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Many of you are thinking, “Not another El Presidente story.”
Surrender or starting position. This can be with the targets to the rear or either side depending on which turn you are practicing. Remember you don’t have to be a cooperative captive. I am starting my crouch to make the turn. It should look to the bad guy that I am being submissive and giving up.
Do you know the El Presidente drill? The standard drill as I learned it was to stand with your back to three targets that are side-by-side about 10 yards away with six rounds in the gun and six rounds in a spare magazine where you normally carry it.
With your hands up, in the surrender position, turn and face the targets, draw and fire the weapon with two shots on each target, drop the empty mag, reload and again put two rounds on each target. You can chose to go back the way you came or start on the same target you started with the first time.
I shot El Presidente the first time more than 25 years ago. And since that time there has been much criticism leveled against this particular training sequence.
This is largely because it is not a sound tactic to stand off against armed assailants and hope you can put four rounds into each one before you get killed. Someone even did a force-on-force evaluation on how effective it would be to take on three armed opponents standing face-to-face.
Bringing the hands together for a solid two handed grip ans the gun heads to the target. Keep your one eye on the target and one ont the front sight as it comes up to a perfect sight picture.
The consensus, was you no matter how fast you are, the best is a draw or you would lose. Duh!
The point of this training exercise is not that you actually think you can win such a fight. The point is to teach you how to handle the weapon and the reloads.
El Pres is about drawing and presenting the pistol, firing double taps at multiple targets and performing a speed reload. These are very important things to master in handling a gun for defensive purposes.
It is like a kata that has put together several functions in one drill. The karate man doesn’t expect to get attacked in the same order that he mastered his moves, but learns a kata to help him learn and master each move.
The mind can employ the moves as needed to the situation but first you have to master the moves. The same with the El Presidente.
In Pima County, Arizona, officials recently agreed, “to lease property to the Tucson Trap & Skeet Club that will more than double the size of the nonprofit club's sporting-clay operation and could provide for the largest tournament-sized, walk-through archery range in Southern Arizona,” the Arizona Daily Star reported.
“Tucson Trap & Skeet President Lee Bachman said the deal will allow the facility to be expanded and upgraded to host the World Cup Shotgun Competition next spring, the first time the international Olympic qualifying event has come to Tucson.”
That event alone could bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars to the local economy. As the Star noted, “The county economic analysis last year showed the club's largest shooting competition, the Spring Satellite Grand American, attracted 1,000 competitors, with 850 from out of town and staying an average of five nights, with an estimated economic impact of roughly $2 million…All of the club's competitions combined have an economic impact that could reach nearly $10 million annually.”
The Browning Buck Mark Hunter, with its bull barrel and integral scope mount is ready for action in the woods. This pistol would do just fine for bringing down squirrels or the odd cottontail that happens to stand still long enough to present an ethical shot.
There’s nothing more fun than shooting a .22 pistol that’s accurate, reliable, and attractive. The Browning Buckmark pistol makes the cut.
I got to thinking the other day – something I’m not prone to do – that it’s been quite a while since I’ve written about a .22 rimfire here at Gun Digest. That oversight needs to change since, short of a brand new box of 64 Crayola crayons with the sharpener in the back, there are few things on the planet nicer than a .22 rimfire, such as the Browning Buckmark.
I have had – and still have – my fair share of .22s. They’re somewhere around this big old schoolhouse we call home – the Schmidt EIG E15 revolver, the H&R M922 nine-shooter, the Remington M514 bolt-action, the Ruger 10/22, and that modern day reminder of the Wild West, Winchester’s Model 9422 lever-action.
All are what I’d consider Old School guns; not antiques, but certainly not new by any stretch of the imagination.
The Latecomer Browning Buckmark
Recently, though, I had occasion to plink for an afternoon with two very impressive .22 rimfires, both of which are quite a bit more modern than are the Long Rifles and pistols to which I’m accustomed. Browning’s Buckmark pistols, and a sister long gun, were introduced in 1985.
For you mathematicians, that’s 91 years after John M. Browning invented his first auto-loading pistol.
The Buckmark pistols are offered in a dozen different configurations, ranging from the plain Jane Camper model – my personal favorite – to the semi-futuristic looking Buck Mark Lite, complete with fluted alloy barrel and nitrile rubber grips.
As for the Buck Mark Rifle, she’s more than simply an auto-loading pistol with a stock attached, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
The Buck Mark Plus UDX offers a distinctive slab-sided barrel, fiber optic sights and grooved walnut grips. It is a very good-looking pistol.
Browning Buckmark: Technically Speaking
In terms of technical operation – in fact, in terms of general overall appearance and operation – both the Browning Buckmark pistols and rifles are quite similar. Both cycle rounds via a reliable blowback action.
