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This photo gallery is excerpted from the article Old Soldiers Never Die, They Just Get Upgraded, by Gary Paul Johnston, appearing in the Gun Digest 2014 Annual Book.
Looking for the best scope for m14 sniper rifles? Need an automatic ranging scope for your M1A? Check out this sniper scope review of the Leatherwood ART scope (Automatic Ranging and Trajectory).
Swing Through, Pass Through, Pull Through (all are one and the same). The swing through mehod of shooting is very popular with hunters and those who are self-taught and shoot instinctively. Remember – successful, instinctive shooting comes as a result of good technique. With swing through, the gun is always inserted behind the target. The bird is allowed to pass the line of the muzzle before any move is made. Control of speed of swing and timing are generally far more important to the swing through shooter than any lead picture. Some swing through shooters with good timing and a fast swing see little or no lead on most targets. The trigger is pulled on, or very near the bird as the mounted gun swings past the target.
This is the official CPSA shooting method. With pull away, the gun is mounted directly at the target. This method uses our natural ability to point. Pull away enables a shooter to judge speed, distance and line of the target very effectively. Stance, timing and rhythm of the shot, as with all shooting techniques, are determined by the pre-planned kill zone. After the stock touches the face, the gun is smoothly moved ahead of the target until the correct lead picture is seen and felt. Pull away is excellent for long range shots and can improve shooter timing and consistency on many shots.
When using the maintained lead style, the gun is inserted ahead of a bird, it moves at the bird’s pace as the lead picture is found. When the shooter recognizes his insertion as the right picture, he simply moves with the bird and pulls the trigger. It should be noted that keeping the gun moving after the shot is important because the gun and target are traveling at the same speed with this style, and any deviation of the gun speed will affect the lead picture. The more the bird crosses in front of the gun, the better this method will work.
This article is an excerpt from The Gun Digest Book of Shotgunning.
If you have half a minute, you can confirm that:
1) Hammer and trigger pins are flush to receiver sides and not hanging out. A trigger pin sticking out almost certainly means the hammer spring is improperly installed and is not detenting the trigger pin in place. The result will almost certainly be sporadic or continuous misfires, burst fire, shut-down. A hammer pin sticking out probably just means it was not pushed in far enough. It is detented by the “J” spring, which is simply a length of spring wire that is permanently staked into the hammer. These practically never fail or come loose.
2. Hammer spring is correctly installed with both legs horizontal, spread out against inside wall of receiver, and laying on top of trigger pin properly in that pin’s outboard groove, acting as a detent for same. A hammer spring installed backwards will give a light primer strike causing misfires, and although it may appear to be laying on and detenting the trigger pin, it in fact will not. This will lead to the trigger pin walking out and causing failures to fire, or doubling/burst fire. Hammer springs not installed backwards can still be improperly installed, with legs either under the trigger pin resting on the floor of the receiver, or inboard of the receiver wall and thus not laying in the detention groove of the trigger pin. In either case the above trigger-pin-walking problems will be the eventual result, plus, when the legs are under the trigger pin instead of on top of it, the blow to the firing pin is reduced somewhat as the spring is not as “wound up” as it would be when properly installed.
3. Carrier key is not loose. Simply hold the carrier in one hand and try to wriggle the carrier key with the other. This is almost certainly the number one cause of AR-15 malfunctions. Carrier keys come loose, allowing gas to escape from between the carrier and key. Then there is not enough gas to operated the bolt. The immediate, field expedient fix would be to simply tighten the screws (9/64, and sometimes 1/8, Allen wrench). A better fix would be to remove the screws, clean them and dry them, apply red Loctite, and tighten. Better yet, when time allows, is to do the above and then stake the screws in, displacing carrier key metal over them. This is supposed to be done at the factory but most manufacturers are doing it poorly and some are doing it not at all. Even staked, screws have been known to come loose and although they cannot separate from the carrier key due to the stakes, they will actually turn and lift the key off the carrier. One final bit of insurance after staking and Loctiting can be had by counter-staking the screws, just to the clockwise side of the stakes in the carrier key. This way, if the screw ever did try to turn, the outwardly displaced metal of the screw will hit the inwardly displaced metal of the carrier key, preventing the screw from turning.
4. Firing pin retaining pin (cotter pin) not blocking the firing pin. Simply slap the carrier’s back end into your palm to make sure the firing pin cannot come out. Also, with the bolt pushed into the carrier, you can press the firing pin forward and check that it protrudes from the bolt face. With this check you have checked two things: that the firing pin is free to travel fully forward and that the firing pin tip is present (although I have never, ever heard of one breaking). Note that the firing pin will not protrude if the bolt is extended forward.
This article is an excerpt from Gunsmithing The AR-15.
What if you missed? The shot is 350 yards, across a small river. Should you risk the shot?
