A quick look at 6.5×55 Swedish Mauser, the 6.5mm pioneer.
Jointly developed by Norway and Sweden in 1894, this cartridge was adopted by both countries as an official military chambering. Originally, both countries loaded and used essentially identical ammunition. Later, the Swedes modified dimensions and loaded it to a higher pressure for use in their Mauser rifles, while the Norwegians kept the original version for use in the Krag rifle.
In 1990, the National Rifle Associations of Denmark, Norway and Sweden agreed on a standardized set of drawings and specifications, renaming the cartridge 6.5×55 SKAN. It’s quite popular throughout Scandinavia for hunting all types of game, including moose. It’s also a popular choice for 300-meter target shooting and other forms of rifle competition.
Prior to World War II, the 6.5×55 Swedish was almost unknown in the United States. After the war, Canadian and U.S. sportsmen became acquainted with this chambering through the thousands of surplus Swedish Mauser rifles sold in North America. Canadian sportsmen were first to appreciate the virtues of this cartridge in the 1950s and 1960s. U.S. sportsmen arrived at the same conclusions in the 1970s and 1980s.
Other than imported rifles from Scandinavian countries, few sporting rifles in this chambering were available in the U.S. until the 1990s. This has changed, as Winchester has offered its Featherweight M70 rifle and Ruger its M77 rifle in this chambering and Barrett, CZ, T/C, Mauser, Howa and Sauer & Sohn have also chambered bolt actions in this round.
6.5x55mm Swedish Mauser loading data and factory ballistics.
General Comments
The 6.5×55 was one of the first 6.5mm cartridges to catch on in the United States. For many years, Norma of Sweden was the only manufacturer of this cartridge, until 1991-92, when Federal Cartridge Co. added it to its Premium product line. The cartridge continues to gain popularity, as surplus Swedish Mauser rifles are still being imported.
Two reasons for its growth in popularity are low recoil and superb accuracy. It’s an excellent deer and antelope cartridge, and it’s also suitable for bear and elk under good conditions at moderate ranges. Because of its flat trajectory, it’s an outstanding choice in lightweight rifles for hunting sheep and goat in mountainous terrain.
Lack of suitable bullets and handload data handicapped the full potential of this cartridge for many years. This has changed, as good bullets and reloading data are now available from most component manufacturers. The 140-grain bullets are best for most types of hunting and are also the most accurate. The 6.5×55 Swedish Mauser case is not related to typical Mauser cartridge cases.
Tired of losing springs, screws or roll pins while working on your AR? Let the AR Parts Holding Template remedy that.
Ever be in the middle of an assembly project or reassembling something after cleaning and drop a part? Sir Isaac Newton had no clue regarding the physics of small parts: The smaller and more necessary a part is, the faster it scurries to the darkest corner of your workshop to hide behind a bench leg. I’m convinced when the old neighborhood revives and someone rehabs the building my gunsmithing operation used to be in, they’ll find parts. Lots of ’em.
Other times, you’re holding a part up to the light, wondering which one is this one?
Let Edge Independent Product Developers help you with that. They make a tray they plan for use as an assembly template for your AR-15. Me, I see it as that and a great aid in keeping things straight during cleaning and rebuilds.
The template is simple: a laser-cut and laser-labeled sheet of wood bonded to a backer, so you have parts-shaped pockets. And this isn’t even the best part—they have them numbered. There’s a laminated instruction sheet in the kit that tells you what number goes with what part, but the cut slot for each makes it pretty easy to figure out.
Somebody out there is all set to be insulted. “I know my AR parts,” one will say. Yes, you do, but once you bump the table and the various springs all roll together, have fun sorting them out. There’s even a small magnet set into the board to let you keep ferrous parts from escaping, parts that you might want to keep close at hand. And there’s an inset marked “misc” for the “whatever” parts. It even comes with tweezers so you can pick the small springs up out of the slot into which they fit.
The laminated guide gives you the number code just in case you haven’t committed them to memory.
Assembling And Cleaning
The fellow who got me onto this thought it was a great idea for those who are assembling an AR-15. I agree, but it’s even better for those cleaning one. The kit comes with links to assembly instructions (not that those are difficult to find online), just in case you need some guidance.
For me, the trick is in cleaning. For that, I plan to dig into the shop and find a spray can of something polyurethane to give the board an oil and carbon-resistant finish (it may already have one, I haven’t abused it to see), so I can easily clean it once I’ve dumped grubby parts into it.
I won’t have to worry about losing this or that (it’s amazing what parts will do if you take your eyes off of them for just a second) and can keep them corralled waiting their turn.
Just to indulge in one of my pet peeves of other gun writers: Patents have been applied for. So, don’t go thinking you can horn in on this great idea. And I’ve been told there are other popular firearms models receiving the same template treatment, so you can soon have control of parts for those when cleaning or building.
There’s a magnet for small parts you don’t want to lose, and tweezers so you can pick them up.
And the best part? The Edge template is smaller, edge-to-edge, than a sheet of copy paper and thinner than a politician’s promises. This means you won’t have to work hard to find room for it in your workshop or loading and cleaning bench. In fact, you might have to work hard to find it, once you’ve slid it in-between a couple of boxes on the shelves. Now that I think about it, I might, once the polyurethane is fully cured, just paint the edges bright orange or neon green, so I’ll be able to find it on the shelf.
Online, from Edge Independent Product Developer, it goes for $45. You might think that’s a bit high, but after dropping and breaking, or dropping and losing (or spending a half-hour fishing it out of its special crevice behind your workbench) a vital part, you’ll find it money well spent.
The author discusses the best times to use detachable scope rings, and when to avoid them at all costs.
It was so nearly dark as not to matter, and I was frantically waiting on the green light to shoot the enormous tom leopard feeding on bait just 60 yards away. When Tanya Blake uttered, “Take him,” I wasted no time settling the crosshair just behind the cat’s shoulder and broke the trigger. Blinded by the muzzle flash, I heard the bullet strike flesh, and Tanya told me I’d knocked the cat out of the tree, but he’d recovered and trotted away behind the bait, albeit very slowly.
Elation mixed with doubt combined for one of the strangest feelings I’ve ever experienced. After the celebration of the fact that we had good blood under the tree, and all the team’s hard work had come together for the opportunity alone, we knew we had to go to work. With just a sliver of moon to illuminate our efforts, we had to rely on the flashlights we’d brought in preparation for just such an event.
I pushed a couple of buttons on the Smithson mounts and slid the Leupold off the receiver of the Ramirez Mauser rifle, giving the wide-open view of iron sights in hopes of fending off a charging, wounded leopard.
Luckily, I wouldn’t need them that evening.
The author used a Todd Ramirez Custom rifle in 9.3×62 Mauser, with a Leupold VX-5HD in Smithson detachable rings, to take this tom leopard with Tanya Blake Safaris. Having the ability to use iron sights for the follow-up is priceless. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
After the leopard was recovered, the experience surely had me thinking about the decision to use detachable scope mounts on a hunting rifle. I’d been a proponent of the idea for nearly two decades, but I am also the first to admit that detachable aren’t always the way to go.
Examples Of Detachable Mounts
My first experience with “detachable” mounts was my dad’s .308 Winchester. The rifle—a Mossberg Model 800A—was purchased shortly after my father had returned from boot camp in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, as a teenager. Enlisted in the National Guard at the height of the Vietnam War, he was shown the benefits of the .308 Winchester cartridge in the issued M14 rifle, and Dad bought the first decent rifle he could afford.
For a dangerous game rifle—like this Bansner & Co. custom rifle built for Alaska—detachable scope mounts give quick access to the iron sights. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
Now, in 1969, riflescopes weren’t anywhere near as reliable as they are today; in fact, they were quite terrible. I’ve had folks tell me the story of how my father nearly ripped the 4x scope off that rifle, reverting back to iron sights because the scope wouldn’t hold zero. He ended up with a Redfield Widefield 3-9x scope, with the TV screen, set in Weaver Pivot mounts, so he could access the iron sights quickly. That rig has held zero for more than a half-century … though I’ve had those same mounts fail on me.
Modern detachable mounts are—quite like the scopes they hold—much better than they were just two or three decades ago. I’ve used all sorts, from the Ramirez proprietary design and Leupold’s Quick Release mounts, to the Griffin & Howe Sporting Top Mount and my personal favorite, Talley Detachable rings, with varying degrees of success and reliability.
A Browning BLR Lightweight Takedown rifle, chambered in .30-06, makes a great backcountry choice. Talley detachable mounts can give the shooter the option of using the iron sights should the scope be damaged in a remote area. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
I equipped my Winchester Model 70 Safari rifle in .416 Remington Magnum with a Burris 1.75-5x20mm scope, set in Leupold’s QR mounts. That rig never let me down, and it was the only rifle I brought along on safaris to both Tanzania and Zambia. I took my first Cape buffalo with that rig, as well as varying plains game species. Using a steel post with a small half-moon cut in the shaft, the system features two levers to engage that recess in the shaft to pull the scope downward, locking it into place. Reverse the levers and the scope and rings can be pulled upward, leaving only the shallow bases on the receiver and giving me access to my iron sights.
This is perfect for follow-up of any dangerous game species or to pursue elephant with iron sights, while carrying the petite scope in a pack, should I encounter a kudu or impala on the way back to the truck. On more than one occasion, I’d carry a second, smaller scope—zeroed in a second set of rings—in case something terrible should happen to the primary scope.
Being a skeptic, it took some convincing before I relied on that system. I’d load up a bunch of 400-grain ammo, take a cold-bore shot, remove and reinstall the scope, and then take another cold-bore shot. Despite the heavy recoil, that system never moved more than ½-MOA when tested at my backyard 100-yard range. Simply put, it worked.
I can say the same for the Talley Quick Detachable rings and mounts; they’ve been nothing but utterly reliable. I first used Talley stuff when I took the Heym Express by Martini on back-to-back safaris to South Africa and Zimbabwe; the South African leg would see us hunting plains game, and the Zimbabwean goal was a bull elephant. Covering the bases with just one rifle, I mounted a Swarovski 1-6x24mm in Talley detachables for any of the plains game species, and for the elephant, I’d revert back to the great iron sights on that rifle. With sub-MOA accuracy from the .404 Jeffery, I again repeatedly tested the rig for changes in point of impact, and despite the recoil of a true, big cartridge, the Talley system held things in place.
Talley offers their rings and bases in stainless finish to match rifles so finished. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
Talley’s Quick Detachable system is similar to their fixed scope ring setup, but with a set of levers operating the screw that clamps the ring to the bases; tighten the levers and the rings are clamped to the dovetail of the bases, while loosening them allows the scope and rings to be removed. I haven’t seen more than a ¾-inch shift of point of impact at 100 yards, irrespective of the cartridge, and I’ve tested this system under recoil with cartridges as fierce as the .505 Gibbs Magnum.
My personal experiences with dad’s Weaver Pivot Mounts have been mixed. While not truly detachable, the Pivot mount swings the scope off the receiver, allowing the shooter to use the iron sights. With lighter-recoiling cartridges, it seems to be OK, as the flat springs that snap the unit into place are apparently capable of holding only so much recoil with repeatable results. I can say from experience that they don’t fare well with the recoil generated by the .375 Holland & Holland Magnum, and either the Talley or Leupold system is a much better choice.
