple assailants to back away.
Because other pre-attack indicators—including verbal threats, physical gestures and more—go along with the flanking maneuver in our example, perhaps the entire video would be played in court, and your attorney could direct further exploration of lessons that applied to the particular incident being judged.
This is a complex subject with a lot of facets both trainers and students must consider. In Part II, I’ll discuss how training can hurt you in court.
Get help following a self-defense incident when it’s needed most. Unlike insurance, the Armed Citizens’ Legal Defense Network, Inc. pays the legal expenses as they emerge, rather than requiring the need to raise the money to get to “Not Guilty,” then apply for reimbursement. Join here and get a FREE download
Ruger is making caliber conversion a snap with a new addition to its piston-driven AR line, outfitting this new SR-556 with a removable and replaceable barrel.
Ruger has made a fair bit of hay in the realm of takedown rifles. But, generally, it has had a narrow focus on this style of firearm.
The New Hampshire/Arizona manufacturer has mainly concerned itself with space conservation when it comes to takedowns. Perhaps the best known example is the company’s takedown model of its iconic .22 rifle, the 10/22.
Ruger’s latest endeavor into this system, however, shoots to do more than offer shooters a compact package. The company’s new SR-556 Takedown also aims at giving them the utmost in flexibility when it comes to calibers.
Ruger’s latest addition to its piston-driven line of AR-style rifles allows shooters to jump between 5.56 NATO and .300 Blackout cartridges with little more than a push and twist of the barrel.
This appears to have some definite advantages.
While the ability to switch calibers is baked into the cake of ARs, given their modular design, it does take some doing. On most systems, the entire upper has to be remove, which calls for some tools — at least a bullet to push out the takedown pins.
Ruger’s new scheme, however, is completely tool free, with locking lugs on the outside of the barrel’s chamber anchoring it to the monolithic upper.
The company has striven to maintain continuity between calibers and nowhere is this seen more than on the front sights. The sights are completely adjustable for windage and elevation, so shooters can fine-tune a zero that stays with the barrel. The new SR-556 has been outfitted with Ruger’s Elite 452 AR Trigger, which should be a leg up on the Mil-Spec variety. The proprietary trigger is two-stage and has a snappy 4.5-pound trigger pull.
The rifle is outfitted with a two-stage piston system, Magpul MOE grip and buttstock and has a chrome-lined cold-hammer-forged chrome-moly-vanadium barrel. The SR-556 ships with three Magpul 30-round PMAGs.
The carbine has an MSRP of $2,049; the .300 Blackout conversion kit is currently priced $449.
SR-556 Takedown Specs Caliber: 5.56 NATO and .300 Blackout (with conversion kit) Barrel Length: 16.1 inches Twist Rate: 1:9-inch RH Overall Length: 32.75 to 36 inches Weight: 7.6 pounds
No sights come on the Grendel Hunter, but its flattop receiver makes the mounting of optics or backup iron sights a snap. The new Leupold VX-6 4-24×52 scope was perfect for wringing out the last drop of accuracy from the AR, and Talley’s Tactical 34mm Black Armor rings were rock solid.
Accuracy-minded shooters take notice—the Alexander Arms 6.5 Grendel Hunter means business.
The 6.5 Grendel is one of the more purposefully designed accuracy cartridges to ever come down the pike. So when an equally unique rifle for it comes along, accuracy-minded shooters sit up and take notice. The “Grendel Hunter” from Alexander Arms is an AR with attitude and the results to back it up.
The 6.5 Grendel cartridge itself is equally impressive. Its goals were simple yet heretofore elusive in all but a few contemporary rounds, i.e., the .22 and 6PPC and similar wildcats. In fact, the 6.5 Grendel can trace its lineage to some of these outstanding cartridges. It was designed from the ground up to provide the optimum combination of power, efficiency and accuracy in America’s “modern sporting rifle” – the AR-15. To this end, it has succeeded remarkably.
While the Grendel has been used successfully for hunting a large variety of medium-sized big game and varmints, there was no specific hunting model until now, with the release of the Grendel Hunter model from Alexander Arms. The company is headed up by the inimitable Bill Alexander, and is located at the U.S. Army Arsenal in Radford, Va. Bill Alexander is a multitalented engineer who had worked for the British Ministry of Defense.
I caught up with him at a recent industry gig, and talked with him at length about the trials and tribulations that led to the 6.5mm Grendel Hunter. I love talking to Bill because you can’t help but learn a bunch of neat, new information. Bill is one of those people who’s so smart it’s scary. As he expounds on firearm design, ballistics and especially the 6.5 Grendel, you can almost hear the wheels whirling in his head at 100 miles an hour, and his enthusiasm and passion are infectious. When the Cold War ended, Bill said he “turned his attention to ARs. They are great rifles.” But he added that he wanted to “make the AR a little more versatile.” He saw the need for a flat-shooting, hard-hitting cartridge that would broaden the horizon of the AR rifle, and the Grendel was the result. Bill told me, “I designed the 6.5 Grendel specifically as a hunting cartridge.”
