Gun Digestthe Magazine is the source for firearms news, pricing and guns for sale. With a subscription to Gun Digestthe Magazine, readers benefit from in-depth editorial expert advice, show reviews, how-to instructions and Second Amendment issues.
Looking for cool gifts for gun owners? Starting December 10 and running daily through December 21, 2012, the Gun Digest 12 Days Giveaway is your chance to win some neat stuff. We're giving away gift cards, gun book packages, gun cases and accessories … even a handgun!
You get bonus entries for referring friends and family, which only increases your chances of winning. Plus, each day we'll draw a second place winner who'll receive a membership to www.MyGunDB.com.
Here are some gift ideas for gun lovers that virtually anyone who collects guns or shoots will appreciate.
The truth is, if you're searching for hunting gifts or cool gifts for guys, gun owners as a group are generally hard to buy for. Other than buying a young hunter their first deer rifle, or defensive handgun for a wife or girlfriend, you're wise to stay away from buying guns for other people.
Ammo is tough, too. Only if you directly ask someone can they tell you what their particular gun “likes.”
Gun cleaning supplies are always appreciated, but it's too easy to miss things the shooter actually needs (like a brass brush in 7mm for example) or give them patches for the wrong caliber of rifle that simply won't work.
Ear and eye protection can get expensive. Targets are always handy, but some shooters have picky notions about what targets they like best.
Reloading stuff brings holiday cheer for sure, but components like brass cases, primers, powders and bullets are so varied it's impossible to know what to buy.
Good Gifts for Gun Owners
There is one gun gift that almost any gun owner would appreciate and use: A copy of the Gun Digest Annual Book (or other books for shooters with specific tastes – check out these Gift Ideas for Gun Lovers for some of our recommendations).
Consider this. The Gun Digest is a winning gift idea for the same reason that originally propelled it to superstar status back in the World War II era when it was first published.
The idea is that gun owners like to dream. Guns are serious investments, and we shooters like to take our time researching ideas for future purchases. We like to see photos, get the history, read gun tests and gun reviews and see prices. Same with optics and other gun accessories.
The late Dan Shideler, who edited the Gun Digest from 2010-2012, observed that reading about guns was, for those post-depression Americans, almost as much fun as shooting them.
Back in the early days, many gun owners returning from the war couldn't afford to buy a new gun. But they could afford a book about guns. Gun Digest served the need. It covered nearly every gun that existed, and had something for everyone.
Gun owners haven't changed much in the eight decades that have passed.
We still really, really like reading about guns. So if you want to impress someone this gift-giving season, give the Gun Digest — it’s brought smiles to faces for more than sixty years. It’ll work today, too.
Watch the video to find out how to make a manual water pump for about $20.
This video explains how to make a manual well pump. It's an innovative way to solve the water problem during a blackout.
The manual well pump in the video isn't like the hand-cranked ones from yesteryear. It's more of a modified pitcher. Dip it into the well and empty it into a container.
Manual well pumps are best for those in rural areas, where private wells are common. Urban and suburban dwellers should check local regulations before trying to install a manual well pump. The better choice may be to focus on water storage or filtration rather than manual well pumps.
For rural folks, there are other options if the manual well pump doesn't work for your set-up.
Hand water pumps are available commercially from a number of suppliers, such as Bison Hand Water Pumps. They're reliable, but may require a permanent install. The video above is a good technique for temporary manual well pump needs.
If your home is wired for a back-up generator, it may be possible to run the well pump using emergency power. Just make sure the generator is set up properly. Find tips and tricks for this project here.
A simple rain water catcher is another option. This can be as simple as directing gutters to empty into a container. Commercial rain catcher barrels are also available. The difference is the spouts on the barrels. They make it easier to draw and store rain water.
This video explains how to wire a generator to a house.
This video explains how to wire a generator to a house. There are many videos about generators out there, but this one was exceptionally well done.
Two important notes to remember before watching:
* Check your local regulations regarding electricity. This video doesn't take your area's ordinances and laws into consideration.
* Living Ready and Gun Digest aren't responsible if you wind up electrocuting someone.
That said, it's important to understand how to wire a generator to a house. Spending a large chunk of money on a portable generator doesn't accomplish much if the wiring isn't set – and set correctly.
As you learn how to wire a generator to a house, here are some tips to consider.