Both short and long versions position a slide lock (stop open latch) and a manual sear block safety on the left side of the receiver directly above and slightly behind the top of the left grip.
The magazine release, again on both, is a checkered push-button located behind and integral to the trigger guard, on the left side. Both use a 10-round coil-spring magazine; a spring assist helps drive the cartridge supply out of the magazine well with no hesitation.
During my time with the pistols, I had the opportunity to work with the Buck Mark Plus UDX (Ultragrip Deluxe wood, ambidextrous), as well as the slightly less expensive – $469 versus $509 – but heavier by four ounces, Hunter model.
Visually, the UDX, with her squared “Slabside” barrel, grooved walnut grips, gold trigger, and green fiber optic front sight is quite the looker – Old School, but not ancient.
The Hunter model, on the other hand, with her matte finish rounded bull barrel, integral scope mount, and silky smooth laminate grips, appears, at least to me, a bit more of a Speed Gun.
A Browning Buckmark Rifle?
Regarding the Buck Mark rifle, the most eye-catching characteristic was the skeletonized stock structure, which attaches a high-comb walnut short stock directly to the pistol frame.
Technically, everything about the rifle mirrors the Browning Buckmark pistol; gone, however, is the Hunter’s 7-1/4-inch barrel, replaced with an 18-inch flat matte finish heavy target tube, complete with recessed crown.
All that’s missing here are the weight-reducing barrel flutes, but I’m certain those are just a matter of time.
My Personal Report Card
Granted, I like every .22 rimfire, no matter how slowly or quickly she fires, or how fancy she looks. However, the folks in Morgan, Utah, have made it really easy to fall in love with these little guns – and for several reasons.
One, they work, and they worked each and every time our group of a dozen shooters pulled the little gold trigger.
That particular afternoon, we were feeding both the pistols and the Buck Mark Target Rifle a never-ending supply of Winchester’s 40-grain Power Point/High-Velocity rounds. And as far as I know, the better part of 1,000 rounds, went downrange with nary a hiccup. That, folks, is what I’m looking for in an old-fashioned plink’n rimfire.
Buck Mark Accuracy
Secondly, they’re accurate little guns. The Buck Mark rifle, our test model topped with a Bushnell Elite 3-9, particularly so.
While I would have preferred a full day on the range with the Brownings, the short time I spent in front of the targets proved all of the models more than capable cottontail and squirrel pieces, with most of the shooters being able to keep everything inside a golf ball sized circle at 25 feet with the pistols, and 50 yards – once we got the long gun dialed in – with the Target Rifle.
And third, they’re mechanically simple, a design characteristic for which Mr. Browning was well known. Disassembly for routine maintenance involves breaking the pistols down into five major parts – frame, barrel, sight base, recoil rod/firing pin housing, and operating slide – and requires, with some practice, less than 60 seconds.
It’s as easy as tying your shoe. Hell, it’s as easy as Velcroing your shoe, and you folks know me – I like simple.
Browning Buckmark Price
Price? True, it’s more than you’ll pay for a Ruger 10/22 semi-automatic or a Nylon 66, but then again, you’re not buying either of those long guns here. Suggested retail for the Browning Buckmark pistol ranges from $359 to $549, depending upon the model.
A bit more expensive, the Buck Mark Rifle will wear a price tag of roughly $650. Internet prices were on par with MSRP, however, many of the websites I called up listed the Buck Mark pistols as being Out of Stock. That probably says something about the popularity and quality of the little guns, now doesn’t it?
Several major updates have surfaced concerning the continually developing gun smuggling scandal at the Department of Justice and its agency, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
First, Congressional hearings on the case will begin June 13 in the U.S. House of Representatives. According to David Codrea, one of the two who first broke the story, Congressman Darrell Issa who chairs the committee conducting the hearings has released his first list of witnesses who will provide testimony on June 13: Charles Tiefer, Morton Rosenberg, and Todd Tatelman. All three are Democrat appointees who will testify against the Democrats who allegedly perpetrated the scandal.
Second, Issa's hearings in the House will be conducted in 3 phases, according to blogger Mike Vanderboegh, who along with David Codrea helped break the story. The first phase will focus on allegations and factual information, including evidence. Phase Two will focus on Mexico and witnesses who have first-hand knowledge about the Mexican connection. The 3rd phase is the biggie. Issa will call to testify the big names at the DOJ and the ATF who are up to their necks in the scandal but have thus far refused to provide information. Apparently there is now sufficient evidence to show that these top officials share culpability in the scandal. Read more
The inaugural auction of Rock Island Auction Company’s new facility brought firearms enthusiasts of every level, from veteran firearms collectors to first time bidders, to the firm's massive 86,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility.