Alexander Arms ARs have always been made with the care and precision that result in high-quality guns. There isn’t much really all that new in the Grendel Hunter except for the finish and, of course, the 6.5 Grendel chambering. Alexander Arms has offered various versions of its ARs chambered for the Grendel since its introduction at the 2004 SHOT Show, and this is the latest iteration.
The fluted 18-inch, stainless steel barrel is matte black, and has six grooves with a right-hand twist of one turn in 8 inches – steep enough for the heaviest bullets that can realistically be launched out of the modest-sized Grendel case. Although the rifle does not come equipped with a muzzle brake or flash hider, the muzzle has 9⁄16-24 threads so that accessories can be added, if desired, and a thread protector comes as standard.
The caliber is marked below the Alexander Arms crest on the left side of the receiver. Controls are in the familiar places.
The handle is a comfortable Ergo Grip, and the collapsible B5 stock allows length-of-pull adjustment from 12½ to 14½ inches, handy when shooting from awkward positions, in heavy winter clothing or at steep angles from a coyote set.
The single-stage trigger is Alexander Arm’s Tactical style with skeletonized hammer and disconnector. Pull weight on my test rifle was 5 pounds, 6 ounces. Alexander Arms says it’s “glass rod” crisp, and they aren’t kidding. The flattop receiver is festooned with plenty of M-1913 Picatinny rail slots for the attachment of optics or a rear sight. Provision for a front sight is a MK10 Plus rail section atop the 12½-inch cylindrical, free-floated handguard, and three additional attachment points are spaced around the front of the handguard at 90-degree intervals.
Without sights, the new model weighs in at a comfortable 6 pounds, 9 ounces; with the addition of a relatively lightweight scope, it would easily come in at under 8 pounds. The fat, 34mm Leupold VX-6 4-24x52mm scope I used for testing brought the weight to a little under 9 pounds. Admittedly, this superlative scope was a bit of overkill, but it is certainly high on the “wow” factor. Probably the coolest feature of this new AR is the finish. It is a camo pattern called Kryptek Highlander, and is very attractive and would look right at home in the field.
For my money, though, the pièce de résistance of this outfit is the 6.5 Grendel cartridge itself. This was no haphazard development, and its circuitous history illustrates the amount of thought and experimentation that went into its design. It took many years, but the result is well worth it. Here’s a brief chronology.
In 1943, the Russian 7.62×39 was developed for their military. Never content, in the late 1950s, the Russians necked down that round to hold a 5.67mm (.223 inch) bullet for deer hunting, and they called it the .220 Russian.
The Hunter’s trigger is what Alexander Arms calls the Tactical Blade Trigger. It broke at 5 pounds, 6 ounces, and was as crisp as could be.
In 1975, Dr. Louis Palmisano and gunsmith Ferris Pendell developed a .22 caliber target round based on the .220 Russian, and called it the .22 PPC (Pendell Palmisano Cartridge). It went on to achieve phenomenal success in the benchrest game.
In 1984, Dr. Palmisano and noted ballistician Bill Davis developed the 6.5 PPC cartridge, also based on the .220 Russian case. This was for use in bolt-action guns by the U.S. Shooting Team in the 1986 World Championships. While the performance of the new round was fine, the team stuck with the 6mm cartridge they were already using at the time.
The 6 PPC, a necked-up version of the .22 PPC, came along in 1988 and has rightfully earned the reputation of “the most accurate cartridge in the world.” Also in 1988, a noted competition shooter, Arne Brennan, started experimenting with the 6.5 PPC, and in 2000, discussed his results with Dr. Palmisano. Brennan has written extensively and authoritatively on the Grendel.
About this time, Bill Alexander became interested in the cartridge. This wasn’t his first rodeo, as he had designed several unique cartridges, and the 6.5 Grendel was merely his latest brainchild. When Bill turned his attention to ARs, he tweaked the case of a cartridge of known accuracy, the 6PPC or 6mm PPC. He necked it up 6.5mm, shortened the neck a bit and moved the shoulder forward. This increased the powder capacity just enough to increase hunting-weight bullet velocity and downrange punch. Bill also thickened the neck to increase case life in the rough and tumble world of the semiauto rifle. The contributions of Lapua engineer Janne Pohjoispää around 2003 were significant here, too. The end result was the introduction at the 2004 SHOT Show of the 6.5 Grendel cartridge and rifles to shoot it.
It is interesting to note that the name “Grendel” was initially a trademarked cartridge, which precluded it from being produced by any other company, and significantly, from being considered by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (S.A.A.M.I.) for approval as a factory round. In 2010, Hornady obtained a licensing agreement with Alexander Arms, and began making ammunition and reloading dies. Alexander Arms subsequently released its trademark and Hornady submitted the round to S.A.A.M.I., also in 2010. Final approval was granted June 12, 2012, and the Grendel was off and running. Maximum Average Pressure (MAP) was set at 52K psi; now any company could make Grendel products.
Magazines with followers for the 6.5 Grendel are of steel. One 10-round magazine comes standard, with four- and 26-round magazines also available from Alexander Arms.