New smart gun technology may be saving hunters from this dilemma as well other common problems. Smart gun technology improves hunter accuracy, safety and allows for remote gun control.
Similar to what you might expect from a Sci-Fi story, smart gun technology has the ability to identify a gun owner, allowing only that individual to fire the weapon. There's plenty of information on identification technology found in the pdfs on National Shooting Sports Foundation's website.
Other technology, such as smart gun scopes can to turn a novice shooter into a sniper through the same target-locking technology used in fighter jets. Remote control technology is also available for firearms, allowing some features to be managed from all over the world. Remote firing capabilities have been used by some hunters to shoot game from a computer screen, allowing paraplegic sportsmen to partake in hunts.
In May, 2013, YardArm Technologies announced new safety measures for firearms that would allow a gun’s owner to disengage or engage the safety on their weapon from anywhere in the world. This technology includes real-time alerts to the owner via a smart phone app if somebody is handling the gun while the owner is away.
This extra measure could help keep hunters’ firearms safe while in storage, but hunter’s firearms aren’t the only thing receiving an upgrade with new technology. For decades, hunter safety education courses have taught sportsmen vital safety techniques. Now hunters can receive the same education online, through sites like huntercourse.com.
Though not available in all U.S. states, over 30 states allow hunters to begin their education online, and then require in-person checks upon completion of the course. These post-course reviews vary between states. For instance, in Georgia, hunters educated through huntercourse.com are required to attend a two hour review class with an instructor, and then take the Georgia Hunter Education exam before receiving their certificate.
A recently available gun from TrackingPoint can allow an untrained user to consistently hit their target at 1,000 yards or more, according to a report by CNNmoney.com. The ‘supergun’ also includes video recording, so that a hunter can download or even stream to a playback device to review any shooting sequence.
A hunter in the initial situation would simply push a button on the side of his rifle to lock onto the buck, and then the scope goes to work, running an algorithm to adjust the shot for temperature, pressure, spin-drift, and other factors affecting long range shots. All except wind speed, which the hunter still needs to manually adjust for.
Recommended Rifle Resources
Gun Digest Shooter's Guide to Rifles
With nearly three-quarters of the American adult population requiring some sort of vision correction, if you’re reading this, odds are, you are or will one day be among that crowd. Even people, who have enjoyed perfect eyesight their entire lives, will tend to require reading glasses as they age. With such high numbers of sight-affected individuals out there, there’s no question, good optics are essential for many shooters when it comes to achieving accuracy even at relatively short distances. Put a target out beyond 300 yards, and even for a person with 20/20 vision, making a pinpoint shot at a small target area without the aid of a quality scope becomes tricky. Fortunately, as the desire of shooting enthusiasts and competitors (and of course our law enforcement and military) have wanted the ability to reach out to the maximum performance limits of their rifles, optics companies have kept right up. Following are some top long-range choices that will help you reach right out there regardless of your budget.
Features of this sleek laserscope include the X96 reticle designed to range any magnification out to 1,200 yards. Shooters can enter ballistic data straight into the scope, including the ballistic coefficient and can even easily adjust it for wind. ($1,499, www.burrisoptics.com)
The Extended Range Riflescope (ERS) boasts three reticle options, increased side parallax adjustment range and the new Z-Lok locking elevation turret with .1 mil clicks for rapid target acquisition. It’s compact too at just 13.2 inches long. ($1,950; www.bushnell.com)
Konus has added this long-range model to its M30 Series of tactical scopes and it features fully multi-coated optics, a 174mm mounting length, 1/10 mil adjustments, a 30mm tube, dual illuminated Mil Dot engraved reticle, turrets that are lockable and resettable to zero, a side parallax wheel and a lockable, fast-focus eyebell. ($750; www.konus.com)
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If every gun tells a story, the FBI's reference firearms collection could fill a very, very large book. The inventory of more than 7,000 firearms—curated over 80 years—contains just about every make and model, from John Dillinger's Prohibition-era revolver to the modern battlefield's M16, and almost everything in between. Learn more at FBI.
Recommended Resources for Gun Collectors:
2013 Standard Catalog of Firearms, 23rd Edition
My pistol shooting career began in the early days of Metallic Silhouette shooting in the NRA Hunter’s Pistol class. Back then, there was nothing quite like the Smith & Wesson M&P R8.
In those early days, silhouette shooters weren’t using the scoped, specialized pistols they use today; for the most part, we used production revolvers or semi autos. My choice was a 6-in. barreled Model 28. With that gun, I won countless trophies in the local matches and managed to be the second AAA classified Hunter Pistol shooter in North Carolina.
To stay competitive, I eventually switched over to a scoped T/C Contender and somehow, over the years, I let that great old gun slip away. When I picked up the S&W Performance Center M&P R8, my mind instantly went back to that great old Smith that won so many Hunter Pistol trophies for me.