If you wanted to go with a high-end choice, Custom gunmaker Joe Smithson’s mounts are very hard to argue with. They use a pair of spring-loaded crossbolts to hold the rings in the dovetailed—and ball bearing-detented raceways in the receiver. These were supplied on the Todd Ramirez custom rifle I took on safari to Zimbabwe, and though costly, they’re the finest detachable mounts I’ve yet to come across.
The author’s Browning X-Bolt in 6.8 Western is a great long-range hunting rig, but probably wouldn’t benefit from detachable mounts, as any shift in point of impact could be magnified at long distances. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
Practical Application
So, when should the detachable mounts get the nod? And, when should the not?
For a dangerous game rifle—one which might be relied upon to follow large, thick-skinned, dangerous game animals armed with horn, tooth, tusk or claw—into dense vegetation, it makes complete sense to have immediate access to the iron sights. Even scopes with 1x magnification or a red-dot sight don’t seem to have the wide-open feel of iron sights, which can be shot with both eyes open. And while I do appreciate fine iron sights, my eyes aren’t getting any younger, and I much prefer the single focal plane of a riflescope, at least for that first shot.
So, with the exception of my double rifle, my dangerous game rifles wear detachable scope mounts. These rifles are—generally speaking—used inside of 200 yards or thereabout, so in a worst-case scenario, where we have a shift of even 1 MOA, we’re talking about a 2-inch difference at 200 yards.
For the hunter who regularly pursues game at longer ranges—say the hunter after Coues deer, any of the sheep species, mountain goats and the like—the potential shift in point of impact could be an issue. For long-range precision shooting, one goal is to make your scope mounts as rock-solid as possible to allow your scope to “go to sleep.” The moving parts involved with any of the detachable mounting systems would probably not appeal to a shooter who has taken the time to assemble a rifle and ammunition capable of hair-splitting accuracy.
Using a detachable ring/base system allows the user to carry a second scope in rings, already zeroed, which can be taken from a pack in a flash if needed. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
Other than a dangerous game rifle, a hunter who regularly pursues game in remote areas might truly benefit from the advantages of the detachable system. Many modern rifles come with a clean barrel, devoid of iron sights, and should you fall and hit your scope, you’re out of business, left with a fully functional rifle that you cannot aim. Even if you sought out the lightest possible fixed 4x scope and pre-zeroed the unit in a set of rings, you could easily stow it in a pack. The few ounces of additional weight on your back are nothing compared to the long trek back to civilization with a useless rifle and an intact tag.
A set of precision tools can help you install your detachable bases and rings properly—the first time. Setting the screws to the manufacturer’s recommended torque specs is an important detail, necessary to minimize any shift in point or impact. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
For the AR crowd, who often use the same rifle for hunting and home/personal defense, having a low-powered variable scope in detachable mounts makes complete sense. Many companies offer detachable mounts compatible with a Picatinny rail, allowing immediate changes from hunting rifle to bedroom gun, utilizing the iron sights or changing to a red-dot reflex-type sight. And like any bolt gun, the minute shift in impact—if any—won’t affect a rifle at hunting ranges.
Choosing The Proper Detachable Scope Rings
The choice of detachable mount that works best for you is highly subjective. In terms of functionality, most of the reputable manufacturers offer a dependable product. I like Talley rings and bases, as I’ve had great results with their conventional setups. Warne makes a good set of detachable as well, as does Leupold, Burris and others. Recknagel and Joe Smithson certainly take things up a notch, both in price and engineering, and are usually reserved for the higher-end rifles. NECG (New England Custom Gun Service) offers their Quick-Loc European-style mounts, with spring-loaded dual claws, for the traditional continental detachable mounts; while costly, these are utterly reliable.
Warne detachable rings with the signature steel spacer and levers quickly remove the ring from the base. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
Best of all, the vast majority of these detachable systems can be installed by the user. Like a fixed base/ring system, I strongly suggest reading the manufacturer’s specifications and directions before beginning the install. I also recommend you become very familiar with all the moving parts and put a towel down on the table you’re working on to help catch little parts. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dropped the little internal springs of the Talley detachables, or the small screws and other parts of various systems—using a light to crawl around on the floor isn’t my favorite pastime.
Good scope rings won’t need to be lapped and will center the optic in a natural fashion; I can’t tell you how much ammunition I’ve saved from using quality mounts. If you’re serious about getting a detachable mount system to give the optimum results, don’t cheap out when buying the base/ring system. It’s one aspect where you’ll get what you pay for.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the December 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
More On Scope Rings And Mounts:
A Ring For Every Occasion: Scope Rings And Base Systems
Looking for a new iron or piece of kit to enhance the one you already own? Check out these 7 new bits of guns and gear to grow your firearms wish list.
Is it time to jettison your bulky chronographs and Doppler radars? If Garmin has anything to say about it, then … yes. Perhaps a game-changing addition to the company’s catalog, the C1 Pro Chronograph puts the power of radar into a package small enough to fit into a jacket pocket. Shooters who clock their rounds on the regular understand what a big deal this is. Even better, the C1 Pro is completely wireless and works in conjunction with Garmin’s ShotView smartphone app to deliver precise data and catalog it, so you have a dead-nuts ballistic profile at your fingertips. In addition to velocity, the radar offers up a host of other vital information—from power factor to kinetic energy—to give you an unparalleled picture of your ammo’s performance. The unit reads velocities from 100 to 5,000 fps, making it just as handy for archery and airguns as it is your long-range tack driver. MSRP: $600
Brownells BRN-601
A bit out of the ordinary, retro AR builds have proven all the rage in recent years. Who doesn’t want a little something harkening back to the early days of Stoner’s creation? If you count yourself among these ranks, it might be time to check out Brownells. Long on throwback build components, the company has reintroduced one of its classic complete upper configurations—the BRN-601. A detail-accurate replica of the upper receiver on the first AR-15-type rifle adopted in the early 1960s, it features the correct “slickside” receiver, fine-quality matte gray anodized finish, a 20-inch 5.56x45mm NATO barrel with a 1:12-inch twist and chrome-lined bore. Additionally, a chromed slickside M16 bolt-carrier group with a robust 9310 steel alloy bolt comes as part of the package, as does the distinctive original three-prong “duckbill” flash hider. MSRP: $900
Mesa Tactical-KynSHOT Shotgun Recoil Reducer
If a shotgun is your preferred method of defense, one of the concerns in wielding it properly is recoil management. Mesa Tactical and Kyntec Technologies take a load off of dealing with kick in an intriguing partnership: Mesa is now the exclusive dealer of KynSHOT Recoil Reducers, which work seamlessly in conjunction with the company’s buffer mounts. Available in adjustable and non-adjustable models, the hydraulic buffer eats up nearly 60 to 90 percent of a scattergun’s recoil (depending on model), making the firearm much more manageable and faster, shot-to-shot. These hydraulic recoil buffers are exclusive to Mesa Tactical and are available as standalone components or as part of Mesa’s AR stock adapter. MSRP: Starting at $186
Real Avid Master Gun Workstation
Honestly, if you’re going to do any DIY firearms work, you’re going to need the right tools for the job. Real Avid gives you the foundation for this with its new Master Gun Workstation. At the heart of the Master Gun Workstation is a convenient quick-adjustable clamp feature that allows for fast and secure gun placement with one-handed tightening, ensuring a perfectly positioned firearm with minimal effort and frustration. The yoke is also one-hand adjustable for both width and height, and with an impressive 18.3 inches of travel, it’s easily accommodating the longest rifles and shotguns. Plus, it boasts a unique integrated leveling knob to aid optics mounting, with up to +/- 3 degrees of adjustment. MSRP: $200
MDT Field Stock
Few DIY rifle projects offer better results than a stock upgrade. This component, after all, is the foundation of an accurate iron. MDT has become one of the industry’s leaders in providing just this advantage, and the company now offers a hybrid system ideal for nearly any precision endeavor. Christened the “Field Stock,” the traditionally shaped polymer stock provides a rock-solid shooting base with its aluminum core, complete with V-block bedding—for air-tight matting with the action. It offers a one-size-fits-all system, with a fully adjustable stock boasting both length-of-pull adjustment and comb rise. The stock is configurable for any shooting discipline with sling swivel studs and its M-Lok forend enables you to customize your rifle for hunting, competition or casual long-range shooting. Presently, the Field Stock is compatible with Remington 700 SA actions. MSRP: $300
Luth-AR Titanium Nitride Coated Bolt Carrier
Getting the most out of your AR isn’t simply a matter of upgrading it to hit the mark every time—it’s also ensuring the rifle runs like a top every time you pull the trigger. Luth-AR goes a long way in delivering this peace of mind with the release of its Titanium Nitride (TiN) Coated Complete AR-15 Bolt Carrier. Known for its wear resistance, reducing friction and improving overall reliability, the TiN-coated BCG offers nearly failsafe improvement to your carbine’s internal components. If that doesn’t sell you, the fact the coating also reduced carbon buildup should—because who doesn’t want to cut down on cleaning duties? MSRP: $150
Hornady Lab Scale
Of all firearms DIYers, reloaders might be the most obsessive. If you count yourself among these ranks, Hornady has produced just the tool for you: Shake hands with the Lab Scale. Engineered to be a best-in-class device, the precise scale delivers unparalleled measurements so you can tune your loads with the smallest margin of error. How tight are the tolerances? Down to the hundredth of a grain, which is borderline ridiculous. But this is likely music to the ears of extreme-range shooters. The lab scale has a 3,000-grain upper limit and allows loaders some interesting functions, such as count, load compare and percentages. Heck, it even comes with a hood to minimize environmental factors when weighing. MSRP: $566
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the December 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
The ugly, the bad, and the very good of owning and shooting a suppressor.
Next to the 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge, the other firearm-related item that’s exploded in popularity this century has been the suppressor. In recent years, suppressor sales have increased as much as 40 percent annually. They have become so popular that almost all new rifles and many pistols now come with threaded barrels. In fact, currently, one of the most popular gunsmithing services is barrel threading.
But, like with just about everything in life, all the good that comes with suppressors also comes with some not so good. If you’re thinking about purchasing one, here’s a look at the ugly, the bad and the good, with some really good news at the end.
The Ugly
Because a suppressor is considered an NFA item, and is also apparently detested by half the politicians in America and by the ATF, in order to purchase one, you must complete some paperwork, undergo a background check, submit your fingerprints and photograph and then pay a $200 tax. This seemingly Rubik’s Cube-like process surrounding suppressor acquisition turns a lot of buyers off. Also, and unfortunately, this tax you pay isn’t treated like other Pittman-Robertson firearms and ammunition taxes that help fund hunter education and target ranges. The $200 tax goes directly into the federal government’s general fund that can be used for anything they want, like sending money to Ukraine.
A quality suppressor like the Banish 30, which is a 0.30-caliber suppressor, can also be used with other firearms that shoot a bullet smaller in diameter than 0.30 caliber.