Don't Create “Backfeed”
Prior to Hurricane Sandy, Chief Anthony DeZenzo of the Parsippany, New Jersey, police department issued this warning in the Parsippany Patch:
One thing he said is crucial is to ensure that your power is off when using a generator.
“A generator connected to a home's wiring or plugged into a regular household outlet can cause ‘backfeeding' along power lines and electrocute anyone who comes in contact with them—even if the line seems dead,” he said. “It happens when a portable generator is connected directly to the home's wiring without having a functional transfer switch. Without a transfer switch, a portable generator's electricity can be sent back into the power grid from your house. This will energize the utility's power lines on the street and poses an electrocution hazard for those who may not know that the voltage is present on the shared lines.”
Shutting power off before starting the generator, even if your regular electric service is down, ensures that no one is at risk of electrocution.
Make Sure the Generator Can Produce More Power than Needed
This one seems obvious, but it isn't considered often enough. Plan ahead (i.e. not running to the hardware store the day before a big storm when selection is limited) by calculating how much wattage is required to operate critical appliances. Then buy a generator capable of producing more than that amount.
Here's How Not to Electrocute Yourself
Generac Power offers excellent safety tips about how to wire a generator to a house here. Among them are these points:
Connecting a portable electric generator directly to your household wiring can be deadly to you and others. A generator that is directly connected to your home's wiring can ‘back feed' onto the power lines connected to your home and injure neighbors or utility workers.
Do not connect your generator directly to your home's wiring or into a regular household outlet.
Always start or stop the generator only when no electrical loads are connected.
Overloading your generator can seriously damage your valuable appliances and electronics. Do not overload the generator. Do not operate more appliances and equipment than the output rating of the generator. Prioritize your needs. A portable electric generator should be used only when necessary, and only to power essential equipment.
Use the proper power cords. Plug individual appliances into the generator using heavy-duty, outdoor-rated cords with a wire gauge adequate for the appliance load. Overloaded cords can cause fires or equipment damage. Do not use extension cords with exposed wires or worn shielding.
Do not operate the generator in wet conditions such as rain or snow.
The generator must be properly grounded. If the generator is not grounded, you run the risk of electrocution. We strongly recommend that you check and adhere to all applicable federal, state and local regulations relating to grounding.
Keep Those Fumes Away
Exhaust from gasoline and diesel generators produces carbon monoxide. This poisonous gas is deadly. Don't operate generators indoors, close to windows, near doors, inside an attached garage or next to any opening in a home. Position the generator many feet away from those areas. While you're at it, install battery-powered carbon monoxide detectors in your home.
One More Time: Don't Connect a Generator Directly to a Home's Wiring
This can't be understated, because it's such a pervasive myth about generators. The “back feed” created can damage people and appliances.
Concealed carry expert Dr. Bruce Eimer, licensed clinical psychologist and NRA certified firearms instructor, discusses when you are justified in drawing your CCW firearm for personal protection.
Recently, the Student Senate at Texas A&M University passed a measure requesting campus-wide concealed carry. As reported by the student newspaper, The Eagle, “The student senate voted 38-19 to ask A&M university officials and state lawmakers to permit concealed carry license holders to bring handguns inside university buildings.”
The student senate's Texas A&M Personal Protection Bill, reads, in part:
Seeing a need for self-preservation against criminals, rapists and mentally unstable persons, we seek change in state law and Texas A&M University policy.
As The Eagle noted, “Texas is one of 21 states that ban concealed weapons on campus. It's a felony under state law. Five states have provisions that allow concealed carry on campus: Colorado, Mississippi, Oregon, Utah and Wisconsin, and legislation is pending in two states. In Texas, concealed weapons are only banned in university buildings or arenas, and can be carried in open areas, walkways and parking lots. The Texas Penal Code allows individual universities to permit concealed weapons, but no public university in the state has done so.”
The A&M students will receive some important help in their quest for concealed carry. Alice Tripp, legislative director for the Texas State Rifle Association, said permitting concealed carry on campus is the group's No. 1 goal for the upcoming session's Tripp said concealed carry holders exercising their rights on campus will make universities safer.
“College campuses are predator magnets, and we're talking about an individual [the permit holder] who has a license,” Tripp said.
Gun Digestthe Magazine is the source for firearms news, pricing and guns for sale. With a subscription to Gun Digestthe Magazine, readers benefit from in-depth editorial expert advice, show reviews, how-to instructions and Second Amendment issues.