Like the model 28, the M&P R8 is a workhorse gun, without a shiny, high polish finish. It has the same great adjustable rear sight, the same smooth double- and single-action trigger and the same tough as nails reliability.
The M&P R8 is a little more sophisticated than my old Model 28; in fact, it’s a lot more sophisticated.
It has a state of the art, scandium frame and a shrouded barrel with an under-barrel rail for mounting a laser or a light. The top of the barrel is drilled and tapped for an over the barrel optic mount.
Swinging the massive N frame cylinder out reveals another big improvement, eight chambers instead of the Model 28’s six. The cylinder is also specially recessed to allow using full moon clips that provide super-fast reloads.
In a world of special purpose 1911s and double-stack striker fired pistols, some might think the revolver has been eclipsed. I love semi-auto pistols as much as anyone, and I’m really happy that I can get a double stack 1911, and that the modern striker fired guns are super reliable and have great triggers.
There is one issue, though, that no autoloader can ever get around. All semi-autos use the energy of the previous shot to prepare them to fire the next round. If there’s a bad round, the operator has to perform the task of cycling the gun to get it in condition to shoot again. This is not the case with the revolver.
With a revolver, the operator supplies the energy to bring the next round into position and preload the spring that drives the hammer.
Revolvers can have quite functional triggers if properly set up.
The M&P R8 came with a fairly smooth and decently light double-action trigger. There was little backlash and it was easy to prep the trigger and have only a slight movement when the pull fell through and dropped the hammer.
The M&P R8 is not a glamorous revolver. It is a workhorse designed to serve the purpose the purchaser plans for it.
It would make an admirable service revolver with its eight-shot capacity and weighing only an ounce or so more than the old S&W Model 19, which was the Cadillac of service revolvers when every police department depended on wheel guns. It’s a viable choice as a home defense gun with a rail for laser and flashlight.
It would be an admirable hunting sidearm, coming with a top of the barrel scope mount. Smith and Wesson’s N-frame guns have served shooters well since before the late and great Elmer Keith shot the 600-yard deer and they continue to serve us today.
This article appeared in the April 8, 2013 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Federal statute tortuously defines a shotgun as “a weapon designed or redesigned, made or remade, and intended to be fired from the shoulder, and designed or redesigned and made or remade to use the energy of the explosive in a fixed shotgun shell to fire through a smooth bore either a number of ball shot or a single projectile for each single pull of the trigger.”
Oh. As with pornography, though, every shooter knows what a shotgun is when he sees it, based on its most distinguishing feature, its large, thin-walled, unrifled barrel.
So which is the shotgun of choice?
If we start with the double gun, we find that the days of the moderately priced, new in the box, American side-by-side (SxS) have long waned. A few years ago, Sturm & Ruger tried to bring out a SxS but ultimately had to abandon the project.
I believe the only easily affordable American-brand SxSs–and probably the only current American SxSs, period–are the Stoeger Uplander, which can be picked up for under $500, and the Mossberg International Silver Reserve II, around $1,000. Beyond that, continental-made SxSs, not to mention English best guns, generally start at mid-four-figure prices, and those for mere boxlocks; move to sidelocks and you will move the decimal point at least one-place to the right.
Wood and engraving certainly contribute to the high cost of good shotguns, but there really isn’t a cheap way of making a truly decent SxS. Besides the expense of building locks and ejectors, one of the major factors that goes into the price of a SxS is regulating the barrels to shoot to the same place.
A quick comparison of the boxlock to the sidelock, by the way, shows that as the names imply, the locks, or firing mechanisms, are on the sides or in the action body itself.
Sidelocks are the Swiss watches of locks, their parts in best guns often hand polished to ridiculous degrees. Boxlocks rarely receive such lavish attention and yet perform admirably, although the sidelock is easier to detach for cleaning and repairing.
Over-and-unders (O/Us) can start at between $600 to a $1,000; and Stoeger and Mossberg are, again, the places to look for American brands in this easily affordable price range. Beyond that, prices for good-quality O/Us rise rather gradually.
Competitive target shooters use O/Us exclusively, except for those who wish to be intentionally eccentric. And unlike SxSs, a pistol grip on an O/U is not, necessarily, an unspeakable practice, as it tends to control the muzzle jump in comparison to the SxS.
Mention pump shotguns, and the attention turns automatically to the fabled Winchester Model 12, the so-called “perfect repeater.” Introduced by Winchester in 1912 in the post-Browning era, the gun was touted to require the finest materials and manufacturing techniques, which ultimately translated into its mass-production doom.
The value of the pump is its repeating ability and larger cartridge capacity over break-actions. With an extension tube, a tactical pump gun can carry upward of eight rounds in the magazine, a hunting gun six.