The name Grendel is from the epic Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf (circa 700-1000 A.D.). As the story goes, the mythical monster Grendel had been ravaging the mead-hall of Herot, killing and eating anyone he finds there. The vicious Grendel is feared by all, except Beowulf, who is not about to take any grief from Grendel and sets out to destroy him. Finally, Beowulf succeeds in killing Grendel by ripping his arm off. After also killing Grendel’s mother, Beowulf finds Grendel’s corpse and removes his head as a trophy. (Whether or not the head was mounted is not known.) It is perhaps only logical that one of Bill’s other cartridges is the ponderous .50 Beowulf.
While metric calibers have never been very popular in the States, the 6.5mm caliber has had an enviable reputation as a game getter for years. The high sectional densities and modest velocities of the long-for-caliber bullets from most 6.5mm rounds result in deep penetration and reliable expansion, without bullet blow-up.
Hunting history is rife with the tales of derring-do with 6.5mm cartridges. W.D.M. Bell whacked many elephants and Werner von Alvensleben slew hundreds of buffalo with what they termed a “small-bore rifle,” namely, the 6.5×54 Mannlicher-Schönauer. African hunter John Taylor noted in his 1948 tome African Rifles and Cartridges that the 160-grain 6.5mm bullet had about the best diameter-to-weight ratio of any game bullet, although Taylor wasn’t a big fan of the 6.5 on larger African game. Today, the 6.5mm is well represented in the cartridge lineup, with the 6.5 Creedmoor, .260 Remington, 6.5-284 Norma, .264 Winchester Magnum and the brand new .26 Nosler, to name a few. Factory ammo for the Grendel is relatively plentiful these days. Hornady offers two loads with 123-grain bullets, the A-MAX and SST. I was unable to locate the A-MAX load, but I shot the SST version. It is cataloged at 2,620 fps, clocked 2,429 fps out of the AR’s 18-inch barrel and accuracy averaged a delightful .68 MOA. Hornady’s ballistic wizard, Dave Emary, told me that this SST is specifically designed for small- to mid-sized big game, such as antelope or whitetail deer.
Alexander Arms itself lists five excellent factory loads in its catalog. Bullets are the Hornady 129-grain SST, 123-grain Lapua Scenar, Barnes’ 120-grain TS-X, the Nosler 120-grain Ballistic Tip and Swift’s 130-grain Scirocco. Although not listed in their 2013 catalog, I shot some Alexander Arms ammo loaded with the Berger 100-grain HPBT bullet. It was the fastest load tested at 2,704 fps and grouped into .68 MOA. Specs on three additional Alexander Arms loads tested are: 120-grain TS-X (2,457 fps, 1.47 MOA), 129-grain Hornady SST (2,308 fps, 1.77 MOA) and 130-grain Scirocco (2,258 fps, 1.65 MOA).
Finally, for “blasting ammo,” Wolf’s 120-grain HPBT load from (where else?) Russia, is only $15.99 a box from Alexander Arms, MidwayUSA and other sources. This ammo is brass-cased and Boxer-primed, but the brass is pretty soft and really not suitable for reloading. In the Grendel AR, it registered 2,392 fps and shot a respectable 1.07 MOA average. All of the factory load data is shown in the accompanying table.
Handloading the Grendel is where the fun starts. Most manufacturers of reloading tools make reloading dies, and Alexander Arms offers them, too. With the number of powders and high-tech bullets available, it is easy to tailor ammo for benchrest competition, long-range targets, plinking, varmints and big game.
Frankly, load development in the Grendel is mundane. About the only requirements are a primer in one end of the case, a bullet in the other and a safe powder charge in between. That’s about it. It’s downright difficult to find a load that won’t shoot like gangbusters in the Grendel. The famous PPC case shape, a good barrel, the inherent accuracy of the AR platform and today’s quality components all add up to fine performance.
The 6.5 Grendel case takes small rifle primers, and standard caps are all that are required. New cases are available from Alexander Arms, Hornady and Nosler. Alexander Arms cases are made by Lapua, and have the PPC-sized small flash hole, thought to be a component in the PPC accuracy equation.
Load data are readily available in most contemporary loading manuals, and the comprehensive two-volume set of 6.5 Grendel Reloading Handbooks by Joseph Smith, Paul Scott and Gregory Luli (see references) is a must for all 6.5 Grendel reloaders.
I tested over 40 handloads in the AR, and the average accuracy of all of them was 1.19 MOA; the best 25 percent averaged .76 MOA and for the top 50 percent, it was .87 MOA. Those results are no fluke.
The table shows just the best loads for seven bullets that demonstrate the superb accuracy of the 6.5 Grendel that the reloader can use as a starting point for a big-game load. In fact, I am going to pick one of these loads for an upcoming exotic sheep hunt in Texas.
The best powders in my tests were IMR-8208XBR, CFE-223 and Norma N-201. Bullet standouts were the Nosler Partitions and the Hornady SST. Because of the limited capacity of the Grendel case, about the heaviest bullets that are practical weigh 100 to 123 grains. These test results pretty much demonstrate why the 6.5 Grendel is firmly established as a super-accurate cartridge. With the addition of the Alexander Arms Grendel Hunter rifle, more hunters can take to the field with what may well be the optimum combination of power, portability, ballistic efficiency and pinpoint accuracy.