Fortunately, there’s a bill that’s just been written, and that should be introduced by the time you read this, that could correct some of this silliness. It allows for 85 percent of every $200 tax collected from the sale of suppressors to be allocated to the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Trust Fund to support wildlife conservation, law enforcement, hunter recruitment and other related activities. Additionally, 15 of that 85 percent would be earmarked for the development, maintenance and operation of recreational shooting ranges. For 2023 alone, the expected tax collected would approach $200 million, and 85 percent of that is $170 million.
The author testing a Silencer Central Backcountry suppressor on the new suppressor-ready Springfield Armory Redline rifle.
While suppressors continue to become more popular, the extensive registration and processing paperwork can have applicants waiting as long as a year for approval by the ATF. This is despite the Bureau’s recent implementation of an electronic form portal for processing applications. To address that, the same bill would direct the remaining 15 percent to the ATF’s NFA division and be strategically allocated to expedite the process of suppressor applications within a 90-day time frame. Today, the average wait time from application to suppressor delivery exceeds six months.
The rest of the ugliness surrounding suppressors is that they’re not legal to own in California, Delaware, Illinois, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. And there are only 40 states where it’s legal to hunt with a suppressor.
The Bad
The purchase of a suppressor and the distribution of the tax dollars you pay are the worst of it, but there are some other detractors. For starters, they’re not cheap. A good centerfire rifle suppressor starts at about $700, and the better ones can cost twice that much. Additionally, if you purchase a suppressor and decide you don’t want it anymore, selling it can be complicated, and of course whomever buys it will have to pay the same $200 tax you already paid, on the same damn suppressor.
A fabric heat shield is a wise accessory for your can. It protects you from being burned when it heats up and reduces heat waves between you and the target.
A suppressor also adds a good bit of weight to your firearm. Rimfire suppressors can be as light as 5 ounces, but some centerfire rifle suppressors can weigh nearly a pound. This makes your gun heavier, and it adds all the weight at the muzzle, which dramatically changes the firearm’s balance. If you only shoot from the bench, this isn’t a big deal. For offhand shooting, the added muzzle weight can make a rifle seem to hang on target better, but it also destroys a rifle’s handling qualities.
In addition to the weight, a can adds length. Adding 6 inches to a pistol’s barrel makes it unwieldly. The same is true when you add 7 to 9 inches to a rifle’s barrel, especially if the rifle already has a 22- or 24-inch barrel. Because of this, many new rifles are now being offered with suppressor-ready barrels that are as short as 16 inches.
Silencer Central’s Banish 30 suppressor is modular and can be shortened if desired.
For gas-operated semi-automatic firearms, like the AR-10 and AR-15, a suppressor forces more pressured gas into the action. With this comes more carbon fouling, and more carbon fouling makes your gun dirtier. You might find that your AR will have some cycling issues with a suppressor installed unless it has an adjustable gas block. Heavier bolt carriers and different buffer springs and buffer weights can also be used to tune an AR for optimum performance with a suppressor.
The Good
The primary goodness of a suppressor is that it reduces the noise or acoustic intensity of a gunshot. However, a suppressor doesn’t “silence” a gunshot. The “silencer” term comes from the patent for the first firearm suppressor, which was invented in 1902 by Hiram P. Maxim, son of Hiram S. Maxim of machine gun fame. Ironically, the muffler for internal combustion engines was developed in parallel by Maxim. A muffler doesn’t silence an engine and a suppressor doesn’t silence a gun, but here in America you can purchase a muffler at any auto shop and walk out the door with it the same day you buy it. You cannot do that with a suppressor.
In addition to making a firearm hearing safe and being a great tool for hunters, suppressors also have tactical application.
The primary goal of modern firearm suppressors is to reduce gun shots to below 140 decibels, which is considered to be hearing safe. This means that suppressors actually advance public health because they protect the hearing of those who are shooting and of others who are nearby. This makes communication on shooting ranges better, and better communication on shooting ranges makes them safer. But suppressors also reduce the noise around shooting ranges, and this makes shooting ranges less disturbing to local residents and businesses.
The reduction in recoil and noise a suppressor provides helps shooters shoot better.
Suppressors also reduce recoil by slowing down escaping gases and reducing the reward thrust of the firearm. The added weight of the suppressor also helps reduce recoil and the tendency for the muzzle to rise after each shot. A perfect example of how you can benefit from this noise and recoil reduction is my 19-year-old daughter’s first African safari. She hunted with a 5-pound Kimber rifle in .308 Winchester using full-power ammunition from Buffalo Bore, and she only weighs 100 pounds. The reduced sound and push from the rifle allowed her to deliver accurate shots on several animals out to nearly 300 yards.
A Silencer Central Banish 30 suppressor was an integral part of this author’s daughter’s shooting success on her first African safari.
Part of her ability to deliver those good shots at distance comes from being less intimated by the noise and recoil, but it also partly comes from the fact that the recoil reduction and added weight helps to prevent movement of the rifle as the bullet is exiting the barrel. For all of these reasons, most shooters shoot more accurately when shooting with a suppressor.
There are additional benefits for hunters, because when hunting you use all your senses and with a suppressor, you don’t have to put on hearing protection before you take your shot. Plus, after the shot, your ears aren’t ringing so they’re still a usable sense. (Professional hunting guides love suppressors just as much as they hate muzzle brakes.) This reduction in muzzle blast also has tactical application with regard to noise but also in shot signature, because it eliminates the ball of fire at the muzzle and greatly reduces dust and vegetation movement that can give away a concealed position.
There are two types of suppressors. Some come apart for service and maintenance and others are captive and sealed.
The Latest And Bestest News
As indicated in the ugly section, purchasing a suppressor can be an intimidating affair because of all the paperwork, because you’re dealing with the government and because of the wait and unfamiliarity of the process. Fortunately, a wise man who was working as a pharmacist in South Dakota has essentially solved all this.
Brandon Maddox was a shooter who liked shooting suppressed, and he felt that if he could legally distribute prescription medications all across the United States, he could do the same with suppressors. Maddox created Silencer Central. By establishing dealers in every suppressor legal state and by working with the ATF, Silencer Central can now sell you a suppressor using the telephone and the internet, and they can then ship the suppressor right to your doorstep. You never have to leave the house!
The process is 100 percent legal and extremely easy. I know because working with Zach Ely, a Silencer Central sales rep, I just went through it. Not only did Ely make everything as simple as singing up for cell phone service, but he was also extremely knowledgeable about the process and suppressors in general—he provided detailed answers to every legal and technical question I had.
And, get this: As part of purchasing from Silencer Central, they’ll create a trust for you for free. The trust actually owns the suppressor, and this means you can share it—legally—with other members of the trust. It also means that when you go to that great gun range in the sky, the transfer of the suppressor to your designee is easier.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the November 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Most ARs these days already have a telestock, but many aren’t properly assembled. Here’s how to do it right.
One of the things that we find very important in the LE Patrol rifle classes is getting rifles to fit officers. While no one would consider for a moment the idea that the standard and only issue shoe should be a size 9, the uniform jacket a 38 Regular and trousers 30L-32W, management blithely assumes that one pistol will fit them all. And one rifle, as well.
Well … no.
So, in the early days, we saw officers arrive with fixed stocks, and they’d look enviously at the one or two who had telestocks. Now, it’s rare to see a fixed stock, they’re all telestocks. And yet, not all are properly assembled. Or even tightly assembled.
The telestock has a buffer tube, a sliding stock with some sort of latch, and the tube is secured to the lower receiver by being screwed in and then locked in place with what’s called a castle nut. It also holds on to the rear plate that guides the buffer tube and holds in the takedown spring and plunger.
Here’s a quick primer on how to take a telestock apart—not doing it correctly can damage parts:
Unload and disassemble, removing the upper and lower. Remove the buffer and spring. Use a castle nut wrench to loosen the castle nut, and then spin it back far enough to clear the retaining plate. Slide the retaining plate back from the receiver, and control, remove and set aside the takedown spring. You can, if you wish, now remove the buffer tube by unscrewing it. Once it goes back a turn or two, the buffer retainer and its spring will pop loose, so control those and set them aside.
Doesn’t sound so bad, right?
Well, we can now get to the mistakes, errors and dimensional problems that crop up.
Buffer Tube
The buffer tube has to be screwed into the lower receiver hoop far enough to trap the buffer retainer, but not so far that it binds the retainer down in its tunnel. If not screwed in far enough, the buffer retainer pops out, and it and its spring get to dance with the hammer, trigger or disconnector. Soon the rifle stops working. Install it in too far, and the retainer gets bound down and doesn’t keep the buffer under control. When you open the action to disassemble for cleaning, you get a spring-launched buffer flying across the room. (Or it hits someone, who rightly objects to such treatment.)
The solution is to check the engagement. If the engagement is minimal, you can remove the buffer and spring, loosen the castle nut, turn the buffer tube in another rotation, and tighten everything back down again. If your rifle has the hoop threads cut wrong, then you’ll have to either swap tubes until you find one that works or file the lip of the tube you have to fit properly. Screw it in until it holds the retainer down. See how much too much you have (and it may even stick out of the top of the hoop as well), then remove the tube and carefully file the lip back until it’s just right.
You might even end up with an uneven—or lipped—tube, with clearance on the top for the upper receiver, and enough protrusion on the bottom to hold in the retainer.
Or you can buy a buffer tube that’s been built to provide a retaining lip and still clear the upper. PWS makes one, and it works like a champ.
The PWS buffer tube, with an extended lip to retain the buffer catch, will still clear the upper receiver.
Tipped buffer tubes are those that have been allowed to move when the castle nut has been tightened. The tube, and the stock attached to it, needs to be vertical to the bore axis, or else it will be uncomfortable or difficult to shoot. The trick here is keeping the tube vertical while you tighten the castle nut. There’s no trick, just patience.
Castle Nut
The castle nut has notches in its front and rear edges. The big notches are for the wrench that tightens or loosens it, and the small notches are for staking. The big notches go to the rear. No, I’m not kidding: I’ve seen castle nuts put on the wrong way, in part because they’re sometimes screwed on to the buffer tube (as a parts kit) at the factory just to keep them from being lost and end up being screwed on wrong. The castle nut must be torqued on with a proper wrench. (Anything else will either not provide enough torque or mar the castle nut heinously.) You can use Loctite, but this is more a vibration control, and a belt-and-suspenders approach. Don’t depend solely on torque and Loctite.
This castle nut hasn’t been staked. That’ll be changed shortly.
The castle nut has to trap the retaining plate flat against the receiver, and once in place you must stake the castle nut. That’s what the smaller notches are for. Use a spring-loaded center-punch and put the tip against the retaining plate, then close to the gap of the notch. You want to kick up a staked nib that’ll interfere with the castle nut unscrewing. You won’t do this with just one click, you’ll have to keep at it until the nib is big enough to do its job. An un-staked castle nut can loosen, and when it does, the stock gets all wobbly. If, on top of everything else, the buffer tube wasn’t screwed in far enough, it may loosen enough to free the buffer retainer, and when you go to disassemble to fix things, you get the buffer surprise. So be careful when you take the upper and lower apart—you don’t want to take a buffer in the face.
A spring-loaded center-punch is the tool you’ll need to stake your castle nut.