With a pump, a shooter points more directly at the target with his forehand as he works the slide, and so pulls down on it more naturally. Two other recommendations for the pump are its affordability, the Remington 870 starting at $400 retail, and reliability.
Another selling point for the pump is home defense. It is generally less expensive than a handgun, more accurate to point and creates a larger spray of projectiles.
The semi-auto shotgun is operated by two different systems: gas or recoil.
With a recoil action the force of the fired cartridge pushes back against the mass of the shooter and drives open the action, ejects the spent hull, loads another round, and recocks the gun. This is the action Browning used in his A-5, called in his case a “long recoil” action.
The other, more modern self-loading action is the gas-operated model. This action uses the gases of the cartridge’s ignition to operate, usually, a piston and produce the cycle of ejection, reloading and cocking.
So, which to choose?
In general, the recoil-operated actions recoil more but are easier to maintain. While gas-operate models are, normally, softer shooting but need more attention to cleaning to avoid fouling and jamming.
Well looked after, the gas gun ought to be as reliable in the field as any recoil-operated one, and should be better at absorbing the intense recoil of magnum loads such as those used for waterfowl.
As a final rule of thumb, and pure opinion, pick an O/U for target and competitive shooting, and as a reliable upland gun. A pump is excellent for an all-around “beater,” to use an abusive term. A pump will also pull duty as a waterfowl gun in the harshest conditions, but there is little that will stop modern semi-autos, which will also soften the impact of 3- and 3½-inch loads on the hunter. And if you want the height of shotgun elegance and delight in shooting, buy the best SxS you can afford. You won’t regret the decision.
This article appeared in the April 8, 2013 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Recommended Shotgun Resources
Gun Digest Shooter's Guide to Shotguns
Gun Digest Book of Shotgunning
Gun Digest Book of the Remington 870
Gunfights aren’t won just because somebody can clear leather faster or because the sun gets in the bad guy’s eyes. Nor are they won simply with tactics. There is another factor that may be the most important: ammunition. Experienced handgunners and personal protection experts stress that one should never skimp on his or her self-defense ammunition choices when their lives may depend upon a bullet’s ability to stop an attacker.
Perhaps the newest entry in this technology race is Nosler, now producing a line of ammunition called Nosler Defense. The inaugural entries include two loads apiece in 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP. The 9mm selections are both loaded to +P levels, one with a 124-grain Bonded Tipped projectile and the other with a Bonded jacketed hollowpoint. The .40 S&W loads both feature 200-grainers, also in the Bonded Tipped and Bonded JHP, and in .45 ACP, both loads are also +P rated and the bullets weigh 230 grains.
Another new entry in the defensive ammunition community is TAC-XPD Defense ammunition from Barnes, another renowned bullet maker now expanding into the ammunition market. Every load in the series is topped with the Barnes TAC-XP bullet, and there are offerings in .380 ACP with an 80-grain pill, a 9mm pushing a 115-grain bullet loaded to +P velocity, a .40 S&W featuring a 140-grainer and a .45 ACP, also loaded to the +P level with a 185-grain bullet.
Winchester’s PDX1 Defender selection of handgun ammunition delivers the goods in calibers ranging from .380 ACP to .45 Colt, and there are selections in .357 SIG and .357 Magnum. In addition, Winchester’s PDX1 family includes a couple of .410-bore loads for handguns in the Taurus Judge and Smith & Wesson Governor families. There’s a 2 ½-inch round with a trio of copper-plated “Defense Discs” and a dozen copper-plated BBs. At close range, this is a nasty combination, but even more so is the 3-inch round that has four of those discs and 16 plated BB-sized shot.
Remington came up with a nifty combo package this year for these popular .410 revolvers. It’s the “Ultimate Defense Combo Pack,” and it holds 10 .45 Colt cartridges and 10 2 ½-inch .410 shotshells. Available in either a clam pack or box. The .45 Colt cartridges are loaded with Remington’s superb Golden Saber 230-grain hollowpoints and the .410 shells hold four 000 buckshot pellets. I’ve used Golden Saber ammunition in .45 ACP and .40 S&W over the years in various tests and for the street, and it’s also available in .380 ACP, 9mm, .357 Magnum and .38 Special +P.
Practice makes perfect, or at least pretty good, and Federal has a combo pack as well featuring 100 rounds of practice ammunition loaded with FMJ bullets and 20 rounds of Premium Personal Defense rounds topped by federal Hydra-Shoks. The bullets in all calibers—9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP—are all the same weight.
A fourth combo pack holds 50 rounds of .45 Colt loaded with 225-grain jacketed soft-points and 20 rounds of 2 ½-inch .410 shells loaded with four 000 buckshot pellets. For home defense, Federal has a round called the Guard Dog, and it’s got a bite. The bullet can fool you because it looks like an FMJ, but it’s skived on the inside of the jacket and it has a polymer front end in the core so when it hits, the jacket opens up on the sides and the bullet actually expands. Guard Dog loads are available in .45 ACP (165 grains), .40 S&W (135 grains) and 9mm (105 grains).