Alexander Arms Grendel Hunter Type: Direct gas impingement semiautomatic AR-15 Caliber: 6.5 Grendel Capacity: One 10-round magazine supplied, four- and 26-round magazines available Barrel: 18-inch fluted stainless steel, six-grooves, 8-inch twist; muzzle threaded 9/16-24, thread protector provided Overall length: 36¾ inches Weight: 6 pounds, 9 ounces (with empty 10-round magazine); 8 pounds, 10½ ounces (with scope and mount, as tested) Trigger: Blade-type Tactical single-stage trigger, weight of pull 5 pounds, 6 ounces, skeletonized trigger, hammer and disconnector Sights: None. Flattop receiver standard scope/optic mounts. Leupold VX-6 4-24×52 CDS 34mm scope with T-MOA Reticle (as tested) Scope Mount: Talley Tactical 34mm Black Armor Rings (as tested) Finish: Matte black finish on barrel, Kryptek Highlander camo pattern on upper, lower and stock, black Ergo Grip Handguard: Free-floated 12.5-inch, one MK10 Plus Rail section, four attachment points for additional rails Stock: Adjustable for length of pull (12½ to 14½ inches) MSRP: TBD Website: alexanderarms.com
With new shooters getting into the game at an unprecedented rate, finding a gun range at which to shoot is probably one of the most common concerns in our ranks today.
Indeed, it’s a valid concern even for avid shooters looking for a place that’s a little more private, lets them stretch their long-distance skills or provides the right venue for competition training.
Tip: Don’t go to any range without a pack or two of Gun Digest’s EZ2C Targets! Click here to order.
I recently moved, putting my favorite shooting range too far away to be a practical option. With a recommendation from a neighbor, I headed down to the local range closest to my new home. I figured I could quickly run some new ammo through a test pistol and snap a few photos for a GunDigest.com report. I thought wrong. It was a rifleman’s range, and a nice one at that, but handgunners were relegated to two small lanes off to the side. There were no options to change target distances, and waiting times between target changes were unbearably long. I left in a funk after emptying only two magazines. Was this my shooting future?
Back home, I did what I should have done in the first place: I searched for “shooting ranges” online. National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) to the rescue—up popped NSSF’s site, WhereToShoot.org. If you haven’t visited, consider this an endorsement. Simply enter your zip code and pick a search distance. The site lists every range close by, including details on each one. While the NSSF site isn’t alone in offering this information, it’s by far the most accurate and up-to-date. The information is available as an app for iOS and Android devices. That’s good to know for traveling hunters or shooters who need to locate a range at the last minute.
WhereToShoot.org helped me locate a mostly unadvertised range at a semi-private club about 20 minutes away. It was 10 miles farther than the first I’d gone to, but the drive was worth it. As I pulled into the parking lot, the first thing I saw was a covered handgun range with six lanes, unoccupied except for one other shooter and the range officer. I introduced myself, wrote out a membership check, and proceeded to shoot until my hands were sore. Life is good for the Modern Shooter.
Author sits and discusses Handloader’s Digest No. 19 with some Gun Digest executives.
By now I think you all realize that I have a definite passion for reloading; one that I’m sure you share as well.
I’ve been fortunate enough to be given a voice among the gun writers that write reloading stuff — a voice, but certainly not the voice. I’m a firm believer in the old adage “You’re never too old to learn.”
While I am a confident reloader, and I’ve been fortunate enough to share both my experiences and trials and tribulations with many readers, I continue to grow and learn as well. The writing aspect of my job has forced me to delve into some areas that I normally wouldn’t deal with, and getting out of my comfort zone has been good for me. It has helped me to better understand where other reloaders are coming from, and to look at things from the outside.
However, there are times where I am forced to resort to other people in the industry who either know more than I do, or have a more specialized understanding of particular aspects of the topic at hand. I am proud to call many of the greatest names in the industry my friends, and it’s unbelievable that I can actually pick up the telephone and call some of the gentlemen that were my heroes in my younger days. That’s the central point here; many people in the reloading world are approachable, as am I.
My father grilled several phrases into my head as a youth, but there’s one that sticks out pertains here, and doesn’t contain the colorful language that is usually associated with my dad. “Philip, if you don’t know, ask.” Now this usually came out at 45,000 decibels when I’d done something wrong and plead my ignorance, but it certainly pertains to the reloading world.
I frequently receive emails from readers looking for advice regarding their particular reloading situation, and I do my best to answer them all to the best of my ability; but there have been times where I’ve had to admit I don’t know the answer, and direct them to those people who I feel may be better qualified to help them. Hell, I’ve had to do it myself!
Author with none other than Mr. Steve Hornady. It’s nice to able to speak with some giants in the industry, and continue to learn. Photo Massaro Media Group
People like Robin Sharpless at Redding, Carroll Pilant at Sierra, Kent Sakamoto at RCBS, the good folks at Barnes Bullets, Jude Lundy at Cutting Edge Bullets, Chris Hodgdon at Hodgdon Powders; these guys are willing to help us reloaders to get the optimum performance from not only their own products, but from the gear combination we have chosen.