This photo series explains how to make a survival bracelet. This handy, portable survival essential worn around the wrist provides cordage at an instant's notice. Cordage, as prepared individuals know, is one of the most versatile items one can carry. Be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of this article with your uses or click here to see how to make paracord netting.
* 10 feet of 550 paracord * A Lighter * A side-release buckle (check craft stores for one of these) * A pair of scissors * A ruler/tape measure * A string long enough to wrap around your wrist
How to Make a Survival Bracelet: Measuring the Wrist
1. Wrap the one end of the string around your wrist. Make sure the loop created is comfortable. 2. Mark the length of the loop and measure it on the ruler/tape measure. Add one inch. Write down this measurement.
How to Make a Survival Bracelet: Melt the Ends of the Paracord
Using the lighter, melt each end of the 550 paracord. Using a pliers or other tool, pinch the melted ends so they cool into a tapered point.
Now you're set to start following the directions in the photo gallery.
Use these tips and tricks to learn how to make a fire with survival in mind. [sxc.hu photo]
Learn how to make a fire the smart way with these tips and tricks.
How to Make a Fire: Getting Started
* Whenever you build any fire, for warmth, overnight, or for cooking, get all the materials together in their proper place, before you strike your match. Matches are one of your most valuable physical assets in the outdoors. Haste and poor preparation defeat the purpose of being able to quickly and efficiently start a fire. There is the old outdoor adage of only one match for one fire, if you practice, prepare and predetermine your actions you can accomplish this task, even in severe weather conditions.
* For a midday cooking fire, pick a sheltered location away from overhanging branches and on solid ground, and make a very small fire. For evening cooking and for an overnight fire, plan for a larger one or several small fires around you, this will help provide for greater warmth. Three (3) fires in a triangular arrangement is a recognized air to ground signal of distress.
* For overnight fires, pick your sleeping location first and build your fire in relation to it for maximum warmth. Do not set your sleeping bag too close to the fire, and make sure your fire pit it is a safe distance from overhanging trees, etc. Do not use wet or damp rocks, they can heat up and explode.
* Start any fire with the utmost of patience. Plan it carefully and one match will do. Get as much out of the wind as you can before striking your match, shield your fire area with your body or make a windshield with your jacket or other gear before lighting your match. Though one-match-one-fire is for the professionals, make sure before you leave home that you have plenty of matches stored in a weatherproof container. In times of need, what works in good times always fail in bad times, so BE PREPARED!
* Lay a foundation of fine tinder, such as shavings from dried twigs, a bird’s nest, or whittle with your knife from a dried branch. Use pre-prepared tinder you have made from dryer lint or wood shavings from home. Whatever you have or decide to use get a good supply of dried tinder into your fire area before your strike that first match.
* Crisscross above the fine tinder bed you have made a few larger dry twigs about the size of a pencil to begin. Have increasingly larger wood at hand. A good method is to lay your tinder beside a short length of stick 3 to six inches in diameter, lean the twigs over the tinder and against the large stick. Now when the tinder catches, the twigs go in a moment, add larger ones and a good blaze is there.
* Always light your fire with the breeze at your back, and on the side nearest you to provide additional ease and shelter. Always light your fire from below the tinder, not on top. Never start your fire under overhanging limbs of trees, or where the smoke will blow into your shelter. Take the time to plan, and your fire will ignite quickly and burn safely.
* Having a firestarting tool, like the Swedish Firesteel 2.0, is a good idea. You can practice with it at home, too. If you're really in pinch, you can make a bow drill, although this is difficult.
How to Make a Fire for Cooking
Look for flat dry rocks to surround the fire, so you have containment and a place for your utensils. A small pit built with rocks laid out in a “V” or a “U” with the open end toward the breeze will allow draft in that open end to help keep the fire going. If winds are strong, reverse the open end of your pit. Again, the most important consideration is to start with a small fire and progressively add larger material. Do not panic, take your time and concentrate and you can build the fire that you want.
How to Make a Fire in Wet Conditions
In rain or snow, fire making becomes more important, and also more difficult. Here is where having homemade firestarters will be a great help for your tinder base. One method is to make a tripod of sticks over your chosen fire area and drape your jacket over the tripod to shelter the firebase. Carefully light your tinder, add some twigs, and remove your jacket. If the ground is exceedingly wet lay a base of large logs and sticks and start your fire on top of them.