I’d be remiss without mentioning the line of Gold Dot ammunition from Speer. Available in several calibers for both revolvers and semi-autos, they’re loaded with Gold Dot bullets, which have a good track record for expansion and stopping power. They are the choice of various law enforcement agencies and for good reason: They work. The alloy core is bonded to the jacket, which is designed to expand along “memory lines” that start at the mouth of the hollowpoint cavity where the lead is exposed between sections of the jacket.
CorBon has developed ammunition that really cooks, including the .25 NAA and .32 NAA that add a sizzle to the .25- and .32-caliber bullets. The CorBon Self-Defense JHP family has loads ranging from .25 NAA to .357 Magnum. Utilizing these lighter-weight hollowpoints, CorBon produces good velocities and delivers solid downrange energy.
Ditto for the CorBon DPX line of defense ammunition. Utilizing all-copper hollowpoints, these loads are simply awesome. CorBon reports that some bullets recovered from various testing media have expanded 150 to 200 percent of their original diameter while retaining 100 percent of their weight.
What got my attention with DPX is that CorBon loads this stuff for virtually every handgun caliber on the map, from .32 ACP all the way up to .500 S&W, with a variety of bullet weights. You’ll even find a .45 Auto Rim in there for anybody who defends his home with an old 1917 S&W or Colt double-action.
A few years ago, CorBon added the Glaser Safety Slug ammunition to its line. Glasers have become legendary for their concept and performance. These things are devastating, with a bullet design featuring a copper jacket filled with a compressed load of lead shot, either No. 6 or smaller No. 12, topped by a polymer tip that serves a couple of purposes.
It is round, to enable feeding in a semi-auto and to insure penetration, and it also pushes back into the projectile upon impact to open up the jacket and allow that lead shot to do its job,
No matter which ammunition one chooses, if it works, stick with it. Try different brands at the range to see what performs best in your personal defense pistol or revolver. Not all guns perform the same with a particular brand or type of ammunition, which is why there is more than one line from which to choose.
This article appeared in the April 8, 2013 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
The revolver’s first advantage is efficiency; the revolver requires no manipulation of the gun beyond operating the trigger in order to fire. There are no extra buttons or levers to push, which means that there are no buttons or levers to forget to push.
I’ve watched even highly-trained and experienced shooters forget to deactivate the safety on their autopistols when faced with a new and distracting shooting challenge. I’ve also seen them forget to activate that safety and negligently discharge their guns. These aren’t people who are new to the guns, either. I’m talking about people with hundreds of hours of formal training, some of them police officers who are tasked with training their fellow officers. The more complicated something is, the easier it is to forget something when you’re distracted.
Another major attribute of the revolver is reliability; the revolver will generally have a longer mean time between failures than that of even the best autoloaders, meaning that it will shoot more rounds without having mechanical issues that affect its operation. Of course that’s not to say that revolvers never malfunction, only that they do so less often than a self-loading handgun. What’s more, most of the malfunctions that can occur are easily prevented through proper technique or maintenance.
Part of that reliability is the fact that the revolver will shoot a much wider variety of ammunition. With an autoloader it’s necessary to thoroughly test the gun with any specific type of ammunition because they are somewhat picky about bullet weight, shape, and velocity. Many experts hold that an autoloader should be tested with 200 rounds of any ammunition that you expect to use (which today would run into an awful lot of money).
The revolver, more so than the vast majority of autoloaders, makes it easy to get a good fit simply by changing the grips. Because the revolvers’ grip size and shape isn’t dictated by the need to fit a magazine, there is much more leeway in how big or how small the grip can be made. In many cases it’s possible to take a revolver which doesn’t fit the shooter well, make a grip change and end up with a combination that works well.
This is true regardless of whether the gun is too small or too big for the hands. Larger and smaller grips are available, and in extreme cases it’s possible for a gunsmith to modify the grip frame to make an even greater change.
Of course, there are no magazines necessary to operate the revolver, which is an often-unappreciated advantage. Magazines are the weak spot for the autoloading pistol – they’re fragile, they wear out, they’re expensive and you have to remember to bring the darned things!
A very real advantage in an adrenalin-charged incident is the long and heavy trigger offered by the revolver. In the confusion of a defensive shooting, there is the very real possibility that fingers will stray into the triggerguard, and there are enough videos of trained police officers inadvertently discharging rounds when in a tense situation – sometimes resulting in death. I would never suggest relying on a heavy trigger as a safety device, but must also acknowledge that it does provide another layer of protection to even the best safety habits.