Another quick warning here; if you have opted for a single-point sling and are using a retaining plate with loops on it to clip the sling onto, you can’t stake it. For some reason beyond understanding, those plates are made too hard to be staked. This is the one time you will have to depend on torque and Loctite—at least until you decide to give up on single-point slings and can rebuild to a regular retaining plate. If you just have to have a single-point sling, then go with the GG&G adapter, one that clamps on. With it you don’t have to rebuild your telestock to use a single-point sling.
You just have to have a single-point sling and use the GG&G adapter. That way you won’t have to rebuild your stock assembly and then undo that work once you’re tired of the single-point sling.
Castle Nut Torquing
You might think that the vise block that fits into the magazine well is the way to hold your lower while working on the castle nut. No. That risks breaking things. Instead, lay the receiver flat on a padded bench. The pistol grip will act as your lock. When you go to loosen the nut, lay the lower receiver down on its right side. This way you will by rotating the castle nut toward the pistol grip. You can place a hand on the pistol grip and lean on it with your body weight, to keep things still. When tightening, lay it on the left side, so again, the pistol grip is in the direction you’re turning the nut. The Mil-spec limit is 40 ft-lb. That’s a lot for this, and all you need, but you still have to stake it.
The center-punch goes onto the retaining plate, adjacent to the castle nut, at a locking notch.
And you use a padded bench because the various things that stick out, like the bolt latch, or the magazine button fence, would otherwise be pressed hard against the bench top.
Once you’ve clicked the punch enough times, you’ll have a staked castle nut.
Retaining Plate
If you look at the plate, you’ll see a dished section, and on the other side that section is raised. Plates are made by stamping them out of sheet steel, and part of the stamping is to create that raised portion. The raised portion fits into the recess machined in the lower receiver. It seems obvious but I’ve seen a couple of rifles that were assembled with the raised portion out. When that happens, the retaining plate can’t stay in place; it’ll rotate, and it’ll either take the buffer tube with it or it’ll gouge the buffer tube.
This buffer tube wasn’t screwed in far enough, and the buffer retainer fell out. And when it was opened, the owner got the “buffer surprise” that can be so hazardous.
The plate also keeps the takedown spring in place. A quick look to make sure the spring was pushed fully into the tunnel on assembly is warranted. If it wasn’t, it can be bent, and the plate is tipped. Also, the spring might not have enough force to keep the plunger under control, and you might lose the rear plunger on disassembly.
This buffer retainer escaped and rattled around until it could find a way to cause problems.
Stock Swap
While this isn’t something done by Wall Street, exchange the sliding portion of the stock on the buffer tube for another one. The latch on the USGI style is a hinged lever that pulls the plunger out of the drilled locking spots. (The originals had two: open or closed. Only later did we get more, now you can get up to eight positions.) The locking plunger rides in a slot machined on the ventral fin of the buffer tube. The lever can’t move the plunger enough to permit it to leave the groove. So, to remove the slider, you have to grab the whole lever, pull it away from the slider and then slide the stock off. Install the new one the same way.
To remove the slider, you’ll have to pull down on the latch, not lever it. On the Magpul stocks, you’ll have to pull down the crosspin of the latch.
Mil-Spec Versus Commercial
The buffer tube isn’t the same for all stocks. Less so now than in the old days, there are “commercial” tubes that differ. The original-spec tubes are made from forgings, and the tube is machined. If you look closely at a mil-spec tube, you’ll see that the tops of the threads are higher than the tube body. The commercial tubes (assuming anyone makes them anymore, but you might still run into an older rifle with one) are made by extrusion.
The original buffer tubes had two locking notches: open and closed. You can get a lot more today; this is a six-position tube next to a clone of an original.
Here, a heated cylinder of aluminum is forced through a shaping die, and the tube is brought down to diameter while the ventral fin is formed. Then, the tube is threaded. The threads can’t be larger in diameter than the tube. (Well … they can, but that adds time, machinery and cost to their manufacture … so it ain’t happening.) And if you look at a commercial tube, the thread tops are the same diameter as the tube.
The threads are the same; they have to be to screw into the receiver. But the slider portion differs, and a mil-spec stock won’t fit onto a commercial tube, while a commercial stock will be a sloppy fit on a mil-spec tube. The easy way to determine? Measure it. Mil-spec tubes are a nominal 1.148 inches while commercial tubes are a nominal 1.168 inches in diameter. Either will fit a lower receiver, but they won’t permit stock swaps without tube swaps. Both use the same springs and buffer weights. Most tubes, and thus stocks, are now the mil-spec diameter. If yours has a commercial-diameter buffer tube, and you want a different slider, you’ll probably find it easier to just rebuild the whole assembly with a new mil-spec tube, to get the stock you want.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the December 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Looking for a quality EDC pistol that won’t break the bank? Here are our top carry handgun picks for below $500.
There’s a line of thought in the everyday carry field that you should not be carrying an expensive, custom pistol. Some object because it might give the DA another stick with which to beat you in the legal proceedings. Others claim that your custom 1911 (it always seems to be a 1911, in this argument) will spend years in evidence lockup, and you might not ever see it again.
Well, color me unimpressed.
To throw cold water on those, consider instead the incident itself. If it was in the parlance “a good shoot,” then the DA will do what he or she can or will do, but that’s all. And if it was a good shoot, you’ll be getting your property back. (Well, maybe not, in some jurisdictions, but that’s a life choice and real estate decision, not a pistol selection one.) And if your custom pistol has suffered somewhat in evidence, then the custom ’smith who worked on it will be glad to refresh it now that it has served you well.
EDC Pistols Get Gross
No, I encourage the use of inexpensive pistols for daily carry for an entirely different reason: sweat.
Not every inexpensive pistol has to be available in a host of options to be a smoking deal. The BRG9 Elite comes with everything you see in the case here.
I once had a customer who could rust anything, and quickly. Bart’s perspiration was so corrosive that you could see it on his carry gun. We ended up giving his carry gun a double hard-chrome plating, because we learned he could rust through the hard chrome with just one layer of plating. As I write this, it’s 82 degrees outside, with 88 percent relative humidity. You practically have to push yourself through the air, it’s so thick. A walk around the block has one dripping in sweat. That’s sweat that will drench your carry pistol.
Yes, modern coatings and finishes are much better than the high-gloss blue of the old days, but rusting a $5,000 custom pistol in a weekend of carry isn’t fun. Luckily, you can get a carry gun entirely suitable for daily use for a tenth of that, and you won’t care much if it does suffer some.
Less Can Be More
Let’s start right off the bat with Taurus and the G series. If you want a subcompact pistol, then the GX4 can be yours for under five bills—under four bills if you don’t need or want the option for mounting a red-dot sight. So, a 10- or 11-round magazine, compact size and a list price of $399? It’s hard to beat that, but Taurus does it. If you’re looking for something a little larger or that costs a bit less, then the full-sized G3 can be yours with a list price of $340.
Taurus magazines can hold an impressive amount of ammo. With one in the gun, and the spare on your belt, you’ve got close to a box of ammo on call.
Now, if your tastes run more toward the traditional, you’ll be looking for a 1911 pistol. OK, Armscor has you covered here, with a selection of sizes, finishes, capacities and even calibers, starting at $499. You can bling yours up by opting for a nickel finish, if you like flashy or want the corrosion-resistance it offers. If you’re a fan of the hi-cap striker approach, but not too keen on polymer, then the Armscor STK100 fits the need. Its aluminum frame won’t rust, and the STK100 takes Glock magazines, an item so common I expect to see them on the counter of the convenience store at my local gas station soon.
If you’re old-school and want something .45, or GI, then the Armscor 1911 series won’t hammer your wallet. And you have options in size, caliber and finish, if you’re willing to move up some in price.
If you’re looking to stick with steel magazines, then the Springfield Armory XD series is your choice. The new XDm series are the hot products from Springfield, but the XD line has been offered long enough that Springfield Armory has some real deals to offer. The current Defend Your Legacy XD series, in several sizes, offers you a 9mm pistol of 13- or 16-round magazine capacity, and the XD pistols are hell for tough. At a listed $440, you get steel magazines, grip safety, ambi mag release, striker cocking indicator and loaded chamber indicator, ultra-reliability and the option of using extended magazines to increase your XD's capacity.
The Springfield Armory XD series has been around long enough to now be affordable. You get steel magazines and many options in capacity (state law permitting, of course), and a pistol so tough it probably would shrug off hammer hits.
One of the sources of solid, dependable and inexpensive handguns of late has been Turkey. Century Arms offers the Canik line, and there you have an embarrassment of choices. If you want a full-sized pistol, then the TP9SF at a listed $399, offering 18- or 20-round extended magazines, is amazing. They have all the features you’d want in a pistol, with replaceable backstraps, an accessory rail, hi-vis sights and coming complete with a holster, spare magazine and cleaning tools, so you won’t have to buy extras just to get started. (Well, ammo, of course.) You do have to like a pistol done up in FDE, because that’s how the TP9SF rolls. Other Canik models offer basic black as a finish color. If you want something smaller than a full-sized duty pistol, then the TP9 Elite SC, a subcompact pistol and also set up for red-dot optics, will probably be in the display case next to the TP9SF and listed at $440.
The Canik pistols are an incredible value. And those who are fans of FDE can find several options in the lineup. The extra coating adds corrosion resistance as well.
Now, not all pistols have to be offered in a wide range of options in order to be a great deal. The BRG9 Elite is one such. Made by the Burgu Metal Company in Turkey, and imported by BRG-USA, it’s a duty-sized 9mm pistol. Coming in a lockable hard case with replaceable backstraps, two 16-round magazines, a mag loader and cleaning tools, the BRG9 Elite has a list price of $399.
Inexpensive guns like this BRG9 Elite can be accurate. In fact, most are—inaccurate guns don’t sell very well in today’s economy. Find what ammo yours likes and stick with it.
The selection of 9mm hi-cap pistols that retail for under four Benjamins is eye-opening to those of us who grew up with higher, relative to inflationary changes, prices in the old days. To give you a scale, if we backward calculate $400 in modern Biden dollars to when I bought my first 1911 (USGI surplus), the value then of $400 comes to $97 in 1979. I paid $189 for my 1911 back then. New pistols and revolvers cost even more than that. So, the bargain pistols of today really are bargains.
A Fistfight With Rust
One of the things that got me out of gunsmithing and into gun writing was rust. I was doing a survey of the work I had done and realized just how much of my income came from neglect. Hunting guns, rifles and shotguns that had malfunctioned during the previous hunting season, only now, weeks before Opening Day, were being brought in to be cleaned and checked. Carry guns needed the rust buffed off and the hardened oil inside chipped away. Then, there were the hunting guns that were forgotten until they had been pulled out as “pre-hunt planning” and the carry guns not discovered until they had failed to work at an all-too-rare practice session or required departmental qualification day.
The Canik TP9 Elite SC is a small gun that performs like a big gun. And if you feel the need for a red-dot optic on your pistol, the Canik can accommodate you there.