Choosing Firewood
When and where possible, use old dried wood from conifers (evergreens) for starting fires. Dry cones are great for starting a fire. You may not have the time or the energy to go around and select wood, so burn what you can, get warm and safe and then look for more wood. Just remember that pine, cedar, spruce will start a fire quickly but burn swiftly.
Woods such as oak, ash and maple will burn longer but are more difficult to ignite. Aspen, birch and poplar are quite common and they make good fires as they burn hot but fairly fast. You don’t want wet or new wood; look around for downed trees or limbs. Whatever supply of wood you intend to have at hand to burn, gather at least 3 times more than you think you will need, experience shows that you will use it. Wood burns faster than you think.
Tinder for Making a Fire
You can make your own firestarter kit from lint, sawdust, etc. slightly saturated with charcoal lighter, kerosene, and carry it in used 35mm film canisters that have been sealed tightly with duct tape. Always have an “extra” supply of matches stored away for emergencies.
One easy home-made fire starting kit is to take two small zip-lock bags, insert 6 to 8 strike anywhere matches in one along with a small piece of emery paper or sandpaper to strike against in wet conditions. Add in a combination of dried wood shavings, purposely made or picked up on the trail. Seal this bag upside down inside the other bag, for maximum waterproof protection and keep it in your jacket pocket, not as a primary, but as a back up, just in case you ever need it.
There are a variety of fire starting kits available in your local camping/hunting store, pick one of these on your next visit as your emergency back up. Practice whatever methods of fire starting you choose at home in your backyard, so you know how it works.
As a safety suggestion, DO NOT rely on the disposable butane lighters to always function for you in the outdoors, as you can not always rely on them in wind and wet conditions. Also, if they slip out of your pocket and into the fire, you could have a potential explosive projectile. The problem with most lighters is that you cannot determine the fuel supply in them, and some disposable types will not light at higher elevations.
From rolling blackouts to hurricanes, floods to tornadoes, power can go out at a moment's notice. If the grid fails, the PowerPot will keep you charging! The PowerPot thermoelectric generator converts any heat source directly into power that charges your USB handheld devices. Get Yours Now
The AR-15 platform has become the most popular rifle in the world, and even though most are chambered for the .223 Remington/5.56 NATO cartridge, many other cartridges are now available for this versatile rifle.
AR-15 Ammo Continually Evolving
More often than not, in the world of new cartridges, someone who has a fanciful idea to reach a new ballistic plateau comes up with a cartridge, and then gunmakers respond in kind with firearms adapted or designed around the new round. Quite often, the evolution is parallel.
With its inherent modularity, combined with a wide array of cartridges, the AR-15 is the most versatile rifle on the planet. Suitable for law enforcement, military, sport shooting, and hunting, it excels at all of them.
The .500 Smith & Wesson and the X-frame revolver are good examples; the pair was conceived and born together. But the AR-15, more than any other rifle in history, has broken that mold and reversed the development path of norm. In the last decade especially, a plethora of new cartridges have appeared that were designed just for the AR-15.
Quite a lot of the rounds came from military ballisticians and ammunition companies trying to improve on the 5.56X45mm NATO’s battlefield lethality—or lack thereof. Long-range shooters and competitors also sought to improve on the much-maligned 5.56, those marksmen seeking a projectile fired from that particular rifle that had enough gas to stay supersonic longer and slip the wind better.
Hunters, too, are using the AR-15 to tackle any and all of North America’s small and big game, and still another set of developmental talent wanted to give shooters the option to tackle big game or stop a vehicle or boat in its tracks via big-bore hunting and interdiction rounds. It seems the only limit for engineers, ballisticians, wildcatters, hunters, and shooters has ben making a new round fit in the rifle’s magazine—and it is amazing what will fit in an AR magazine.
One of the reasons the AR-15 has proven so popular with shooters and spawned this new crop of purpose-built cartridges is the gun’s inherent ability to easily adapt to just about any military or police, hunting, shooting, or competition mission. With a steady trickle of improvements since the rifle’s adoption by the U.S. military in the early 1960s, the AR-15 has evolved into a rifle that is extremely reliable, accurate and, most importantly, adaptable. The rifle’s relatively simple design also made it a natural platform for experimentation.
The .5.56 X 45mm/.223 Remington. This is the cartridge that started it all, when it comes to the AR 15. It is still the most popular, but its stablemates are ever increasing.