Every chair (300 now compared to the previous 175) was full as auctioneers Pat Hogan, and his son Kevin took the podium May 27.
With all the additional interest from the new facility and the impressive collection of firearms up for auction, bidders drove up prices on the over 2,700 lots to a total of over $8 million, bringing the total for the first two auctions of 2011 to over $10 million.
Of the more than 120 Colt Single Action Army revolvers offered, none were more desired than an exceptional documented U.S. Lewis Draper inspected Colt Model 1873 single action cavalry revolver which sold above the estimate at $69,000. With more than 400 Colts in the sale, many genres stood out with a fully automatic Colt 1921/28 “Navy” overstamp submachine gun with FBI type carrying case, two drum and three stick magazines and a Colt 50-95 lightning slide action express rifle in exceptional condition with factory letter each selling for $31,625 respectively.
A 1938 Colt Model 1911A1 US Army contract pistol with accessories had a flurry of bidders battling over this rare grouping, which finally sold at $28,750. Colt long arms were also in high demand with a Colt 50-95 Lightning slide action express rifle with factory letter sold for $31,625.
This auction also featured the finest collection of Sharps to come to auction since the Frank and Karen Sellers collection. This collection was highlighted by a rare and historic, St. Louis inscribed, factory cased, Sharps Model 1851 sporting rifle which brought $40,250. A very rare documented Sharps Model 1874 No. 1 Creedmoor rifle sold for $28,750. A magnificent Sharps panel scene Gustave Young engraved Model 1853 sporting rifle left the building with a final sale price of $25,875, and a custom Sharps Model 1874 sporting rifle, by Henry Slotterbek of Los Angeles, realized $10,350.
The sale featured a collection of Lugers in rare and desirable configurations, as well as other German Military arms, Nazi hats, uniforms and militaria. The highlight of the more than 250 lugers was a rare documented cased gold plated factory engraved carved ivory stocked Krieghoff presentation Luger pistol, which reached a final sale price of $69,000. Other top luger lots were a scarce Borchardt semi-automatic pistol with shoulder stock, holster and spare magazine selling for $25,875 and an exceptional DWM Model 1900 U.S. Army test luger pistol with original Rock Island Arsenal holster with a selling price of $23,000.
Other German Military arms attained high prices including a cased WWII German Luftwaffe issue Model 30 survival drilling with case and accessories which sold for $25,875, and a Mauser Tankgewehr-18 bolt action single shot anti-tank rifle with bipod which sold for $31,625.
The over 300 U.S. Military arms were highlighted with a sale at $48,875 of a rare Pedersen device with metal case and U.S. Model 1903 Springfield Mark I rifle, a rare late WWII original inland “T3” carbine with M2 infrared sniper scope with accessories sold for $23,000, and a rare U.S. trials Colt Model 1907 Army contract semi-automatic pistol with factory letter sold at $14,950.
Sportsmen found something in this auction, too. Of the more than 500 sporting arms in the sale a custom engraved gold inlaid Winchester Model 21 two barrel set 28 and 410 gauge Grand American double barrel shotgun with case took top sales at $31,625. Side by side shotguns were in high demand with bidders driving sale prices of a rare Parker Brothers Model VHE grade 410 double barrel shotgun with Abercrombie & Fitch marked leather case and a cased Balneari signed master engraved gold inlaid two barrel set Piotti Pachmayr extra double barrel shotgun selling at $25,875 and $19,550 respectfully. Sporting rifles did well across the board; an engraved gold inlaid pre-64 Winchester Model 70 Super Grade bolt action rifle with box in rare 7mm Mauser caliber lead the group with a final sale price of $23,000.
A Civil War New Haven Arms Co. Henry lever action rifle sold for $51,750. A rare engraved Spencer sporting rifle brought $19,550 and a rare Confederate second model Griswold and Gunnison revolver sold after a flurry of bidding for $21,850. Intense bidding drove up prices for early Martial Arms including an exceptional and rare U.S. Springfield Model 1882 Chaffee-Reese rifle selling for $8,050.
Other notable sales from the auction included heightened interest in Kentucky rifles with the sale of a J.J. Henry marked Kentucky flintlock rifle reaching $9,775, a J. Roop flintlock Kentucky rifle and a L. Coon marked flintlock Kentucky rifle each selling for $5,462. An engraved Germanic wheel lock with elaborate relief carved stock sold after a heated battle for $16,100, and an exceptional early 19th Century American Scrimshawed powder horn with patriotic motif brought a notable $6,325. Class III items were also in high demand with aggressive bidding on an original M60 “Fully Active” (New England Group/Maremont) medium machine gun complete with tripod T&E and pintle which finally sold for $40,250.