This article is an excerpt from the new book Defensive Revolver Fundamentals by Grant Cunningham.
By and large, I am not of the “sniper” mindset when it comes to hunting North American big game. That is to say, I believe in getting as close as possible before taking the shot.
That said, when I moved to southern Arizona several years ago I wanted a rifle that would reach across big, deep canyons and kill the diminutive, super-sneaky Coues whitetail and mountain muleys, as well as tune up flat-country pronghorn when necessary. Thus I acquired a Weatherby Vanguard MOA rifle chambered for Roy Weatherby’s all-time favorite, the .257 Weatherby Magnum.
It has proven to be a great choice.
Designed in 1944—a year before Roy Weatherby went into the commercial gun business—the .257 Weatherby Magnum is a .25-caliber belted bottlenecked cartridge. It is one of the original standard length magnums developed by shortening the .375 H&H Magnum case to approx. 2.5 inches. It is one of the flattest-shooting commercial cartridges available today.
One of its most popular factory loads features the 115-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip bullet with a muzzle velocity of 3,400 fps, which generates 2,952 ft.-lbs. of kinetic energy (K.E.)—comparable muzzle energy to the .30-06 and .35 Whelen.
The .257 Weatherby Magnum shares the same cartridge case as both the .270 and 7mm Weatherby Magnums. The .30 Super Belted Rimless H&H served as the direct parent cartridge for the case design, and served as the forerunner to the standard length magnum cartridges such as the 7mm Remington Magnum and the .338 Winchester Magnum.
There has been some speculation that Roy Weatherby may have used the full length .375 H&H Magnum case if he had slow burning powders available today when the cartridge was designed. The shortening of the case allowed for the more efficient use of the slowest powder of the day, IMR 4350—a powder that would not have provided any great advantage for such cartridges as the .257 or .270 Weatherby Magnums if such cartridges utilized the full length H&H case.
Today, IMR 4350 is considered almost too fast a burning propellant for the cartridge which comes into its own with the slowest burning powders now available. These include IMR 7828, H4831, RL22, RL25, AA3100, and Viht N160 and N165, among others.
Bullet weights for the .257 Weatherby range in weight from 75-120 grains, with the most popular for big game hunting weighing 100-120 grains. It is a hunting cartridge and has not been, for the most part, adapted into any target shooting discipline.
The cartridge really shines when and where shooting at game over long distances is required. It is ideal for small to medium-sized deer, pronghorn, and other small ungulates. I have also used mine when hunting predators like coyotes, bobcats, and fox, though because the barrel heats up extremely quickly it is not a good choice where high-volume shooting is taking place.
In fact, care must be taken at the range to allow the barrel to sufficiently cool between groups or you’ll find that accuracy will suffer, and barrel life will be shortened. When going to the range I always bring a jug of ice water and a towel, and use it to cool the barrel after every 5-shot group. I also clean the barrel after every 10 shots.
When I went searching for a .257 Weatherby, I chose the Weatherby Vanguard MOA rifle. With a suggested retail price of right around a grand, the rifle itself is a heck of a deal for such an accurate, high-quality factory rifle.
Mine features a pillar-bedded Fiberguard composite stock with a Monte Carlo raised cheek piece and nonslip black spider-webbing, stainless steel metalwork bead blasted to a matte finish, and Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad; it weighs in at 7 ¾ lbs. unscoped and unloaded.
Best of all, like all MOA rifles, it is guaranteed to shoot three shots into less than one inch at 100 yards using specified Weatherby factory or premium ammunition. I added Millet scope mounts, a 4-16X Nikon Monarch riflescope and Butler Creek sling, and this rifle is just what the doctor ordered for hunting where shots just might be “way out there.” And though a big load when it goes off, recoil is almost nonexistent.
I spent a lot of time working up loads for this rifle—while I love Weatherby factory ammo, it is a bit pricey for somebody who likes to shoot a lot—and finally settled on a load of 70 grains of IMR 7828, either the 110-grain Nosler AccuBond or 115-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip bullet, and CCI 250 primer.
Both of these loads produce consistent 3-shot groups of about ½-inch at 100 yards, and allow me to ring an 8-inch metal gong pretty much every shot out to 500 yards.
The .257 Weatherby Magnum will never be one of the country’s top 10 best-selling hunting cartridges, nor should it be. It is a specialty cartridge designed for long-range shooting at small- and medium-sized big game.
For that task, it is an excellent choice.
This article appeared in the April 8, 2013 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Wind correction has been the cause of more misses in the hunting field than it’s given credit for. The first step to correcting for wind is estimating its speed and value.
A wind meter will be the most precise gauge for determining speed and will help provide the value of effect on the bullet path. However, many times there won’t be time or one will not be available. If one is available, hold it next to the rifle so the fan blade is parallel to the bore to determine wind speed perpendicular to the bullet’s flight. The wind value also will be included because the wind hitting the fins at an angle will not spin the blades like a 90-degree wind.