5.56X45mm NATO
It might seem odd to include the 5.56 NATO here, since it is the most popular AR-15 cartridge and the current military chambering, but the round has undergone considerable changes since its adoption. There are essentially two classes of this cartridge. The first and original class features light bullets like the 55-grain found in the M193 round. The second, epitomized by the Mk 262, Mod 0, and Mod 1 rounds developed by Black Hills, uses heavier bullets for long-range, precision shooting.
Built for the U.S. Navy’s Mk 12 SPR and now coveted by snipers and designated marksmen using similar rifles, the Mk 262’s 77-grain Sierra MatchKing projectile has a listed effective range of 600 yards, though it has certainly been put to use at longer ranges. It achieves velocities around 2,750 feet per second (fps) from 18-inch barrels and benefits from advanced propellants. Hornady loads a 75-grain hollowpoint boat-tail bullet in its .223 TAP line with similar specs.
Slower 1:7 twist rates are required to stabilize the heavier/longer bullets. Once they strike soft tissue, the bullets yaw and usually fragment to some degree, greatly increasing lethality over that of the more widely issued rounds like the M855 62-grain Penetrator or Green Tip. Serendipitously, the bigger bullets also perform quite well at close-quarters distances, when fired from short-barreled rifles like the Mk 18 (10.3-inch barrel) fielded by entry teams.
Shooters of all types have benefited from the military’s extensive efforts to improve on the 5.56mm NATO round, and now we have ammo options that extend the range and increase accuracy and lethality.
The .264 LBC-AR and the 6.5 Grendel cartridges are interchangeable. It’s very likely the Grendel will; however, make the .264 LBC-AR extinct, due to the Grendel’s recent standardization by SAAMI.
Intermediate Cartridges
The most obvious way to improve lethality or increase a rifle’s maximum effective range is to use a larger cartridge, but that usually calls for a bigger rifle. It’s easy enough to lengthen a commercial rifle’s receiver a fraction of an inch, but, with several million M-16 and M-4 rifles on hand, those hoping to get into the military supply chain needed to do so with a round that fit in a standard Mil-Spec magazine. That set a lot of talented designers and ballisticians to work and produced a whole gaggle of really clever, useful cartridges.
Probably the most successful and popular round is the 6.8mm Special Purpose Cartridge. After the 5.56’s lackluster performance in Afghanistan, in 2001, U.S. Special Operations Command shooters worked to come up with something better that still worked in an M4. They did some experimentation with PPC cartridges, but designers finally settled on the obsolete .30 Remington case, because of its smaller rim diameter. There was enough case capacity to push 110- and 115-grain bullets to velocities substantially beyond what the 7.62X39mm could produce with 123-grain FMJ bullets. Swapping calibers was an armorer-level job that required only a barrel, bolt, and magazine change.
The 6.8mm SPC worked like a charm for close- and long-range engagements, producing far better results than that experienced with the 5.56 mm. Why the round was not adopted by units outside of SOCOM is anyone’s guess. Several U.S. manufacturers started producing commercial ammunition with open-tipped match, polymer-tipped, and hunting bullets, and nearly every AR manufacturer soon had a 6.8 in their catalog. Hunters have found the round perfect for whitetails and other medium-sized game, when the shots fall inside 300 yards. And, while the 6.8 mm SPC is not the U.S. Military’s next service round, it is now firmly entrenched in the AR-15 shooting community.
The round is now the second-most popular AR-15 chambering.One of the more versatile intermediate rounds is the 6.5 mm Grendel developed by Bill Alexander, of Alexander Arms. He took a 6mm PPC case, shortened the neck, moved the shoulder forward, and increased the diameter to take advantage of all those 6.5mm bullets with their superb ballistic coefficients. The end result is a cartridge that can better the 5.56 NATO—or 7.62 NATO for that matter—in just about every category. The Grendel is also a capable competition round, one with the reach to compete at the 1,000-yard line, something the 6.8 mm SPC cannot do. With properly constructed bullets, it is a great varmint or medium-game hunting round.
These four popular AR-15 cartridges show the versatility the platform offers. From left to right – .223 Remington, 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 Remington SPC and .450 Bushmaster.
Factory ammunition runs from 90 to 130 grains and is loaded by Hornady, Alexander Arms, Wolf, and Black Hills, though the latter is headstamped .264 LBC-AR. Alexander Arms recently relinquished the trademark claim, which recently lead to the Grendel’s SAMMI standardization, which should open the doors for more companies to produce ammunition.