I am proud to announce that I am serving as editor of the 19th Edition of Handloader’s Digest, and in addition to my own pieces written for this book, I have done my best to assemble a team of reloaders that bring with them a boat-load of knowledge and experience. Some names will be familiar, like Craig Boddington and Bryce Towsley, some names you haven’t heard of yet, but will become household names in the reloading industry, but all of them bring a level of expertise and camaraderie to the field.
Never stop learning, and never be afraid to ask. There are no stupid questions when it comes to reloading, and there are plenty of good people who are willing to help you along the way so you can enjoy this hobby for a lifetime.
Thank you all for the kind words and commentary on this series, and who knows, maybe there will be a third installment, or even a question-and-answer series. Until next time, be safe and stay loaded.
The Sako 85 Carbonlight is the company’s lightest rifle and is now available in the US.
The Sako 85 Carbonlight is the company’s lightest rifle and is now available in the US.
Sako has built a dedicated following on both sides of the Atlantic for some obvious reasons.
The Finish subsidiary of Beretta has become well known for producing a superior rifle that doesn’t break the bank. And recently, it has unleashed one of its newest creations on America.
Sako 85 Carbonlight is now available on this side of the pond, after being introduced on the other earlier this year. And the new addition to the company’s largest line definitely has potential to turn heads, particularly in the backcountry-hunting crowd.
What could make the bolt-action rifle such a hot commodity with these shooters is its incredible lightweight. The Carbonlight tips the scales just a hair over 5-pounds, 5.3 to be exact.
This is, by far, the lightest rifle Sako produces, a function of Sako turning to some futuristic material for the gun’s stock. As its name implies, the new 85 uses a lightweight carbon fiber (actual carbon fiber) for its stock.
Shaving precious pounds without touching the metal components is one befit of the stock material. The other is it should make the new 85 pretty dang rugged, a big plus for a rifle destine for deepest wilderness.
The 85 Carbonlight will come in five calibers (.22-250 Rem., .308 Win., .260 Rem., and 7mm-08 Rem.) that should cover most medium-sized North American game. And like the other rifles in the line, it will have a receiver length to match its cartridge. Sako utilizes six different receiver lengths to ensure consistent and predictable cartridge chambering.
The rifle is outfitted with a 20-inch cold-hammer-forged barrel that has been fully free floated in the stock. The barrel is fluted and features a hand-cut target crown, an attribute that will protect the accuracy of the rifle.
The 85 Carbonlight’s bolt is milled from one solid piece of steel and has three locking lugs. And like all rifles in this line, the new 85 has a claw extractor, which should win points with traditionalist.
The rifle has a five-round detachable magazine, an integral rail dovetail scope mount and two-position safety. No MSRP was available on the rifle, but it has been reported it will retail around $3,000.
There’s little excuse for not to keeping your handguns clean as a whistle with the convenience of the Gun Boss Gun Cleaning Kit.
Long ago, I got into the habit of carrying cleaning equipment nearly everywhere I went shooting.
It wasn’t just the idea of being able to quickly clean my gun in the field that motivated me to make sure I toted along a rod, patches, and what have you. It was also the thought that if push came to shove it could get me out of a pinch — say dislodging a bullet off a squib load.
I have to confess, however, the way I’ve gone about what should be considered a responsible attribute would get many to shake their heads in disapproval.
Most times, the gear was thrown into zip-lock bags and stowed in overfilled rucksacks or a range bag brimming with ammo. Here’s your dose of schadenfreude — I paid the price in bent jags and smashed brushes. When you’re done smirking I’ll go on.
There had to be a better way to make sure I had the tools I needed in the field, without damaging them in the process. Luckily, it appears that Real Avid has provided just such a solution.
The Minnesota company’s Gun Boss Handgun Cleaning Kit has everything you need to keep your gun in working order. And at the same time, keep it in order and protected.
Right Sized
When I first received the Gun Boss it didn’t take long to discover its greatest asset. Really, all it required was packing up to head to the range.
The weather-resistant hardcase that houses and safeguards the cleaning equipment stole little space from my range bag and didn’t add any noticeable weight. Overall the case is 5 inches in length, 3 inches in width and 2 inches thick.
What this boils down to is the kit only took up about one 50-round box of ammo’s worth of area in my range bag. Its weight, I would guess, was around a handful of .38 Special cartridges, in other words, almost nothing.
I only toted the Gun Boss to my local range, but with its convenient size I imagined it coming along on much longer excursions. Heck, even if I set out with the bear minimum of gear, I definitely could find a jacket pocket to throw the cleaning kit into — just in case.
With a slew of jags, brushes and other tools, there are few handguns out there the Gun Boss Gun Cleaning Kit can’t handle.
Able to Tackle Any Handgun
You’d have to be a fan of a pretty obscure handgun to stump the Gun Boss. The kit is designed to handle the whole spectrum of today’s most popular handguns.