If a wind meter is not handy, natural flags in the woods like trees, shrubs and grass will help the shooter estimate the speed. A 3 to 5 mph wind will be felt lightly on the face, a 5 to 8 mph wind will make leaves in the trees agitate continuously, while an 8 to 12 mph wind will blow dust into the air. When the wind hits 12 to 15 mph, small trees will sway and bushes will blow from side to side.
Even if you have the availability of a wind meter, like one from Kestrel, it’s good to note visual indicators between you and the target to determine variances over the full distance of the shot. Comparing velocities in the meter with the actions of the shrubbery will help estimate the wind downrange when all you have is the movement of the shrubs.
Another way of estimating wind is with mirage. Mirage is the wavy effect that heat makes as it is rising from the ground. This method is accurate up to about 12 mph. Mirage is visible with the naked eye but can be magnified with the spotting scope. To see mirage focus the scope on the distant target and then rotate the focus to blur the target. The heat shimmer barely noticeable with the naked eye becomes amazingly clear.
If the mirage rises straight up there is no wind. If the mirage tips about 60 degrees, the wind is 1 to 3 mph and direction is the way the top is leaning. Forty-five degrees will indicate the wind is about 4 to 7 mph, and mirage parallel to the ground is 8 to 12 mph.
Next calculate the value it will have on the bullet path and adjust your aim accordingly. To become proficient, practice shooting on windy days and keep detailed notes of every shot.
This article appeared in the April 8, 2013 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
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One of the things I really like about long-range shooting is the challenge of getting everything just right over and over for consistent precise hits way out there. Although the definition of long range changes every year, 1,000 yards is still a good poke even with rifles that are capable of consistent extreme long-range accuracy. To become a reliable long-distance shooter, capable of striking your target every time, a shooter must first learn to handle several key challenges.
Accurately determining the distance to a target and properly adjusting the elevation of the shot is the first thing a shooter must be able to address. As a bullet leaves a barrel, it’s immediately acted upon by gravity pulling it toward earth. As it gets farther from the barrel, it gets closer to the ground. When a rifle is sighted at 100 yards, the bullet will pass through the point of aim (POA), which is where the crosshairs and bullet intersect at the target. As the bullet continues past that point it will continue to drop at a repeatable rate. This can be calculated for any given yardage and must be adjusted with the turret of the scope or using the hash marks on some reticles to adjust for the bullet’s drop at the distance the target is situated.
Environmental conditions will also definitely affect bullet performance. As a set of general rules, warm air tends to be thinner than cold air meaning a bullet in warm air will meet less resistance. Heat can also adversely affect the barrel temperature with each additional shot, which can affect bullet flight after it travels down the barrel. Although many people assume humid air is denser, dry air molecules are actually heavier than water molecules meaning less humidity can actually negatively impact bullet flight more. Likewise, thinner air at higher elevations or with decreased barometric pressure will impede bullet flight less.
Wind is perhaps one of the biggest obstacles a long-distance shooter must contend with and can be trickier than elevation. The challenge to wind is there are two calculations: Estimating its speed and estimating the correction. A wind meter provides the shooter a precise way to estimate wind. Other signs at the target have to be observed to confirm what the wind is doing where the bullet will travel. Direction of the wind also is important. Obviously which way the wind is going will indicate which way the bullet will drift but also important is the angle that the wind is contacting the bullet. Direct wind at 90 degrees to the bullet path will have the most effect. Wind from 10-15 degrees of either side of the 12 o’clock or six o’clock areas will have no value or no appreciable effect on the bullet flight. Wind striking the bullet at a 45 degree angle to the bullet path will have a half value or will affect the bullet flight half as much as a full value.
Another overlooked obstacle, at least until you miss a trophy animal because of it, is inclination. Inclination is the up or down angle the shot is taken at. In general shots will print high whether a shot is taken at a steep up or down angle. This is because the line of sight that the range is estimated at is different than the actual distance the bullet is affected by gravity. The amount of up or down can be calculated using the amount of angle and the distance. At shorter hunting distances on a big boiler room this can be quickly addressed by holding off a little low but for more precise compensation such as a sniper making a high angle shot at 100 yards or better is should be figured into the shot.
Cartridge performance also comes into play when estimating range correction or calculating adjustments in your aim in order to contend with the many factors that may affect your shot. Cartridge velocity must be consistent from shot to shot with the selected bullet so that corrections will also be precisely the same every time the scope or aim is adjusted. Quality match ammo or reloads must be tested for consistency in velocity and performance. The shooter must become comfortable with the rifle and ammo and confident in its consistency. Avoid using inferior or bargain ammo as it may not perform as consistently throwing calculations off and resulting in seriously blown shots at long-range.