Americans have an affinity for anything .30-caliber, so it was a foregone conclusion a .30-caliber cartridge for ARs would eventually make an appearance. Actually, several .30-caliber AR cartridges have burst onto the scene recently, including the .300 Blackout, 7.62X40mm Wilson Tactical, and .30 Remington AR.
The .300 Blackout and 7.62X40mm WT both are based on 5.56 NATO brass and are loaded with a variety of bullets suited to a variety of tasks. The concept is an old one and was standardized to a degree by J.D. Jones, of SSK Industries, who used .221 Fireball brass and trademarked the .300 Whisper.
The Blackout and Whisper are interchangeable to a degree, with Blackout rounds firing safely in Whisper chambers. In short-barreled PDWs (personal defense weapons) the .30-caliber bullet is much more effective than either 5.56 or 9 mm bullets. When fired through 16-inch barrels, the cartridges make fine hunting rounds, with minimal recoil and reasonable trajectories out to 200 yards.
A cartridge originally built for SOCOM/JSOC units, the Blackout is also loaded with 208- and 220-grain bullets that never break the sound barrier. The two vastly different bullet weights allow operators to initiate ambushes or handle sentry duty quietly, before swapping magazines to go head-to-head with AK-47s at ranges beyond 300 yards—with a rifle that has a nine-inch barrel.
In the world of AR cartridges, the .30 Remington AR is one of the few not conceived with martial aspirations. It was designed from the start by Remington engineers as a hunting cartridge, a way to fit .308 Winchester performance into an AR-15 and avoid the less svelte AR-10. This round essentially picks up where the 6.8mm SPC left off, able to achieve around 2,750 fps with 123- and 125-grain bullets from 22-inch barrels. The cartridge is a handloader’s dream and a favorite of this edition’s editor. In fact, Richard Mann puts the .30 RAR in a class by itself, deeming it one of the best AR hunting cartridges extant.
Some doubt that an AR-15 can be used for game as large as this 200-plus pound black bear. However, Remington’s .30 AR cartridge has taken the AR-15 to the next level, with ballistics that match that of the legendary .300 Savage cartridge.
Big-Bore ARs
At varying points in the last decade, several enterprising souls looked into an AR magazine and thought to fill it up completely with one massive cartridge instead of a couple little ones. The resulting cartridges—the .450 Bushmaster, .458 SOCOM, and .50 Beowulf, among others—are big league heavy hitters.
They all use a rebated rim to fit inside a standard AR bolt head and generally run at pressures well below that of the 5.56mm. The only real concern with fitting cartridges of this size in an AR resides in the bolt thrust and making sure the gas port is both the right size and sits in the right place for reliable function. All three rounds obviously produce substantially more recoil than 5.56mm rifles, but the rifle seems up to the task. (Scope mounts are another matter.)
Rifle manufacturers seem to have divvied up the calibers between themselves, with Rock River Arms building .458 SOCOM rifles, Bushmaster producing the .450 Bushmaster, and Alexander Arms building rifles chambered for the cartridge it invented. Ammunition is a little hard to find and, in some cases, expensive, but available. Reloaders usually prefer the SOCOM over the Bushmaster and Beowulf, because the wider selection of available bullets.
The .458 and .50 were envisioned as interdiction and barrier-beating rounds for stopping cars at roadblocks and ventilating two-legged predators hiding behind cinderblock walls and the like. It seems most shooters use these big-boress to turn mobile pork into stationary pork. The rounds are also ideal for close-range bear hunting or hitting anything with bullets weighing in excess of 250 grains and moving over 2,000 fps. Most Beowulf loads produce over 2,900 foot-pounds (ft-lbs) of muzzle energy.
Imagine the possibilities of combining one of these big-bore cartridges loaded with good, solid bullets and a lightweight AR carbine fed from a high-capacity detachable magazine. Pair the rifle with a weapons light and a 1X-optic like an Aimpoint, Trijicon, or EOTech, and you might have the perfect guide’s gun for backing up hunters or tracking wounded bears in Alaska. It weighs less, provides more firepower, and permits faster follow-up shots than most other rifle actions.
As of now, the .30 Remington AR cartridge offers the best balance of power and external ballistics of any AR-15 cartridge. With bullets between 110 and 150 grains, it is suitable for big game to around 300 yards.