Within a couple of months of the first industry peek, I was seeing Ruger SR556s in training classes and in matches.
Patrick Sweeney looks at the Ruger SR556, the company's first AR-15-style carbine. Even a few years ago, this would have been unthinkable.
Traditionally, Ruger has not been known as a “tactical” gun maker, but the Ruger SR556 is changing that. Part of that is due to Bill Ruger and his background. Growing up in New England before WWII, he basically came to business with the old-money blueblood attitude, and took that attitude into politics. (Or, at least as much politics as a gunmaker gets dragged into.)
He designed machine guns during WWII, and after the war he designed and built products for the sporting market that were breathtaking in their utility, and used production methods that didn’t just “bend the cost curve” but hammered it flat. The Ruger Standard, later the Mk 1, a .22 LR pistol that sold for half of what the comparable Colt product did, was just the start.
The SR556 comes with Magpul PMags, and they feed everything .223/5.56 I could lay hands on.
Focused on making better and more-affordable hunting rifles and handguns, he really wasn’t plugged into the defensive market. And, to be fair to the late Bill Ruger, the defensive market as we now know it really didn’t exist for the first couple of decades he was designing and making firearms.
As a result, when it came time to confront the growing plague of gun control efforts, he simply (from my view, anyway) fell back on the educated upper-class N’Easterner attitudes he’d grown up with. To whit: men of good intentions can get along, and learn to compromise, and everyone will be happy and benefit. Too bad he was in a back-alley knife fight with uncompromising opponents.
After the infamous “I don’t know why a law-abiding citizen needs a magazine bigger than that” episode, Ruger was off the buyer’s list for a lot of shooters. I know of shooters who for a long time would not allow a Ruger firearm into their home. Not only would they not buy them, they wouldn’t have any of them where they exercised control: their castle. And when they did move into the new-to-them market segment, Ruger didn’t move into the defensive arena with much authority, certainly not with the authority it had brought to the struggle with Colt, Remington and S&W.
That has changed recently. With the introduction of the SR9, a striker-fired hi-cap 9mm pistol meant for defensive carry, and its follow-up the SR9c, plus the LCR and LCP, Ruger clearly was taking the defensive-arm struggle to its competitors. Even with a thorough game plan and preparation, Ruger was unprepared for the reaction to a proper entry into the defensive firearms market. They announced the LCP (Light Carry Pistol), a compact .380, at the SHOT show. A four-day national industry convention, it is where many manufacturers unveil new products.
By the end of the show, Ruger had orders for some 50,000 pistols. A month later, they had orders for over 100,000. When they announced the SR9 a year later, the demand was so great that Ruger stopped production of all other products at the Prescott, Arizona, plant except for the LCP and the SR9.
Those two pistols alone were requiring more production capacity than the entire plant, devoted to the entire rest of the Ruger pistol line beforehand, could provide. Ruger spent quite some time even getting close to catching up. So, it was with great interest that a bunch of us gun writers recently gathered at a private range for a writers-only retreat. There, we had manufacturers showing us the guns, gear and ammo that they’d be unveiling for the public months or nearly a year after our little soiree.
Everyone was waiting to see what new bombshell Ruger would unveil. A new snubbie revolver? A pistol in .40 S&W? When the SR556 came out into view, the crowd was stunned nearly speechless. (And when you consider the crowd, that’s quite a feat.) Not at the sheer technical prowess of the product, but rather at the amazing fact that this was a Ruger-made AR-15. Not something someone else made, re-branded, but a Ruger rifle, from the large to the small parts.
And for those who live in states where such things have to be neutered, Ruger makes an SR556 that lacks a flash hider, and the stock does not move.
And a Ruger design in the heart of it, too, for it is a piston-driven gun. At the range session later that day, we took turns doing the obligatory “piston gun demo” where we each shot a magazine or two quickly, removed the bolt, and held it in our hands to show how cool it was. When it was my turn in front of the camera, I quipped, “We now know that the end of the world is near. This is a Ruger.”
And it is quite the blaster, too. When it comes to entering the AR market, Ruger did not do as others had done, and enter at the basic-gun end of the market. As a manufacturing and marketing decision, that was a good one. The AR buying craze was in full swing when Ruger brought theirs to market, but anyone with any business sense knows that balloons don’t last forever. When the bubble bursts, the low-margin basic (fill in the blank) segment of the market takes more than a beating; it becomes a bloodbath. So Ruger pulled out all the stops when it came to the SR556.