I’ll grant that the modern finishes are better than blue, and even the hard chrome Bart rusted. But since you’re paying so little, and treating your pistol so harshly, you can take an extra step and not shed a tear over it. The aluminum or polymer frame isn’t going to rust. If you want to give the slide extra protection, you can be careful and coat it with car wax. That’ll help it shed the moisture and sweat it experiences.
You could even (and this is really getting hard core) field-strip your pistol, degrease the slide and give it an application of spray paint. Now, I’d suggest this only if you lived in someplace even more humid than the Midwest, where I Iive, or if your body is as hostile to metal as Bart’s is, and need the extra rust protection. Be sure to use bits of masking tape to keep the paint out of or off of things that need to move, or need to be not covered, like your tritium night sights. And, once it has dried, be sure that you reassemble and give your carry pistol a thorough range session, just to make sure that the paint hasn’t gotten someplace it ought not to have, and your pistol still works.
The Armscor STK100, with its aluminum frame, is going to resist rust a lot better than a steel-framed pistol … and have better recoil control than a polymer-framed pistol.
Now, some might object. “Paint? You’re asking me to paint my firearm?” Well, what do you think a lot of the non-black finishes are, essentially, that you can have on your carry pistol? And, if you live in a truly awful environment, you can have paint on your pistol or you can have rust on your pistol. This is America, after all—you get to decide.
Last, and this applies to all daily carry firearms, not just the inexpensive ones, you should stop by your local computer store, or hit up Amazon, for canned air. The really big problem with daily carry isn’t the sweat, although that is a problem. It’s the lint. Lint accumulates, and once it builds up enough, it stops the small parts from working. Even expensive pistols stop working if there’s enough lint, and it doesn’t take as long as you might think for “enough” to build up. Blow the lint out before it builds up to “too much.”
The Taurus G3 is a full-sized pistol with a less-than-full-sized price tag. If the size isn’t a problem, the price might startle you.
Be Smart, Not Cheap
It’d be smart to take some of the savings you scored from going with an inexpensive carry gun and invest it in cleaning supplies and canned air. If not, it’d be most embarrassing to be standing and waiting at the pearly gates, where the bouncer is looking at you in scorn. “Lint? Really?”
Looking for inexpensive, given the harsh environment, is prudent, but taking care of your investment so it can take care of you is also prudent.
Do both.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the 2022 EDC special issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Many armed citizens only trust their lives to factory ammunition, but here’s what you need to know about defensive handgun bullets.
We’ve all heard the rule from on high: Thou shalt not carry handloads in thine everyday carry weapon, lest thou be deemed guilty immediately for saving thine bacon. The concept and reason, loosely stated, is that a prosecuting attorney could possibly convince a jury that you intentionally made “hot loads” (I break out in hives just typing that), or that the threat—which you interpreted to put your life in danger—was farther away than you stated, based upon the penetration of the bullet and/or expansion. Those handloads could indicate—to the uneducated—that you were looking for a gunfight.
Just as I handload almost all of my dangerous game ammunition, on the basis of the idea that I can pay attention to each and every component and aspect of the loading process, I have no problem with handloading EDC defensive ammunition. In fact, handloading my defensive ammunition allows me to inspect all of the projectiles I’ll be using. It gives me an opportunity to tune each and every case, weigh each powder charge and use a consistent crimp. The factory stuff is great—there’s no doubt about that—but I’m the kind of guy who likes to hedge his bets.
Handloading defensive ammunition is not for a lot of people, and I certainly understand that.
A lineup of worthy premium defensive bullets, including the Federal Hydra-Shok, Hornady XTP, Speer Gold Dot, Barnes XPB and the Cutting Edge Handgun Raptor. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
Choosing A Defensive Handgun Bullet
Not all defensive bullets are created equal, and the reloader (or those buying any defensive ammunition, actually) needs to be aware of the differences, similarities, pleasures and pitfalls of the various designs.
What exactly makes a defensive bullet? Well, that’s a highly subjective question, as just about any handgun bullet can be used in a defensive situation. I caught my father carrying plain old lead, round-nose bullets in his .38 snub nose the other day and gasped in horror. Dad replied, “They’ll work, trust me. The government issued them for decades.” Maybe he’s not entirely wrong, but with the availability of modern bullets of premium quality, I’m not carrying lead projectiles. Nor am I carrying a FMJ, which will certainly offer deep penetration, but nearly zero expansion.
I prefer a jacketed hollow-point bullet (as opposed to the plated bullets), engineered to give the best balance of penetration and expansion. If you’re trying to pick out which bullet will work best for you, try searching for some examples of the bullet’s performance in bare ballistic gelatin, as well as after passing through several layers of clothing and/or drywall. The latter two tests can often show you whether expansion is reliable; I’ve seen more than one model plug up with drywall and fail to expand.
Note the skived jacket on the Hydra-Shok; this helps initiate uniform expansion.
Federal’s Hydra-Shok handgun bullet has been around for more than three decades, yet it still checks all the boxes for an excellent defensive choice. Using a notched copper jacket and a post in the center of the hollow cavity for reliable expansion, the Hydra-Shok has long been a popular choice for law enforcement and is among my favorite designs. Speer’s Gold Dot is another favorite, which has its copper jacket bonded to the lead core. This process allows the hollow-point to expand reliably, yet the bonding process ensures the structural integrity of the bullet, providing very high weight retention. Hornady’s XTP (eXtreme Terminal Performance) handgun bullet is equally suited for a hunting scenario as it is a defensive scenario, using a jacket of varying thickness (growing thicker as you approach the base), which is serrated to initiate equal and even expansion. Both the Gold Dot and the XTP have the jacket slightly wrapped around the nose of the bullet, to protect the meplat during the feeding process in a semi-automatic handgun.
There are also monometal choices, such as the Barnes XPB or the Cutting Edge Handgun Raptor, and while both are hollow-points, they function very differently in the terminal phase. Where the Barnes will retain nearly all of its weight, the Cutting Edge is designed to actually break apart. The Handgun Raptor has cuts along the ogive, and that section along the hollow-point will break into four blades, radiating in a star pattern for some nasty initial trauma, while the base of the bullet (Cutting Edge calls it their Blunt Trauma Base) maintains caliber-diameter, penetrating up to 16 inches in ballistic gel. These aren’t your grandfather’s bullets.
The Cutting Edge Handgun Raptor is engineered to break into four blades, which radiate in a star pattern, leaving the caliber-dimension base to give deep penetration. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
If You Must Build Your Own
Looking at the lead-core bullets, you'll see those models designed for use in a revolver will sport a cannelure for using a roll crimp, while those designated for the semi-auto guns will not. Those cartridges generally use the case mouth for headspacing and cannot use a roll crimp; rather a good taper crimp will keep those bullets from moving within the case.
Irrespective of the crimp style, I’ve found that the more uniform you can keep your crimp, the more uniform your velocities will be. I reach for the Redding Profile Crimp die for the best roll crimp possible, applying the crimp in a separate operation, after seating the bullet. When I need a taper crimp, I like the Redding Micro Adjustable Taper Crimp dies, as they allow me to fine-tune the amount of crimp being applied, making adjustments for variations in case thicknesses.
The monometal bullets will offer at least one crimping groove, though there might be multiple grooves for different seating depths. Just as with rifle bullets, copper-alloy handgun bullets will be longer than their lead counterparts of the same weight and diameter, as copper is less dense.
Regarding velocities, I'm not necessarily looking to break any records, but rather achieve the most uniform, accurate and sensible speeds. I recommend using load data from the manufacturer of whichever component bullet you’ve chosen, as the configuration and conformation of that bullet can require a specific powder charge range, and often data isn’t interchangeable.
Lastly, I like to pick a bullet weight the same as my practice ammo, so that the recoil and overall feel of my handgun stays uniform when switching from range ammo to carry ammo. Once I’ve picked my defensive bullet, I can then search for a practice bullet, be it a cast-lead bullet or an FMJ.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the 2022 EDC special issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Sized right and dead-on target, the FN Reflex is more than ready to hammer the micro-compact market.
Dominating the concealed carry market, the micro-compact 9mm has become the standard bearer for on-person self-defense firearms. Why not? At once, this class of gun provides the terminal performance and firepower to neutralize most threats, while avoiding toting around a boat anchor to achieve these ends.
Like all good ideas, gun manufacturers have flocked to the concept in droves and for the most part, created echoes of each other in doing so. FN America, however, has broken from the herd to create a micro 9mm that stands on its own legs in a marketplace full of facsimiles.
The Reflex is a reaction to the rote, a self-defense system meant to streamline protecting yourself making it, simply put, reflexive.
Unlike the majority of concealed carry guns, FN opted for an internal hammer-fired system in the Reflex.
If any two factors challenge the efficiency and effectiveness of shooters, they are the trigger pull and slide manipulation. The former is the bedrock of handgun accuracy, while the latter is the foundation of managing the gun—getting it and keeping it in the fight. FN enhances shooters’ ability to accomplish both these facets by opting for an internal hammer-fire system in the Reflex.
Hammer guns are not the norm in modern pistols, particularly concealed carry guns. Striker-fired pistols have dominated, fine given they are proven, reliable and at this point very familiar to most shooters. However, these pistols have a drawback in they rely on heavy springs to cock the guns, and many rely on the trigger pull to finish cocking the striker spring.
The result, the trigger is heavier than it should be, and the slide requires more force to manipulate.
These issues are all but erased with hammer guns. The mass of the slide cocks the hammer in its rearward motion and requires much lighter springs to accomplish this task. Furthermore, when the hammer is cocked, it’s cocked, making the trigger pull a single-action affaire.
The pistol requires a lighter mainspring than many are used to.
How this boils out with the Reflex, the pistol has a consistent and brisk 4.5-pound break on its trigger. Furthermore, its slide requires a fraction of the force to work compared to other micro 9mms.
Not only does this make the Reflex ideal for those just learning how to run a pistol well, but it also gives an advantage to those familiar with the handgun’s operation. Even among experts, heavy slides and triggers have the potential to muck up the works, particularly in high-adrenalin circumstances. The Reflex cuts these away and allows muscle memory to operate at its peak.
Sized Right
Despite its small size, the Reflex has plenty of firepower, shipping with both 11- and 15-round magazines. The 11-round mag has a flush-fit base plate and a extension.
A concealed carry gun isn’t worth spit if you don’t carry it or it doesn’t conceal well. This is the main driver in the micro compact’s popularity—it does both extremely well. FN has done a dynamite job in portioning the Reflex to make the pistol among the most compact options available.
While the gun’s 3.3-inch hammer-forged barrel keeps its overall length at 6.6 inches, this might be among its most pedestrian measurements. What really turns heads—or should—is the pistol is a mere 1 inch in width and 4.4 inches in height with its 11+1 magazine with its flush-fit base plate.
This last measurement is vital—taken from the top of the slide to the bottom of the magazine—because it determines how concealable a pistol is. Even with the Reflex’s 15+1 magazines, the pistol maxes out at a tick north of 5 inches—still mighty concealable.
This dovetails with another point, FN has crafted the gun to utterly petite proportions without compromising on firepower. It’s a micro 9mm with a duty pistol capacity, which should give most carriers plenty of peace of mind.
Proportioned Ergonomics
The pistol's grip is excellent with very positive texturing on the panels.