The Future
This chapter honestly just scratches the surface of AR cartridges and has covered some of the more common factory chamberings specifically designed around the AR-15. Nearly anything that could squeeze its way through the magazine well has been tried, including the Winchester Super Short Magnums. The 13th Edition of Cartridges of the World has several new AR-15 cartridges like the .358 Gremlin, which are designed specifically to meet the state of Indiana’s centerfire rifle deer hunting restrictions.
And you can bet the 14th Edition will have even more. Heck, bolt-action uppers chambered for .50 BMG are available for the truly adventurous AR-15 owner. Who knows what else is to come?
As propellant and bullet technologies advance, expect to see has-been cartridges revisited and revamped. Somewhere, someoner will need a round tailored to a very specific purpose, and it is very likely an AR-15, M-16, or M-4 will be able to chamber that round and get the job done better than any other rifle around. All that is needed is for some enterprising wildcatter to step up and design the next best thing.
This article appeared in the Gun Digest the Magazine 2013 Shooter's Guide.
For many parts of the country, gun deer season is here. If you've waited until the last minute to buy that new deer rifle, here are 8 hot choices selected by our sister publication, Deer & Deer Hunting.
This article appeared in the November 2012 issue of Deer & Deer Hunting magazine.
Is handgun hunting for whitetails a viable option? You bet! In fact — from revolvers to autoloaders — many handgun hunting options exist for deer hunters.
Years ago, I was one of the loudest proponents for big-game handgun hunting in Washington State, and when we finally got the Game Commission to approve it, I quickly focused on a single-action Ruger Blackhawk chambered for the .41 Mag. cartridge, with a 6 ½-inch barrel.
I still carry a .41 Mag. Blackhawk (this one with a 4⅝-inch barrel) during deer season, and occasionally when I’m hunting grouse where there might be an encounter with a black bear. The 6½-incher is in my gun safe. I couldn’t sell it. I’ve killed two deer with it. Still, perhaps the most popular handgun round for deer is the .44 Mag. And with a heavier bullet, the .357 Mag. has plenty of punch for deer-sized game. I prefer the 125-grain JHP in the .357 Mag. because it is accurate and because it will penetrate deep into the vitals of a deer.
Of course, there are lots of other handgun cartridges around. Rifle-class cartridges fired from single-shot handguns such as the Thompson-Center Contender and big-bores (including the .460 and .500 Smith & Wesson, .454 Casull and .480 Ruger) are extremely deadly, but the .44 Mag. is about all the horsepower many people can handle.
I prefer the .41 Mag. for several reasons; not the least of which was a tale by the late Elmer Keith about a trek he took to Alaska with a pair of the first Smith & Wessons chambered for the .41 Mag. He shot caribou with the guns.
About 20 years ago, the hot talk shifted at least momentarily to the 10mm Auto, a round that was reputed to be the semi-auto equal to the .41 Mag. As it turned out, the 10mm Auto is more in the realm of the .357 Mag. Admittedly, the cartridge intrigued me because it was a true .40-caliber with a lot of muscle, and it appeared on the scene with the ill-fated Bren Ten.
Even being carried by the Sonny Crockett character on “Miami Vice” couldn’t save the pistol, but the cartridge has remained.
Glock 10mm for Deer Hunting
Colt chambered its Delta Elite for the round — and there have been other pistols — but the one that seems to be at the top of the heap currently is the Glock Model 20. As it happens, my hunting pal Brian Lull — who took delivery of a stainless Ruger Super Blackhawk in .44 Mag. earlier this year — owns a 10mm Glock, and it’s a real shooter.
The Glock platform does not do well in my hand and one of the first things a devoted handgunner has to realize is that he/she will not be able to master all handguns. I call it poor fit because Lull is an excellent shot with that autoloader while I consistently shoot low with it. If you can shoot it, the Glock is a great gun. At close range, the 10mm full-house load with a 200-grain bullet is a whitetail killer with an average velocity of 1,069 fps. The 180-grain option will leave no deer laughing in the woods, either.
The Glock pistol, with its rugged slide and polymer frame is virtually impervious to a wet climate, and if you’re brush hunting for Northeast Washington whitetails, the 10mm Auto will put them down. Lull was packing his Glock in a nifty shoulder rig last fall when we hunted grouse and scouted elk in the Central Cascades, and I would not care to be an animal on the receiving end.