First of all, no, it is not the HK416 in US-made guise. Not that I have any feelings, good or bad, towards the HK 416. While I’m admiring of the engineering that went into it, I also think they (in typical HK/German fashion) over-engineered the thing. Had Ruger copied the design, and if HK had any patents on it, then by all means, HK would sue Ruger and I’d be in favor of it. If HK hadn’t patented any of it, and Ruger copied it, well, too bad/so sad. As much as I’m a proponent of the defense of intellectual property rights, if you don’t patent it, too bad.
Were we to declare otherwise, the late Soviet Union, via their agent Mikhail Kalashnikov, would have owed the estates of John Moses Browning and John Garand money for every AK-47 and -74 they’d made. (And since Garand was a government employee, any of his designs belonged to the US, and thus the Soviet Union would have been paying us.) Short answer: it isn’t any kind of patent infringement.
The Ruger design is a short-stroke non-venting system that uses an internal piston in the gas block and a spring-loaded transfer rod to drive the carrier. It is their own design.
Ejection, out of the sample gun when we first shot it was slightly forward. Did we change the gas setting? Not a chance.
The movement of the piston is the control (and the adjustable throttle, more on that in a bit) and is what regulates the transfer rod movement. Only so much gas can go through the gas port and drive the piston, and excess pressure simply drives the piston harder, but not all of that excess is delivered to the transfer rod. But, we’re getting a bit ahead of ourselves, so let’s start from the beginning.
Even the tele-stock slider has the Ruger logo, lest you forget just who made this rifle.
Once you get past all the “whose design did they use?” nonsense, you get to enjoy the wonder that is a Ruger offering in this day and age. The box itself is a cardboard carton with “SR-556” and the Ruger logo printed on it. I suspect in 50 years (assuming we still have guns, or a civilization) that the cardboard box itself will be a hot item in the collector’s market, since most users will simply toss it.
Inside that is a relatively discreet rifle carrying case in black synthetic cloth, with the Ruger logo and name bonded to it, in red. The rifle itself comes with three Magpul PMag30 magazines, black windowless, a set of rail covers, an owners manual, and the Federally-mandated lock. (I sometimes wonder which of our legislators had a family business in the lock industry.) There’s no cleaning kit and no sling, which is fine by me. I have a box full of factory-supplied cleaning kits and slings (and padlocks) that I never have a need for, so leaving them out doesn’t hurt me in any way. But if you were expecting a cleaning kit or sling and don’t currently have one of either, you’ll have to buy one of those on your own.
The rifle itself? Oh, boy. The lower is a small-pin (there had been some early rumors that Ruger had used the same large-diameter hammer and trigger pins that Colt used for a couple of decades. Wishful internet rumor-mongering, I’m glad to tell you) mil-spec lower marked “safe” and “fire” that, were it not marked with the Ruger lower, would not be distinguishable from any of the host of other mil-spec built semi-auto lowers. It has a Hogue rubber pistol grip with the Ruger logo in it and a six-position telestock with the Ruger logo moulded into it. The safety is not ambidextrous, and the trigger pull is a thoroughly acceptable mil-spec trigger pull.
That is, it is creepy, gritty, and a bit on the heavy side as it comes out of the box. And, just like all the other milspec triggers I’ve ever used, I expect it to improve a great deal with a little bit of dry-firing and use. Ruger has had a reputation for some time of providing “lawyer-proof” triggers on their products. Maybe yes, maybe no, but in this instance we can lay the trigger at the feet of the government. That is, mil-spec.
As plain, ordinary and unremarkable as the lower is, the upper is where all the action is.
Troy rail covers, for those who do not like the feel of cold aluminum in their hands while shooting. Or hot aluminum, for that matter.
First, the upper receiver is a flat-top, machined from a forging, complete with forward assist and ejector lump. The railed, free-float handguards are made by Troy Industries, and they’re marked with the Ruger name and logo. There is another interesting detail to them: they are secured to the upper. There are a pair of roll pins in the upper, one on either side of the joint between the receiver and the handguards at the top, and a single, much bigger one on the bottom.
Clearly, they pin the two together, a good idea with a piston system running in between. The handguards are surmounted by a set of Troy sights, both folding, front and rear. While made by Troy, they are marked with the Ruger name and logo. While Ruger has outsourced primo parts on the items they themselves do not make, they want to make it absolutely clear just whose rifle this is. (And it isn’t your Father’s Buick, for those who remember the old ad campaign.)
The gas block is pinned to the barrel, and the gas regulator is adjustable. It has four settings, from “0” to “3,” and is meant to be self-regulating. Zero means no gas, so if you want to use your SR556 as a straight-pull bolt action rifle, go for it. The other three are increasing amounts of gas. The “1” setting is not meant as a suppressor setting, per se; it just delivers less gas. And the “3” setting is just more gas. Ruger recommends that you not use a setting any higher than needed to run reliably with the ammo you’ve selected. (Factory-new, no reloads, thankyouverymuch.) Those lucky enough to have suppressors will probably run the Ruger on the “1” setting when they have the can installed.