Among the micro-compact 9mm’s greatest challenges is feeling and operating right in the hand. These are small guns, so fitting in the palm and remaining controllable is a steep task. FN nailed it across the board here and along the way threw in some desirable points that make the gun even more user-friendly.
First off, the gun’s grip is excellent, offering enough circumference that even larger-handed shooters won’t swamp the pistol with their paws. While the pinky will fall off when using the flush-fit magazine, the 11+1 mag has an extension most will be able to get their entire hand on. And the 15+1’s extension pretty much gives the gun a full grip.
FN has enhanced the controllability of the grip with aggressive, almost sandpaper-like texturing on the panels and raised cubic surfacing on the straps to control the gun's movement on the Y-axis.
A high beavertail helps you get the most out of the grip ergos, ensuring your hand naturally situates in a high grip, aligning the barrel with your arm. The controls are also laid out well and intuitively, with the magazine and slide release within easy reach. The mag button is particularly nice, oversized and easy to find, speeding up the pace of reloads.
Finally, the slide has excellent cocking serrations, fore and aft. Combined with the lighter force required to work the slide, the serrations make certain you can operate the Reflex quickly and without fail.
Sights And Such
The orange dot front sight is highly visible and with a tritium insert is low-light ready.
There are no surprises with the Reflex’s sights. Iron across the board, FN opted for the familiar three-dot configuration. However, the front sight is an orange night sight with a tritium insert, very vivid and easy to get eyes on. The company, however, has kept the gun relevant to modern shooters with the MDR model that comes with a slide cut compatible with RMS footprint micro sights.
Parting Shot
The gun world is rife with small-time pistols, designed to always be on-person and protect your six. There are plenty of fine options out there. However, FN cooked up one of the few truly fit for nearly any level of shooter.
The Reflex proves among the most user-friendly micro-compact pistols on the market today.
The trigger is tuned in, giving armed citizens a smooth and crisp single-action break, a feature certain to enhance their accuracy potential. With overall lighter springs to operate the hammer gun, shooters can also effectively manipulate the pistol quickly and efficiently. Add on the pistol is no bigger than a minute, thus easy to carry, self-defense newbies and veterans alike have a tool they can bet their life on.
Automatically, those assets should make the Reflex the go-to micro-compact 9mm.
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A quick look at 9mm Ultra, also known as 9mm Police.
The 9mm Ultra cartridge was designed for the Walther PP Super semi-auto pistol introduced in 1972. This seven-shot autoloader was designed particularly for the West German police. It was not available to the civilian market until 1975, and then only in small numbers. Quite a few guns in this chambering have shown up in the United States, as the West German police discontinued it.
In recent years, the Sig Sauer P230 and the Benelli B76 auto pistols have also been chambered for the 9mm Ultra. The cartridge was actually developed in 1936 for the German Air Force but was never officially adopted.
The 9mm Ultra is 1 millimeter longer than the .380 Auto and 1 millimeter shorter than the 9mm Luger, with the same general case dimensions. In terms of inches, the .380 case length is 0.680 inch, the 9mm Ultra is 0.720 inch, and the 9mm Luger is 0.760 inch.
Original loading of the 9mm Ultra (by Hirtenberger of Austria) used a 100-grain full-jacketed bullet at a muzzle velocity of 1,060 fps. GECO (Dynamit-Nobel) loads a 94-grain full-jacketed bullet at an initial velocity of 1,054 fps. Both bullets are of truncated cone shape. Ammunition is hard to find in the United States, and American companies do not load it. The case has a slightly rebated rim, 0.02-inch smaller than the base.
General Comments
European police have traditionally carried small .32 Automatic and .380 Automatic pistols. However, with the increase in crime and attacks by terrorist groups, they found themselves outgunned by those on the other side of the law. There was some reluctance to adopt the full-powered 9mm military auto-pistol, which is heavier and bulkier than the more convenient .32 and .380 autos. The 9mm Ultra was an effort to provide greater stopping power, while retaining the small, handy pistols police were used to carrying. Even so, German police now carry 9mm Luger-chambered handguns.
The 9mm Ultra is as good as and probably more effective than the .380 Automatic. Handloaded with 9mm jacketed hollow-point bullets, it would certainly be satisfactory for small-game hunting. Hirtenberger, Fiocchi and Dynamit Nobel still offer this cartridge. It’s sometimes called the 9mm Police.
Gun cleaning is important, but there’s no need to waste your time cleaning them too much.
My father served in the Army during the Korean War. He’d been a shooter and hunter prior to that, but it was the military that taught him about firearms preventive maintenance checks and service (PMCS). The Army’s modus operandi of cleaning your gun every time you use it originated much earlier than with my father’s military career in the 1950s, and it’s persisted to this day. Dad passed that lesson to me, and it took a long time for me to outgrow it. If you have the custom of cleaning your gun every time you shoot it, you might consider kicking that habit like I did.
Gun Cleaning History
Our first guns were fueled with ammunition loaded with black powder. Black powder is made of sulfur, carbon and potassium nitrate. When black powder is burned, it’ll leave a layer of soot inside the action and barrel of a gun. The more the gun is shot, the worse this fouling gets, and it can impede the operation of the gun’s action.
Also, this soot or residue is hygroscopic, and with the addition of moisture in the atmosphere, it forms a corrosive substance. The soot or oxide turns into potassium or sodium hydroxide, which is corrosive to steel. If a gun fueled with black powder isn’t cleaned very soon after it’s fired, it can begin to corrode … and even be ruined.
Because of this, the military realized the importance of cleaning guns immediately after they had been used. Otherwise, their reliability and accuracy would degrade. Military armorers remain obsessive about this. When the world transitioned to noncorrosive smokeless powder, made from nitrocellulose, nitroglycerin and additives to reduce flash, fouling and for stabilization, this practice of cleaning a gun every time it was fired persisted, and veterans like my father shared this with friends and family.
Is it necessary?
It’s not necessary to field strip and fully clean a gun just because you’ve fired it.
The companies that manufacture gun cleaning gear would love for you to follow this guidance because you’ll need more cleaning gear. But, if the carbon fouling in the action must be cleaned after every use, then why would it not need to be cleaned after every shot? The same could be said of barrels. If you must clean the carbon, copper and lead fouling out of your barrel after every use, then why would you not need to clean it after every shot?
Understandably, we spend a lot of money on our guns, and we want them to last as long as possible. If you enjoy cleaning a gun, then by all means have at it: Make it your nightly ritual, clean it before you use it, while you’re using it and after you use it. Hell, you can even get it out of the safe every month and clean it again. The truth is, with modern smokeless powders, gun cleaning really only needs to occur under certain circumstances.
Lubricating a gun isn’t the same as cleaning it. Lubrication should occur often; complete cleaning, not so much. However, in addition to lubrication, some gun oils help with cleaning and metal protection.
When To Clean
You learn as you go, and with more than a half-century of gun handling behind me, I’ve learned a bit about cleaning guns. I don’t clean my car every time I drive it, don’t clean my oven every time I use it, and I damn sure don’t clean my guns every time I shoot them.
I’ve developed a very simple cleaning guide and suggest you do the same. You see, one of the things that’s changed in this world, is time: A day is still 24 hours long, but 24 hours don’t go as far as they used to. Knowing when your gun needs to be cleaned—and when it doesn’t—allows you to better manage time and keeps you from wasting expensive gun-cleaning gear.
There are a lot of ways to thoroughly clean a gun but thoroughly cleaning a gun is something that’s rarely needed.
#1: Clean your gun when/before it stops working.
When you fire a gun, it gets dirty. If you shoot enough, there’s the possibility these deposits can negatively impact the operation of the gun. Maybe not so much with a single-shot, break-action shotgun, but it’s definitely the case with gas-impingement-driven, semi-automatic guns like the AR-15. Carbon, copper, lead and plastic deposits can be left in the bore. In some cases, this can degrade accuracy. Also, magazine-fed guns can become less reliable if magazines get dirty. Not so much because of fouling, bit it’s usually because magazines get dropped on the ground and attract dirt and debris.
If you start seeing reliability or accuracy issues, it could mean your gun needs to be cleaned. Just as importantly, there might be something else wrong that’s causing the issue. Regardless, it’s time to begin the PMCS process. But, ideally, you should know your gun well enough so that you never get to the point where a dirty gun is the problem.
I once had a Cooper rifle chambered for .257 Roberts that was a tack driver. But after about 25 rounds, accuracy was substantially compromised, and I had to clean the rifle’s bore. That’s an example of how copper fouling can impact accuracy. I sold that rifle because I had better things to do than clean it after every box of ammunition I fired.
When I was shooting police pistol competitions, I used handloaded lead bullets and, after about 150 rounds, my 1911 would begin to cycle a bit sluggishly. So, I’d field strip it between matches and give it a good cleaning. With both of these guns, I’d learned their fouling point and conducted PMCS before it became a problem.
Most gun cleaning kits should be looked at as PMCS kits, because PMCS should be done much more frequently than thorough cleaning.
#2: Clean your gun when it gets wet.
It’s true that most modern firearms come with high-tech coatings that are very resistant to corrosion. But no matter how well a wood stock might be sealed and no matter how space age some coating might be, there’s always a weak spot. A spot that didn’t get sealed, that didn’t get coated or that has been worn.
Moisture has a way of finding these points, and this moisture doesn’t have to be in the form of rain or snow. Humidity is the invisible corrosive. After any exposure to moisture or extreme humidity, you should take your gun apart, wipe it down and apply a light coat of gun oil to all metal surfaces, regardless of if they’re stainless-steel or coated.
The blue tint on this patch indicates there’s copper fouling in the barrel. But unless the rifle is shooting poorly, it does not have to be removed after every use. The black on this patch is from carbon fouling after a single shot. It’s not necessary to remove carbon fouling after every shot or even after every range session.
#3: Clean your gun when it gets dirty.
I’m not talking about the dirt of carbon or copper fouling: I’m talking about dirt and debris from outside the gun that might get on or inside it. With guns, dry and dusty environments are devilish. Guns are machines that need lubrication, but gun oil attracts dust, and guns aren’t designed to work when they’re gobbed off with dust-induced oily mud. Just as you must remain vigilant in wet conditions, you must also stay on top of your PMCS in dry climates. Compressed air is your friend, as is the frequent but limited application of lubrication.
#4: Clean your gun for long-term storage.
If you’re wise, you have a gun safe with humidity control for long periods of storage. This doesn’t circumvent the need for some corrosion-resistant gun oil, but it helps. Because of the nature of my profession, I shoot a lot of different guns often. Most of my guns rarely go a month without being fired.
However, I do own some guns that rarely get handled or fired because they’re either intended for very specific applications or because they’re heirloom firearms. When the guns I rarely shoot are fired, I give them a thorough cleaning before they’re stored, partly for their protection, but also partly so I know their condition the next time I take them out.
A little lubrication goes a long way, but lubricating isn’t cleaning.
Perfecting PMCS
The care, service and/or maintenance of most mechanical devices is generally dictated by a schedule. If you were in the military, you’re familiar with PMCS that’s regulated by a time or usage table. For example, after so many days or a certain amount of usage, there are things you should check/clean. The operative word within preventative maintenance checks and service is preventative. PMCS is done to prevent failures as opposed to correct them.