This article appeared in the April 8, 2013 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
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kcentv.com – KCEN HD – Waco, Temple, and Killeen
The world of competitive skeet shooting doesn’t have a shot against Josh Poole.
The 18-year-old became the first to shoot a perfect score in the history of the National Skeet Shooting Association Junior World Championship. Poole breaking 500 consecutive clays over the course of the week makes him one of the youngest competitors to accomplish the feat at the junior level of competition. Ben Gallup was 17-years-old in 1991 when he became the youngest shooter to record a perfect score at that classification of competition.
Poole’s showing at the Junior World Skeet Championship at the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio is just the start of what could potentially be an incredible collegiate career. The Crawford, Texas native is an incoming freshman at San Antonio’s Trinity University and is already the nation’s top-ranked college skeet shooter.
Poole credited his early college success to his father and grandfather introducing him to hunting at an young age and his father building a shooting range in the family’s backyard. This background has made his present skeet shooting almost second nature.
“For me it's muscle memory and it's easy,” he said. “It's just a simple movement.”
This story was adapted from a report by kcentv.com
Editor's note: This article has been corrected to reflect that Ben Gallup was the youngest shooter to record a perfect score at the junior level of skeet competition and that Josh Poole won the Junior World title with a perfect score. It is also to be noted, contary to the video clip, the National Skeet Shooting Association does not keep world records.
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When choosing the best double-barrel shotgun, it’s important to shoot both side-by-side and over-and-under models to get an honest feel for how each one performs. The differences in shooting the two styles are profound. I have seen fellows that never missed with one model, but when using the other, they couldn't hit the barn if they were standing inside of it.
Since I started with a side-by-side, I unintentionally taught myself to use the outside of the muzzles on each side of the bead to calculate my lead on flying targets. After many years of side-by-side shooting, it was difficult to transition to the stack-barrel gun because of this. Also, the over-and-under—at least for me—swung much faster than the side-by-side. I had to make a conscious effort to slow down on crossing shots, or I would shoot too far ahead.
On older side-by-side guns, the tighter choke was traditionally found in the left barrel. If there was a barrel selector on the gun or if it had two triggers then that wasn't a problem. However, if the gun had a single trigger and no selector, it usually fired the open choke barrel first. That could be a problem if you needed a tighter choke for the first shot on a turkey at 40 yards or a fox squirrel at the top of a tall oak.
Interchangeable choke tubes helped, but you see the dilemma; if you select a two-barrel gun, spend the extra money and get the barrel selector or double triggers. Fortunately, virtually every modern model comes that way, so this is largely a concern if buying a second-hand gun.
Making a gun with two barrels shoot to the same point of impact for both at 40 yards is a heck of a lot more difficult than you might think, and this is the reason two-barrel guns tend to cost more than other shotguns. If done properly, a double is an absolute joy for hunting or clay birds, but if done poorly, what you have is a heavy single shot.
The best double guns are hand-regulated, which can put their cost into orbit; unfortunately, this is one reason we do not see any American-made utility side-by-side double guns any more. It can also be particularly frustrating to get both barrels on some imported over/unders with interchangeable choke tubes to hit in the exact same spot, too, but those marketed by Browning, Winchester and Beretta have given me consistent results. I've got an over-and-under CZ Canvasback in 20-gauge that shows promise, but with certain chokes it wants to pattern low or left.
There are scads of good used two-barrel guns on the market, either stack-barrel or side-by-side, and some can be had for a much better deal than you might think.
Because of its balance, narrower grip and single-aiming plane, over-and-unders are definitely much more popular—and available—today among sporting clay enthusiasts and bird hunters. But don’t discount a good side-by-side if you find one as these guns enjoy a great traditional look and help shooters control their swing. A model with dual triggers can actually be an advantage over models with a barrel selector when hunting as the hunter can more quickly pull the trigger for the barrel with the best suited choke.
The choice of which one works best for you is ultimately yours. Treat yourself to some old-school shotgunning and see why these guns once ruled the field and marsh—and still deserve their rightful place in them even today.
A well-balanced shotgun is a joy to shoot; certainly here the old adage holds true that shotgun fit is the most important aspect of accurate shooting.
A double that fits the shooter in pull length and drop (both at comb and heel) will make those hits on flying targets seem easy. I like the balance point between the hands, but some shooters like a little more weight up front.
The Ruger Red Label is like the latter and a bit more difficult for me to shoot, but it is a fine stack-barrel gun and is extremely reliable and rugged. I also like shorter barrels. In the over-and-under, the 26-inch length is my favorite, but the most popular seem to be the 28-inch guns. Oddly, when shooting a side-by-side, I prefer 28-inch barrels.
With both types, I like a pistol-grip stock and enough forend to get enough grip.
This article appeared in the February 11, 2013 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