With bore brushes and jags for .22, .38 Special, 9mm, .40 and .45 the Gun Boss can tackle multiple calibers. And it offers a bit of flexibility in cleaning style, with two slotted tips.
I personally was able to give a snubby .38 Special, a subcompact 9mm and a .22 WMR revolver with a 9-inch barrel a once over without a hitch. That is because Real Avid hasn’t turned a blind-eye to providing shooters with the tools they need for the job.
To this end, the anodized cleaning rod is among the most important. At 9-inches in length, the T-handled rod is long enough to tackle any handgun. But its size is not its only selling point.
It is also designed to help you properly clean your barrel. The rod’s lower portion is engineered to rotate when pushed and pulled through a bore. This is an important feature, properly cleaning of the barrel’s rifling no matter the twist rate.
The rod has also been finely milled and is seamless when assembled. This is an top-end attribute, ensuring it does not mare any part of your firearm, if it happened to come in contact with it.
Everything In Its Place
Not only is the flexibility and convenience of the Gun Boss well thought out, but also its organization. Everything has a place in the kit, which puts everything at a shooter’s fingertips when they need it. There is no rummaging around.
An elastic holder keeps the jags in place, a plastic tray arranges the bore brushes and loops, and pockets stow cleaning patches. There is even room enough to include some oil and solvent, even a silicon rag, to round out your kit.
And given the Gun Boss’ hardcase, you don’t have to worry about any of this gear getting smashed or leaking on your other equipment, no matter how rough you are with it.
Final Verdict
Gun cleaning isn’t something we shooters do every once in awhile, when we have a spare moment at home. Mopping down the bore of a gun and lubricating the moving parts should be done religiously. Real Avid has made this a simple task anywhere you go with the Gun Boss Handgun Cleaning Kit. And at $20, there are few excuses not to make it part of your shooting kit.
The following AR-15 training drills are just a few you can use to develop your shooting skills.
These are drills I have used to improve my own shooting, and I’ve also used when instructing others. A benefit of these drills is that they offer a scoring mechanism, so you can keep track of your progress and evaluate your abilities. If you can meet the standards for a particular drill, you can consider your performance better than average, if not reasonably good.
Basic Prone
This is a basic sight alignment and trigger control drill, one designed to reinforce the basic principles of marksmanship. When you first conduct this drill, run it at 50 yards. When you can complete the drill miss free at that distance, increase the range to 100 yards. (If you are shooting an AR with open sights, work at 25 and 50 yards.)
Concentrate on the basics of your position—breathing, sight alignment, and trigger control—and, at first, go at your own pace. There’s no reason to try to complete this drill within the time limit if you cannot complete it while taking all the time you need.
Start in the prone position with the rifle loaded and the safety on. At the start signal, fire one shot each at 10 different 2-inch Birchwood Casey Shoot-N-C circles placed at 50 yards. Each hit is worth 10 points and the goal is to get 10 hits—100 points—within 60 seconds. Subtract 10 points for every miss and one point for every second over 60 seconds. Once you successfully complete the drill without any misses at the 50-yard range, move the targets out to 100 yards.
Practical Prone Precision Drill
The purpose of this drill is to establish that you can make precision shots at various ranges; you’ll have to compensate for bullet trajectory. This can be done by holding high or low, depending on how your rifle is sighted in. You can also click-in the trajectory compensation with the target turrets on your rifle scope or you might employ a ballistic reticle with additional aiming points for each distance.
You’ll need three Birchwood Casey 5½-inch Shoot-N-C circle targets, one each placed at 100, 200 and 300 yards. (If you are shooting an AR with open sights, adjust the distance to the targets to 50, 100 and 150 yards.) Start in the prone position with the rifle loaded and the safety on. You can use a bipod or sandbags as a front rest, but nothing but body parts as a rear rest.
At the start signal, fire one shot at the 100-yard target, two shots at the 200-yard target, three shots at the 300-yard target, and then four more shots at the 100-yard target. The goal is to obtain all 10 hits within 30 seconds for a total score of 100 points. Subtract 10 points for every miss and one point for every second over 60 seconds.
Regardless how your AR is sighted in, the bullet’s point of impact (POI) will be different than your point of aim (POA) at each range. The key to completing this drill within the time limit and obtaining hits at each range is to use the correct point of aim at each distance.
Basic Sitting
Start in the seated position with the rifle loaded and the safety on. At the start signal, fire one shot each at 10 different Birchwood Casey 5½-inch Snoot-N-C circle targets placed at 100 yards. (If you are shooting an AR with open sights, restrict the maximum range to 50 yards.) Each hit is worth 10 points and the goal is to get 10 hits within 60 seconds. Subtract 10 points for every miss and one point for every second over 60 seconds.
Practical Sitting Drill
You’ll need 5½-inch Birchwood Casey Shoot-N-C circle targets placed at 50, 75 and 100 yards. Start in the seated position with the rifle loaded and the safety on. At the start signal, fire one shot at the 50-yard target, two shots at the 75-yard target, three shots at the 100-yard target and then four more shots at the 50-yard target. (If you are using an AR with iron sights, adjust the distance to the targets to 25, 50 and 75 yards.) The goal is to obtain all 10 hits (each hit is worth 10 points) within 30 seconds for a total score of 100 points. Subtract one point for every miss and one point for every second over 30 seconds.