For example, if you’re a long-range precision shooter, there are checks you should make before, during and after every match or range session. Similarly, some services need to be performed at certain times. You might have a rifle like my old .257 Roberts that needs to have its bore cleaned after a certain number of shots. You should check the tightness of action screws, scope mount screws and scope lens cleanliness before every match. The list of checks and services will vary, not only from gun to gun, but in frequency.
Carbon fouling can be difficult to remove but it’s not necessary to remove it after every use.
But what PMCS is not is a mandate that your gun must be completely disassembled and cleaned after every use.
The point I’m trying to make is that punching the tube or completely disassembling and cleaning your gun after every use isn’t necessary. This doesn’t mean that, after you’ve handled a gun, wiping it down with an oily rag is bad idea. It doesn’t mean that, during a high-round-count range session, it’s a waste of time to field strip a pistol and give it a quick check and wipe down. And it doesn’t mean that after a day hunting you should just throw your rifle in the rack without checking it out and maybe applying some oil or lube.
At some level, PMCS should be performed after every use and periodically, but this notion that you must fully clean a gun every time you shoot it is a superstitious belief. If it’s something you think must happen, then I’d suggest you don’t walk under ladders, stay home on Friday the 13th … and never open an umbrella inside the house.
Just sit in your easy chair cleaning your guns. All the time.
Won’t that be fun?
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the December 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Specific golf clubs are made for specific distances, and so are guns. Here the author goes over what makes a good midrange rifle.
For many shooters, there’s a degree of skill declination at 300 yards. When I grew up, I shot matches at Camp Perry. We were shooting World War I and World War II-era rifles at 200 yards—at targets substantially smaller than these guns were designed to fire at, and I recall how far away 200 yards seemed in that vast space. Even when firing full-power 7.62x54R and .30-06 at what many shooters would consider a “short” distance, there was a noticeable change in point-of-impact across the line when wind came.
Never is a bullet free from the influence of its environment. If you think you’re going to get immediate and consistent first-round hits with high-end long-range rifles, you’re sorely mistaken. No amount of money spent can guarantee hits. All that cash does is decrease variables and, in theory, make your rifle more consistent shot-to-shot so long as your ammo is of equal consistency and quality. Accuracy features, such as “match-grade” parts, heavy or thick barrels, adjustable stocks or chassis and top-shelf optics are really consistency features that reduce the amount of variables in how you interface with your rifle.
Three AR rifles and three very different configurations. All of these are effective midrange rifles; however, each has strengths and weaknesses. The .224 Valkyrie (middle gun) with Vortex 4.5-22x optic and adjustable Magpul stock is very accurate, but it’s much heavier and longer than the others. Likewise, the lightweight carbine with a Faxon pencil barrel (top gun) is very fast and easy to handle, but it heats up quickly. The M16A1 (bottom) is a great rifle and extremely soft shooting. Not one is better than the next; it all depends on what features you want to prioritize.
Because environmental factors are always going to be a variable you can’t control, you end up controlling variables on the gun. The general trend is that the closer the target is to you, the less you need consistency features. Barrels get skinnier (weight savings at the price of heat buildup), calibers smaller (more ammo at the cost of projectile weight/power) and sights/optics with bigger aiming points.
In turn, shooters end up making up their guns like golf clubs: “This is my CQB gun in .300 Blackout. This one is my DMR in 5.56. This rifle is my long-range rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor.
This golf club mindset is very detrimental because it encourages selection based on an imaginary barrier. Why practice with an 8-inch .300 Blackout AR pistol at 500 yards, when it’s a close-range gun? Why shoot your $5,000 precision rifle at 200 yards? That’s like drinking a bottle of 10-year-old Rip Van Winkle with your McDonald’s drive-thru!
This bolt action on a stainless Tuebor Precision action features a heavy stainless Brownells M24 barrel and is too heavy to be considered a practical rifle for medium distances. It’s just too slow moving, but it is extremely accurate.
Ballistic Procrastination
Shooters caught up in the minutia of one specific facet of precision are, to me, stuck in procrastination. Worrying about spin drift at 1,000 yards is a waste of time if you still scratch your head on wind at 500. Worrying about wind at 500 yards is pointless if you’re not able to do basic holdovers at 300 to 400. When you’re hungry for a sandwich, you don’t start off with buying the deli.
The same goes for close-range skills, where there’s a heavy emphasis on speed, reloads and clearing malfunctions. Close-range skills have their place, but in no way does this translate to hunting or shooting at medium distance in general. I’ve been hunting for a long time and never have I had to perform a “tac reload” or “transitioned to my sidearm.” It’s good to know, but these things won’t make you a better shooter when you need to take your time and observe your surroundings and general environment.
Non-magnified sights are at their best inside 300 yards. You can, of course, shoot farther, but you’re asking a great deal of your sights when low-powered optics, such as the ACOG or a common 1-6x available these days, can dramatically increase your precision. A red dot like this old-model Trijicon Reflex is capable at long distances, but it offers no reference point in terms of drop.
The 300-Yard Meat Grinder
For many shooters, 300 yards is long shot. When hunting, 300 yards is a long shot. Long-range hunting is talked about constantly, but it’s absolutely not the norm, nor should it be.
The idea that 300 yards is long range will get you laughed at by some people, but “long range” begins when you really need to start actively observing the environment around you. The environment always has an impact, but with many rounds you can cheat … up to a point. With a .338 Lapua or 6.5 Creedmoor, you need to pay far less attention to the details at 300 yards, but swap in a .30-30, .300 Blackout or a .450 Bushmaster, and 300 yards is long range for them.
The thing with midrange rifle distances is that they can be exceptionally unforgiving. Many guns made in the “designated marksman rifle” style have a number of consistency features, but they’re substantially heavier and longer than their close-quarters brethren.
The AR rifles in this article show this well; the lightweight, 16-inch carbine with irons and a red-dot is very capable at 200 yards from any position, but 300 yards requires stability … and the irons and dot allow no magnification. Despite being faster handling than the Brownells M16A1 build, it isn’t any more capable once ranges increase to 300 yards, where they become equals. With a fixed zero at 50 yards each, these guns are capable of repeated hits on an IDPA target up to 350 yards, and then things begin to drop off—literally.
The Brownells-based M16A1 replica here has original Vietnam-era furniture and sling. This rifle is extremely fast handling and very accurate for shooting at 100 to 300 yards. It’s lack of magnified optics makes hits hard to come by at longer distances.
The two .224 Valkyrie builds are another story: one with the new Vortex 4.5-22x, and the other with a Geissele 1-6x. These are light rifles—only slightly heavier than the 5.56mm ARs—but more powerful at all ranges thanks to the heavier weight of the 90-grain Federal match rounds.
These rifles, one designed for precision with a matched Next Level Armament receiver set and the other for speed and suppressor use with the new SilencerCo gas-defeating charging handle and ambi lower, have optics with a dedicated mil-based reticle and stretch out the effective range of the rifle considerably.
One of the .224 Valkyrie builds featuring a 22-inch Faxon 1:6.5 twist barrel. This build also has a Faxon carbon-fiber handguard and is based on the new SilencerCo ambi lower. It also has SilencerCo’s new gas-defeating charging handle. This is an example of a great close-to-midrange rifle that offers light weight, great power and flat trajectory.
However, these are basically turbocharged carbines and, while hits become easier 500 yards, they also have issues with the wind at close distances. They’re .22-caliber bores, so while it’s possible to cheat a bit and make rapid hits at midrange, you still must pay close attention to drop, drift and heat buildup as the ranges extend.
Finishing out the carbine class is the new Springfield Hellion, a variant of the Croatian VHS rifle. The rifle offers a compact overall size and a full-length 16-inch barrel. And, due to its small size, it performs well at close range but also offers surprising utility at 300 to 500 yards. It’ll never be an accuracy machine, but thanks to its longer barrel, it allows for just as much practical utility as the M16A1 or lightweight AR carbine.
The new Springfield Armory Hellion in 5.56mm is a very compact and handy rifle. It has a full-length barrel being a bullpup design and is ballistically, but not necessarily ergonomically, on par with the common AR-15.
Getting into bolt actions, we see the widest field of potential applications. The rifles in this article are both in 6.5 Creedmoor, one full stainless and the other carbon-fiber and titanium. This weight and feature class is heavy for close range, but when it comes to shooting and hunting in general, the mid-weight bolt gun is next to impossible to beat.
The Vortex Razor Gen III 6-36x and piggybacked Trijicon RMR, allows for both snap shooting and shots past 1,000 yards. The 13 MOA RMR is zeroed for impact at the top edge of the dot for 100 meters. Simply placing the dot on the center of a target and firing keeps the rifle on target to about 300 meters with an IDPA-size plate. It’s extremely fast, but lacks precision for small targets.
This style of rifle, with a full 24-inch barrel and completely adjustable stock, is certainly not the lightest or fastest handling, but it dominates the rest of the field beyond 200 yards. At a certain point, compact size and low/no magnification is what limits effectiveness at medium ranges.
A carbon-fiber Proof Research barrel ending in a compact Rearden suppressor mount/brake, Tuebor Precision titanium action and an optics package featuring the new Vortex Razor Gen III 6-36x, Spuhr mount, RMR, and Scope Chaps protective cover makes for an incredibly accurate, low recoil and portable combination that works from 100 to 1,000 yards.
That Happy Medium
A mid-caliber rifle, like something between a 6.5mm and a lighter .30-caliber, in a weight you can shoot offhand and move easily with, is the dream setup across the board in terms of balance between consistency features and field utility. It really comes down to the level of performance you’re looking for in your midrange rifle.
Sight radius isn’t always a factor these days, and here you can see that the lightweight 16-inch carbine has, for all intents and purposes, the same sight radius as the full-size M16A1. In theory, they should be just as precise in terms of what your naked eye can do with them and will be very similar ballistically from 16- to 20-inch lengths.
It’s possible to have “a little too” much in some areas, such as optics and weight, but if you’re balancing with a cartridge powerful enough, these little excesses become benefits when the environment comes into play.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the June 2022 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Our second year holding CANCON at the 17 South Rod & Gun Club in Fleming, GA! This year was bigger and better than last year with dozens of vendors, hundreds of visitors, and tens of thousands of rounds fired down range.
To recap the event and share some awesome pictures, take a look!
Pictures by Patrick McCarthy
Not every gun at CANCON was huge! Many were in .22 LR or 5.7×28. Small cartridges that are suppressed are extra fun!
On the other hand, nothing sends a message like .50 BMG from an M2 can. Train your crew young!
Lever-actions and AKs!
Congrats to everyone who won awesome prizes!
Vendors must wear their badges on the range at all times. No exceptions, even for very good puppies!
Happiness is a belt-fed weapon.
Belt-fed ARs are a special kind of awesome!
Try your skills in the Pros Vs. Joes! Win or lose, at least you get a t-shirt!
One of our Pros and RECOIL editor, Tom, won his long range bout at 550 yards…
And then lost on the dueling tree at 50 yards.