How far can they shoot?
On a couple of occasions many years ago, when big game handgunning was just hitting its stride, I was interviewed on a local outdoors radio show and the host suggested that at ranges greater than 50- to 75 yards, a handgunner was shooting “at the animal” and not trying for precise bullet placement. That just isn’t true. If you are good with factory metallic sights, being able to hit a deer out to 125 or even 150 yards is not out of the question.
After all, I’ve competed a couple of times in the annual Elmer Keith Memorial Long-Range handgun shoot over by Spokane and have hit 6- and even 4-inch plates at better than 150 yards with my Smith & Wesson Model 57 in .41 Mag. I can certainly hit something bigger. The deer I shot were both center-of-mass in the vitals. I missed the heart by very little but destroyed the lungs both times. Plus, there are good handgun scopes available.
If you go that route, you can stretch your range farther. Just make sure the round and bullet are up to doing their job downrange with enough power and accuracy to make a clean kill.
Don’t be shy about trying a handgun for deer this fall or the next. It’s challenging and rewarding, and by necessity it makes one a more careful marksman, and perhaps a better stalker.
— This article appeared in the October 2012 Gun Shop column of Deer & Deer Hunting.
Numerous news outlets report increased gun sales as firearms fly off shelves like “hotcakes” following Obama's re-election. Of course, Obama himself has said he intends to push for a reinstatement and expansion of the Clinton-era semi-auto ban during public debates. Those comments exasperated gun owner concerns.
“But I also share your belief that weapons that were designed for soldiers in war theaters don’t belong on our streets. And so what I’m trying to do is to get a broader conversation about how do we reduce the violence generally. Part of it is seeing if we can get an assault weapons ban reintroduced. But part of it is also looking at other sources of the violence. Because frankly, in my home town of Chicago, there’s an awful lot of violence and they’re not using AK-47s. They’re using cheap hand guns,” the President said.
Mel Bernstein, owner of Dragonman Arms in Colorado Springs, Colorado, told KOAA-TV: “We're going from normally six to eight guns a day, to 25. I stocked up, I got a stockpile of these AK-47s, we're selling these like hot cakes. Luckily I had an idea of what was going on because it happened with Clinton.”
John Kielbasa, owner of Fernwood Firearms in Hankins, New York, told CNN: “Sales are up. I had a guy waiting here first thing in the morning. He came in, bought two AK-47s. It's going to be good for me for business.”
Stock prices for gun makers Smith & Wesson and Sturm also went up after President Obama's re-election.
Mel Bernstein, owner of Dragonman Arms in Colorado Springs, told KOAA-TV that sales of semi-automatic weapons had boomed in recent days.
He said: “We're going from normally six to eight guns a day, to 25. I stocked up, I got a stockpile of these AK-47s, we're selling these like hot cakes. Luckily I had an idea of what was going on because it happened with Clinton.”
Mr Bernstein said he normally orders up to 7,000 rounds a week from distributors but could now only get hold of 3,000 because of demand.
John Kielbasa, owner of Fernwood Firearms in Hankins, New York, told CNN: “Sales are up. I had a guy waiting here first thing in the morning (the day after the election.) He came in, bought two AK-47s. It's going to be good for me for business.”
Gun Digest would like to know: Do you think Obama's reelection is a threat to your gun rights? Do you plan to increase your gun and ammo purchases in the coming months? Log in and leave a comment below.
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Louisiana gun rights activists had much to celebrate following our most recent election, as voters approved Amendment Number 2, which required the “strict scrutiny” standard be applied regarding gun laws and the state constitution.
“The constitutional change — pushed by the National Rifle Association — would require ‘strict scrutiny' of any restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms,” The Advocate explained. “The legal standard would require courts, when asked, to determine whether the state's gun laws demonstrate ‘compelling governmental interest' and are ‘narrowly defined.' If not, they are to be thrown out as unconstitutional. Louisiana becomes the first state with the ‘strict scrutiny' standard.”
“This is a truly historic day for Louisiana,” said state Senator Neil Riser (R-Columbia), who championed the amendment in the Legislature. “We are sending a message to the rest of the nation of our strong support of the right to keep and bear arms.”
Amendment Number 2 was approved by 75 percent of Louisiana voters.
Looking to go armed, but are stuck in the weeds as to what to arm yourself with? Here are 20 excellent concealed carry gun options that will keep you on the defensive.
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