Basic Standing
From the standing position, fire one shot each at 10 different 5½-inch Birchwood Casey Shoot-N-C circle targets placed at 50 yards. Each hit is worth 10 points and the goal is to get 10 hits within 60 seconds. Subtract 10 points for every miss and one point for every second over 60 seconds.
Practical Standing Drill
You’ll need 5½-inch Birchwood Casey Shoot-N-C circle targets placed at 25, 50 and 75 yards. Start in the standing position, either in the indoor or outdoor ready position, with the rifle loaded and the safety on. At the start signal, fire two shots at the 25-yard target, two shots at the 50-yard target, two-shots at the 25-yard target, two shots at the 75-yard target and two more shots at the 25-yard target. The goal is to obtain all 10 hits within 30 seconds for a total score of 100 points. Subtract 10 points for every miss and one point for every second over 30 seconds.
Practice Makes Perfect
As with all shooting drills, practice makes perfect. The more you’re able to get out to the range and work on perfecting these skills, the more improvement you’ll see in your shooting performance. To find a range near you, check out WhereToShoot.org. Just enter your zip code and desired distance from your location and an updated list of range options will appear.
At its most recent sales event, Morphy’s Auction saw a huge amount of interest in a Remington M40 sniper rifle of the type used by the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam.
The rifle came with its original case and documentation, and it was no surprise that veteran collectors were eager to acquire the rifle. But many of the bids were from newcomers to this segment of the collector’s market, and Morphy Auctions firearms division expert Dave Bushing gives much of the credit to Hollywood.
“The sniper rifle appealed to a whole other breed of collector,” he noted. “Because of the movie ‘American Sniper,’ a lot more people are getting into this category who may not have been gun collectors before.”
Those new collectors helped drive the price of this rifle to just shy of its pre-auction estimate of $26,400.
A much earlier sniper rifle went for a very strong price, too. The auction featured a rare Sharps New Model 1859, one of 2,000 such rifles issued in 1862 to Hiram Berdan’s 1st and 2nd Regiments of the U.S. Sharpshooters.
Its serial number fell within the range confirmed to have been used in the Civil War by a specially organized sniper unit documented in many articles and books. Accompanied by a Springfield Research letter, the rifle went for $10,800.
What Bushman terms “the blue chips” of gun collecting — Winchester lever-action rifles — held up their end, too. Among the best sellers were a Winchester rifle Model 1873 in .44 caliber and manufactured in 1892, for $8,400; and a .405 caliber Model 1895 made famous by Teddy Roosevelt and nicknamed “Big Medicine,” for $7,800.
Tritium sights give shooters the advantage of maintaining their sight picture in low light situations. Photo: Trijicon
The trouble with most factory handgun sights is when it gets dark, you can’t see them, unless you possess infrared-detecting eyes. For those heat blinded members of society, like myself, then shoot for the tritium sights.
Of particular interest to those who purchase HD or SD guns is the existence of these “glow–in-the-dark” sights. While there are phosphorescent painted sights available (you shine a light on it for a few seconds and it glows), this is not the style of which I speak.
No, I mean the radioactivity glow-in-the-dark kind. I mean putting nuclear physics to work for little ole you. If the light is so subdued that you can’t see your sights, then you really can’t shoot effectively. Sights that are powered by Tritium are the solution. In the dark, these sights produce a low-power eerie glow that is easily seen in the dark and will not destroy your night vision.
It is difficult to overestimate the availability of tritium sights. There are tritium sights made for just about every handgun ever made. The commonality of 1911 pistols has generated a market all of its own, with no less than ten manufacturers offering tritium sights for that pistol.
For the most part you are looking at simple dots that illuminate in the dark and they are surrounded by a white ring for day usage. Actually the dots are constantly illuminated, but that illumination is washed out by daylight or by the intensity of the artificial lighting that most non-cavemen have come to appreciate, to the point that the enhancement can’t be seen except in very low light conditions. You don’t want them to be too bright or your own night vision will be ruined as well.
Sight movers, like this Glock model from MGW, are the best way to shift sights around or remove them
Instillation You might find a sight slot that is loose fitting and the sight is held in by a set screw tensioned against the bottom of the slot. These sights are easy-peasy movable, but if that set screw walks your sight will just fall off. The large majority of sights are press fit into the sight slot and you will then have two not-so-great options for moving them, or for that matter installing them at all.
Let’s say that you want to do it yourself. The first option is to take a hammer and a punch (brass or plastic, NOT steel) and tap the sight out of its slot. Then you tap the new sight back in, preferably with the correct side with the dots facing the rear. Ahhh, crrraaaap!!! You went too far! Now you have to beat it back the other way, at which point you will go too far again. You do this a couple more times then take it to the range, shoot it, it’s still two inches to the right at ten yards, and you go back home and adjust it again. Pain in the old caboose, that is.