Big congrats to the winner!
That's a lot of cans!
If you haven't tried 8.6 Blackout yet, you need to!
WHEN IS THE NEXT CANCON?!
Dates for next year will be coming soon, but expect to see us in Phoenix, Arizona around the end of April and then back in Richmond Hill, Georgia in November 2024!
Check out the the CANCON website for event updates, more info and to purchase tickets once available: canconevent.com
Looking for a hand cannon but don’t like wheelguns? Here are your (limited) options when it comes to buying a .44 Magnum pistol.
Over the years, there have been many attempts to create a semi-auto handgun chambered for a cartridge with the power of .44 Magnum. Of those, only two were true auto-loading .44 Magnum pistols, and only one of those is still in production today. The rest were either commercial failures or chambered for the .44 AMP cartridge. Spoiler, the .44 AMP guns weren’t exactly commercial successes either.
An IMI/Magnum Research Desert Eagle, perhaps the only truly successful .44 Magnum pistol. Photo: Rock Island Auction Company.
There are several reasons why they don’t necessarily work commercially (or mechanically), and in truth, they are almost comically impractical…but impracticality hasn't stopped anyone before and it sure isn't going to now!
So, let's talk about semi-auto .44 Magnum pistols, what's actually available today and why you'd want to even bother.
Common .44 Magnum Pistol Issues
Strictly speaking, there are two semi-automatic .44 Magnum pistols: the LAR Grizzly and the Magnum Research Desert Eagle. There are a few additional pistols that chamber .44 AMP (Auto Magnum Pistol), but .44 AMP is not .44 Magnum. It's a rimless cartridge, and .44 Magnum is rimmed.
And therein layeth the biggest mechanical issue with the concept.
.44 AMP (left) versus .44 Magnum. Notice .44 AMP's lack of a rim. Photo: Wikipedia.
Rimmed cartridges create a serious challenge when it comes to feed geometry in self-loading firearms. Rimless cartridges stack neatly on top or staggered against each other, but rimmed cartridges can’t because of their rim.
That matters, since the top cartridge in the magazine needs to feed straight up, get stripped by the bolt/slide and feed into the chamber. If the cartridge is inherently prone to nosing down, which a rimmed cartridge will do in a box magazine, that's going to cause reliability issues.
Semi-rimmed cartridges, such as .38 Super, aren't as much of a challenge (.38 Super magazines have existed for 1911s since 1929), but fully-rimmed cartridges like .44 Magnum are. As a result, there are few semi-auto pistols or rifles designed for a rimmed case of any kind.
Then you have the issue of all that pressure and recoil energy. To create a miniature operating system that can tolerate the forces involved, generally, there needs to be a significant investment in R&D as well as production. This is partly why .44 Magnum pistols are notoriously expensive.
A U.S. soldier firing a .44 Magnum Desert Eagle in a competition demonstrating the high level of recoil. Photo: Wikipedia.
To give you an idea, the Desert Eagle .44 Magnum had an MSRP of $699 in 1986, but that’s about $1,962 today after adjusting for inflation.
In short, yes, it’s possible to overcome the inherent problems of making a reliable .44 Magnum pistol, but it’s going to be expensive. There’s just no easy (and therefore cheap) solution for getting around the issues that are inherent to the cartridge.
Is A .44 Magnum Pistol Worth It?
There are three primary reasons for owning a .44 Magnum handgun. The first is for handgun hunting, given that .44 Magnum is an excellent game cartridge at reasonable ranges. The second is as a woods defense pistol in case of predators.
Third, of course, is just because you want one, and that is far and away the most common reason why anyone buys one.
The truth is that a .44 Magnum handgun for any kind of serious application should be a quality revolver. It's what the cartridge was designed for, and frankly, we know by now that large-frame magnums work. You spend less and get a gun that you know will run.
Unlike pistols that can be practically used for defense against humans, capacity is a low-priority concern when it comes to .44 Magnum handguns. Whether hunting game or defending against a charging grizzly, if you can’t solve the issue with six shots, odds are you aren’t going to do it with eight or nine either.
This S&W Model 29 in .44 Magnum (or virtually any other revolver) would be a much more practical choice than any auto chambered for the same round.
The lower potential reliability and greater cost of semi-auto .44 Magnum pistols simply don’t outweigh the benefit of a couple extra rounds. This is why you’re much more likely to see a seasoned woodsman carrying something like a Model 29 than a Desert Eagle, and you should probably follow suit and stick to revolvers if you plan on using the cartridge seriously.
That said, if you just want an automatic .44 hand cannon for the hell of it, let’s go over your limited options.
A .44 Magnum Pistol Buyer's Guide…Sort Of:
As mentioned, there are only two true semi-auto .44 Magnum pistols, but we’re going to go over both of them plus three honorable mentions that almost fit the bill.
The Desert Eagle is the only extant true semi-automatic .44 Magnum pistol, having been in continuous production since 1983. It's a comically large single-action-only pistol with a slide-mounted safety, a short-stroke gas piston system (kind of like an upside-down AK) and a rotating bolt.
Desert Eagles are known for sometimes being finicky, with ammunition sensitivity and magazines (8-round capacity) being the usual suspects. However, owners generally report that once you get one dialed in (or get lucky), they tend to be fairly reliable.
Multiple models with varying features, finishes and barrel lengths are available. MSRP ranges from just under $2,000 to around $2,500, but street prices are closer to $1,500 on the low end.
The only other commercially successful (up to a point; the company went out of business over 20 years ago) .44 Magnum semi-auto was the LAR Grizzly, manufactured from 1983 to 1999. It was offered in several calibers, including .44 Magnum.
The LAR Grizzly is essentially a 1911 with an elongated mag well, and in fact shares several parts with the standard 1911 Government model. The Grizzly was hand-fitted and known for having exceptionally good accuracy.
The standard barrel length was 5.4 inches, but 6.5-, 8- and 10-inch barrels were offered as well (though there were no long-slide models). The 8- and 10-inch guns were popular for silhouette shooting and handgun hunting. All .44 Mag. models had a 7-round magazine.
The most common chambering was .45 Winchester Magnum, but the Mark IV model was offered in .44 Magnum so that would be the one you're looking for. Good luck finding one…and if you do, expect to pay $3,000 to $5,000 as that's about what they command on the used market today.
The .44 AutoMag is not technically a .44 Magnum pistol, as it chambered .44 AMP (essentially a .44-caliber rimless cartridge loaded to .44 Magnum velocities) to abrogate the feeding issues. The AutoMag, made famous by the Dirty Harry sequel Sudden Impact (the last watchable film in the series and the source of “Go ahead…make my day”), was a commercial disaster and bankrupted several companies in the process.
The .44 AutoMag featured a single-action firing system with a rotating bolt. Only a few thousand were manufactured over a production run of 10 years, so used examples are not cheap.
However, there's some good news. The rights to the AutoMag pistol were purchased a few years ago, and new production has commenced as the Auto Mag Raven. It’s currently offered with either a 6.5- or 8-inch barrel and MSRP starts at $3,995.
The Wildey Magnum was another attempt at the magnum semi-auto, offered in multiple calibers including .44 AMP. While not a true .44 Magnum pistol, it was still an innovative design and likewise entered pop culture in Death Wish 3 along with some other films.
The Wildey, like the Desert Eagle, uses a short-stroke piston system with a rotating bolt, but unlike the Deagle its gas system is adjustable. Interestingly, it is the lone DA/SA pistol among the magnum semi-autos, and therefore also the only one to have a frame-mounted decocker.
The Wildey pistols had a fairly long production run, lasting from 1983 to 2011, but the rights to the gun and name were purchased in 2016 and new production has resumed under the USA Firearms Corp brand. You can order a Wildey Survivor with an 8-, 10- or 12-inch barrel, and MSRP starts at $2,750.
The Mateba is not technically a semi-auto, but rather an automatic (self-cocking) revolver. Like the Webley-Fosbery pistol, a slide mechanism cocks the hammer to single-action upon recoil and as it returns to battery it rotates the cylinder.
The pistol was the brainchild of Emilio Ghisoni, an innovative gun designer who was also responsible for the Chiappa Rhino. Like the Rhino, the Mateba's barrel is mounted at the bottom of the frame, putting recoil in line with the hand.
The .44 Magnum model was offered with a 5-, 6- or 8 ⅜-inch barrel, and in multiple trim levels. Mateba revolvers are rare and incredibly unique, infrequently coming up for sale and commanding a high price (expect to pay $4,000 or more) when they do.
How to clean your brass the easy way using brass case cleaner.
My gun club ranges have sand and silt floors. There’s also a carpet of brass on top of the sand. When I’m done shooting, I have this habit of picking up my brass, plus whatever is there that’s a caliber I might need, find useful or gotta have. A lot of that other brass is pretty grubby—some of it’s even chocolate colored.
So, I sort the brass and separate it, by caliber and cleanliness, and I end up with boxes (even buckets) of brass that’ll need more than just a run through the tumbler. The muddy stuff gets rinsed in hot water, dried and tossed in with the chocolate brass. And, once a year or so, I’ll set aside a brass-cleaning day (usually a hot summer day) to do the dirty work.
For that, I use Shooter’s Choice Brass Case Cleaner, a solution requiring a certain level of dilution (I tend to not dilute as much as the instructions call for) and then soaking or using an ultrasonic cleaner.
Once your brass is clean, drain and strain, rinse in hot water (the hotter the better) and then dry. That’s why I tend to do this in the summer. I can pour the hot, wet brass onto an old bath or beach towel and let the sunlight do the drying for me. In the midday sun, it isn’t unusual for the brass to get so hot after a couple of hours so I don’t dare touch it with my bare hands. I’ll pour them from one towel to a new, dry towel and give them another hour or so, until I’m certain they’re fully dry.
Some of you might wonder if the discolored brass is weakened. No, not if the discoloration is just a uniform brown color. If you get green crustiness and patches of it, then the corrosion has advanced to the point that the brass might be weaker. Just brown isn’t a problem.
For most brass, going into the tumbler will be enough to clean it.
Take It Easy
Can you overdo this? Yes. You’re using an acidic solution to react to the corrosion and strip it off. If you let your brass soak too long (the instructions specifically say to not do this overnight, so that’s a clue), the acidic solution could’ve worked at a scratch or gouge in the case that wouldn’t have otherwise been a problem, but now you’ve weakened it.
During the decades I’ve cleaned brass this way, I’ve never had a problem, but my idea of a “long soak” is half an hour. In an ultrasonic cleaner, you might need five minutes, or you might need more depending on the level of patina of your brass.
To get your “chocolate” brass this clean, go to chemistry … not tumbling.
Can you use this method with nickeled brass? Yes. Although, I have to wonder how you go about neglecting nickeled brass to the point where it gains a patina. The whole point of nickel is that it doesn’t do that. But if you miss a nickel case in your sorting and it ends up getting a bath, you aren’t going to ruin the case nor spoil the mix of your cleaner.
Can you clean your regular brass this way? Yes, but unless you have to etch off the patina, why go through the extra trouble? Just toss it in the tumbler. If it’s muddy, a hot water rinse, a dry and then into the tumbler is all it needs.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the November 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
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