Ruger recommends that ejection be directly out to the side, that is, ninety degrees to the direction you are firing. If it is “late” (Ruger’s term, not mine, nor a common description for ejection) and throws the empties to the rear, increase gas port size/number and keep shooting. If it is “early” (again, Ruger’s term) with brass going forward, turn the gas port/number to a smaller setting. My bet is that since Ruger ships it with the regulator set at “2” and most ammo will work just fine that way, that we’ll see lots of SR-556 rifles with the regulator frozen at “2” after hundreds or thousands of rounds fired.
Most shooters will fire a few rounds, see that the brass is exiting the area with sufficient alacrity and enthusiasm, and ignore the regulator afterwards. And, most shooters being most shooters, they won’t go and wrestle the gas system apart after the first shooting and cleaning session. In a few years, I’d expect gunsmiths to start seeing Ruger SR-556 rifles with carbon-welded gas plugs in place, looking to have them removed for cleaning.
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The first rounds out of the new SR556, while the rest of the gun writers waited their turns. We could not make it choke, then or since.
The two-piece piston, with the front part self-limiting as to the amount of travel it can experience, acts as a thrust regulator, in addition to the gas regulation setting you crank the front knob to.
The transfer rod connects to the thrust shoulder on the carrier. The carrier is machined with anti-tilt pads in the back, with an integral thrust shoulder, and the whole assembly – bolt, carrier, extractor, etc. – is chrome-plated. Right smack dab in the middle of the carrier, where you can see it when the dust cover is open, the carrier is marked with the Ruger logo.
The upper is full-on M4, flat-top, forward assist, ejector lump, as standard as Ruger can make it and not lower their standards.
The barrel is a marvel, for those who have been somewhat accustomed to the barrels of the Mini14s of old. Unlike those, which were widely varying in accuracy (some shot OK; a few shot well; and most were only casually accurate), the SR556’s is hammer-forged out of 41V45 steel and has a Ruger AC556-style flash hider on the end. It is also chrome-lined, with a 5.56 chamber and a twist of 1:9. The last part is the only part that the cognoscenti have been able to muster a grumble about.
They’d prefer a rifle with a twist of 1:7, just like the military barrels have. Well, get used to it. A 1:9 will fully stabilize all the common ammo, everything from 68 grains on down. It won’t over-spin the varmint loads. It may even, depending on the individual rifle, stabilize the 75- and 77-grain loads. Ruger has clearly made a decision here that they expect the number of shooters using lightweight, fragile varmint bullets to outnumber (probably greatly outnumber) those who would otherwise be feeding the SR556 a diet of Mk262 Mod 1.
Ruger, in a not-at-all-surprising decision, also makes a model of the SR556 that is “neutered.” That is, instead of the flash hider and telestock, they make one (the SR-556SC) with the stock pinned open and the flash hider gone. It ships with ten-round magazines. So, if you live someplace where the politicians get an attack of the vapors at the thought of an “eeevil black rifle,” you can conform with relevant (albeit idiotic) state law.
Ruger lists the SR-556FB as tipping the scales at 7.94 pounds. My postal scale tells me this one comes in at 7 pounds, 13.3 ounces. That translates to 7.83 pounds, which surprised me. I had been hefting it on the walk to the scale, and was convinced it wasn’t the least bit less than 8.25. The apparent heft comes from the medium-to-heavy barrel profile, which brings the upper all by itself to 5 pounds, 11.7 ounces. That same barrel will valiantly resist heat and change of impact, due to its mass.
At the industry function, we enjoyed ourselves immensely, shooting up every round of ammo to be had. Partly it was the free ammo at the height of the ammo shortage, but it was due in no small part to the experience of shooting a Ruger-marked AR-15.
The sights are Troy, re-badged for Ruger. Ruger knows a good thing when they see it and didn’t try to re-invent the BUIS wheel.
I waited a while once I had returned from the shoot, but Ruger finally sent me an SR556 of my own to test. On looking it over, I noticed a few interesting details. The serial number, for one, is done in two sets. The “SN” and the 590 prefix are done as one set of stampings, and the actual serial number of the rifle is a separate operation, done in a different font. The markings, the Ruger logo and “SR-556” are done as a different operation also. I wonder just how many stamping machines this poor lower has been through?
The castle nut and back plate of the lower have not been mil-spec staked at the notches, a small but telling detail. And the buffer weight is a standard, not an “H” weight.