The second option is to purchase a sight pusher tool. There are some high-quality examples but the hitch is that they are easily as expensive as your new tritium sights, and with few exceptions, they are made unique to each gun. The Glock sight tool that I have works very well. But it is only made to use Glock factory sights and their unique shape, and Glock slides.
You can insert other sights but not as smoothly, since the contours on the sight engagement interface don’t match anyone else’s sights. Theoretically, other slides could be stuck on the tool, but again, not perfectly, and perfectly is the whole point to having a gun-specific sight pusher. These tools mitigate or eliminate damage caused by the switching process by exactly fitting the parts to be joined or separated.
The front sight on most pistols is inserted in a dovetail slot and should be drifted out gently to one side, according to the directions in the new sight package. Others need to be staked, like some 1911 front sights. Glock front sights are retained by a screw in the bottom of the slide roof that goes up into the sight body. Most replacement Glock front sights will come with a tool for installing this. You can also get one in the Wheeler Engineering screwdriver kit or from Brownells.
A look at two very revealing self-defense cases in which the good guys were prosecuted despite apparently doing everything right.
The late Harold Fish was a retired schoolteacher who was forced to act in self-defense, yet was still prosecuted and found guilty of second-degree murder.
Fish was hiking alone on May 11th, 2004 in a remote part of Arizona, when he was set upon by two aggressive dogs and a larger and much younger man. The attacker—later found to be mentally ill—rushed Fish while threatening to kill him.
You should be thoroughly familiar with the Harold Fish incident. If you are not, you’d be well advised to spend some time at www.haroldfishdefense.org to see a real-life example of what can happen to good people after they use deadly force in self-defense.
Harold Fish’s conviction was appealed and ultimately reversed, but not before he was jailed for a substantial time for what was arguably a perfectly justified shooting.
While the Fish case was an anomaly, what if you get a prosecutor, like the one in Fish’s case, coming after you? That prosecutor yielded to public pressure to charge, and resorted to demonizing the type of pistol Fish carried—a 10mm. Or what if a prosecutor tries to argue that you were using super-duper killer bullets (Federal Hydra-Shocks)? Or how about a prosecutor claiming you should have fired a warning shot first (never mind the fact that the man running at you was only 10 feet away and closing fast when you shot)?
Fortunately, it has been my experience in dealing with and researching self-defense cases that normally the system works correctly. But we don’t train and carry guns for the norm. Likewise, we cannot approach the likelihood of being prosecuted for a “righteous shooting” based on the percentages of wrongful prosecutions.
It was my involvement as an expert witness in several court proceedings that led me to believe that an organization like the Armed Citizens’ Legal Defense Network, Inc. was necessary.
I have been involved in several cases where the majority of the evidence pointed to legitimate use of force in self-defense, but the person was prosecuted anyway.
One example was a 4th degree assault case involving a correctional officer. He was charged following an incident in which he slammed an unruly inmate against the jail door to get him under control!
There was no injury to the inmate, and at the time the other inmates in the jail said they thought the use of force was reasonable, but the officer was prosecuted anyway. In my opinion the officer was only charged because he was viewed as a troublemaker and was unpopular with his supervisors. We were able to get that case dismissed and get the officer’s job back, and he has since gone on to bigger and better things.
Consequently, while in law school I started working on a support organization for armed citizens who had to use force in self-defense.
My goal was to provide members with peace of mind, knowing that in the event their case becomes the anomaly, and they are singled out for prosecution for a righteous shooting, they’d have the power of the Network behind them.
But, having said that, Network members would need to do their part, too, by researching their own state’s case law, so they are up to speed about what conditions allow them to justifiably use deadly force. Thus education is a key benefit of ACLDN membership.
You need to train, so if you’re faced with a split-second decision of whether or not to shoot, you can make that decision based on training, instead of making the decision out of blind fear.
You need to be polite to everyone you meet, so you will never be accused of being overly aggressive, or, even worse, painted as the initial aggressor in a confrontation.
And you need to have an attorney you can call who understands how a self-defense case works—someone who will spend the time necessary to understand the nuances of your case.
When all this is in place, I believe armed citizens like you have a reasonable chance to avoid prosecution, but there are no guarantees, of course. And it’s for those times that the Armed Citizens’ Legal Defense Network, Inc. exists.
It is comforting there are those who buck the age of instant gratification. To be sure, Holland & Holland is one of them.
The English best gun maker has been creating custom masterpieces in hardwood and metal for going on two centuries. And while the company has embraced some modern manufacturing processes, a lion’s share of the work is still done the way it was when Harris Holland founded the company.
In short, Holland and Holland’s shotguns and rifles are born through craftsmen’s skill, sweat and steady hands. The above video gives you a brief glimpse of this truly beautiful process.
There is nary a word in this video. There doesn’t need to be. The file, the chisel, the checkering cutter speak louder than any voiceover ever could.
Looking to go armed, but are stuck in the weeds as to what to arm yourself with? Here are 20 of the best concealed carry gun options that will keep you on the defensive.