Disassembly of the gas system is simple: push out the piston regulator retaining pin and the parts will simply come out the front. The transfer bar, and its spring, won’t come out. They are part of the gas block, and to remove them you’d have to drive out the pins holding the gas block to the barrel. Such work is not advised. If you really feel the need to clean or lube your transfer rod, I’d suggest a liberal application of cleaner/degreaser via an aerosol can, though the rail openings. Then spray lube afterwards. That detail of disassembly alone is enough to preclude military consideration of the SR556 design. Can you imagine an apopleptic Drill Instructor who cannot have rifles detail stripped?
In firing, the SR556 works just as you’d expect from a Ruger, and recoils just as you’d expect a nearly eight-pound AR to recoil. Lots of ammo downrange, not much push on your shoulder, and empty brass flung to the right, not so far away that you can’t easily find it.
As a premium rifle, the Ruger SR-556 comes with a near-premium price tag. But, once you total up the extras that come on it (railed, free-float handguard, piston system, three Pmags) the rifle becomes a much better-appearing deal. And in fact the gun-buying public can do such simple arithmetic, despite the hand-wringing over the sorry state of our schools.
Ruger has not been able to catch up with demand, not from the moment they announced the SR-556.
From Customization to Performance: Our Best AR-15 Insights
Buyer's Guide to the Best AR-15 Rifles for Any Budget
A Scott Mulkerin custom 1911, with gold bead front sight.
Scott Mulkerin/SDM Fabricating
I’ve known Scott for some twenty years now, as he was a heavy hitter at the Second Chance bowling pin matches. Scott does classic “ala carte” gunsmithing. That is, you can go down the list of goodies and compose what you want, and leave off what you don’t. And for that, I have to tip my hat to him.
Scott marks his work on the slide, with his SDM Fabricating etching.
I did much the same thing when I was getting started as a gunsmith (that was pretty much what we all did back then) and I can tell you it is a pain in the neck for a gunsmith to do it that way. One has to carefully calculate the individual labor time and materials for each task, and then correctly price it on the worksheet, else you’ll find you are doing work that you don’t earn a living on.
Scott also offers his own sights, both a low-profile Tactical Target rear for the 1911, and gold-bead front blades. Now, a gold bead front sight is a combination of the fiber optic and the all-steel. It offers a hi-vis dot, but one of much greater durability than fiber optic.
you are going to have Scott install sights, I would suggest that you make every effort to send in your 1911 already zeroed. That is, shoot it, and make sure the sights are dead-on because a gold-got front sight can’t be filed or machined to adjust point of impact. It is what it is, and if you don’t make sure your 1911 is “on” before you send it to Scott, he can’t be sure the gold bead front is “on” when it goes back to you. This holds for all other gunsmiths, too, not just Scott.
Coming from a competition background, Scott makes big magazine well funnels. If you want one smaller, just ask.
Scott also makes some essential tools. One is his firing pin retaining plate remover. A tight plate means a securely-fitted extractor that won’t “clock” or rotate slightly. The problem with a tight plate is that it is hard to remove to clean the firing pin tunnel. The SDM tool solves that problem.
Another tool is his spring tester. With it, you can measure the spring tension or “life” left in your springs. People who do a lot of shooting find that regular spring replacement makes a difference in reliable function and ensures a long service life. With it, you can measure both the resting and fully-compressed force of your springs. Where I find it particularly useful is with the BHP. You’ll have to make some extra parts to fit the Hi-Power springs into the scale, but once you do, you’ll be stylin’. You see, the BHP, more so than the 1911, needs a really up-to-spec spring to ensure a long life. And the spring really takes a hammering.
I once had a chance to measure a pair of Browning “T” series Hi-Powers, guns that were used in daily carry. A standard recoil spring is 17.5 pounds, and I generally run mine with 18.5 pound springs in them. These two T Brownings had springs that measured 9 and 11 pounds. Ouch.
So, you can have a custom gun, light, al a carte or package, up to a competition-ready gun, done on your 1911. And, Scott also does S&W revolver work, for carry or competition.
For a beginning muzzleloader, the CVA Optima Pro makes a good impression in the field. Its features make it easy to use when that special muzzleloader season rolls around.
The story behind this week’s Field Gun – a CVA Optima Pro – involves two whitetails, neither of which I killed. The first, a late-season shed-antler buck, was taken in eastern Iowa by 15-year-old Tannor Peska, a young neighbor on his inaugural deer hunt. The shot was made at approximately 40 yards in an open field; the 295-grain PowerBelt hollow point put the buck down as if the proverbial rug had been pulled out from underneath him. No chasing that one – and perhaps best was we could drive right to the fallen whitetail, and load him up simple as that. As one ages, factors such as that become quite significant.
The second, I’m sad to say, was accomplished in my absence; still, I was able to relive each and every second of the hunt via the hunter’s father. As the story goes, this young hunter dropped the hammer on his whitetail, also his first, at an estimated 70 yards. Though the shot was a bit high, the big Iowa doe nonetheless dropped on the spot, the PowerBelt – this one a solid AeroTip style – performing perfectly.
Impressive, yes, that these two young men did so well; however, equally as impressive was the performance of the rifle in the hands of these young nimrods. The gun was a .50 caliber Connecticut Valley Arms (CVA) Optima Pro muzzleloader, which I more than happily loaned the boys. This gun is as fine an introductory frontstuffer as has come down the pike in recent years. Oh, and did I mention accurate?
Technically Speaking
Before I begin, let me throw out one important note about this particular muzzleloader – it’s no longer available. Now before you throw your hands up and shout “What!” allow me to explain. The Optima Pro, i.e. the one I currently own, is no longer available; however, a new version is on the shelves, and doing quite well.
“We first introduced the Optima in 2003,” said Dudley McGarity, CEO for the Georgia-based Blackpowder Products, Inc. (BPI), umbrella company to CVA. “This was the turning point for CVA in terms of unit sales. Bottom line is the Optima rifles were the right guns at the right time.”
And, it seems, at the right prices, as the company’s dollar sales doubled between 2002 and the introduction of the gun in 2003. But all good things, as they say, come to an end. “The original Optimas were put out to pasture in late 2009,” continued McGarity, “and the new Optima presented to the public at the 2010 SHOT Show.” New technology, as is often the case, was the cause for the demise of the original Optima. “We decided it was time to update the Optima before it got stale in the marketplace,” he said. “But we still inventory all the parts for the original guns.”
My personal Optima, aka The Old Gun, is fundamentally as simple as they come. Technically, she’s a break-action. Think Topper single-shot 20-gauge but as an in-line .50 caliber muzzleloader, with a 1-in-28 twist.
A grooved barrel release, or breeching lever, located at the rear of the trigger guard opens the gun, revealing a removable breech plug into which a #209 shotgun primer fits. Cocking the hammer, extension included, is the final act prior to firing the piece; an internal transfer bar style safety prevents and accidental discharge. Both the ambidextrous Monte Carol stock and forearm are of composite, and the barrel is lightly scored with five 13.5-inch flutes. Fiber optic front and rear sights are standard, as are integral sling swivels.
The new Optima differs from the old largely in aesthetics and niceties; options such as a stainless steel finish, thumbhole stock, and standard DuraSight scope mounts (thumbhole stock only) being but three. There are, however, three significant changes to the new model. These include BPI’s patented Quick Release Breech Plug (QRBP), which allows the plug to be removed without tools – fingers only – after the gun has been fired.
Other easy-out plugs exist; however, removing them after the rifle has been fired has, until now, been questionable or impossible. Secondly, the breeching lever has been relocated to the front of the trigger guard, while the third is a slight redesign of the hammer. Have these modifications created a better beast? If conveniences translate into improvements, then perhaps the answer is yes.
My Personal Report Card
To be brutally honest, I’ve not had the opportunity to spend any time behind the trigger of the new Optima; however, I have had the model in hand, and have come to one rather unscientific – and perhaps biased – conclusion: I like my Old School model much better. Not, mind you, that there’s a world of difference between the two.
Yes, the Second Generation Optima does feature some nice-to-have bells and whistles, e.g. the thumbhole stock option, and a slimmer, more streamlined appearance. And while for some, the quick-release breech plug of the new model might seem an absolute necessity, for me, a fanatical cleaner of guns, it’s an improvement somewhat lost personally.
By now, all you folks know how I feel about firearms and simplicity, and if you don’t, my mantra is as follows – The Simpler, The Better. And that, I believe, is what I like best about the Old School Optima, and to damn near the same extent, the Second Generation model; they’re basic firearms, with very few things to go wrong.
Visually, I like the looks of the Old School gun more than the new. There’s just something, well, ruggedly handsome about it; nothing fancy, gaudy, nor high-tech, but not mud fence homely either.
The barrel flutes, at least to me, add to the appearance, but whether or not they contribute to significant heat dissipation is a mystery. As for weight reduction – well, there too, I don’t know how much actual metal has been removed, plus by the time most hunters are finished hanging aftermarket accessories on their Optima, it’s still a 10-pound gun, give or take a couple ounces.
Aesthetics aside, though, my personal Optima is an accurate little rifle, capable of maintaining regulation baseball-sized, or three-inch, groups at 100 yards when stuffed with two 50-grain Pyrodex pellets and a 295-grain PowerBelt bullet.
Interestingly enough, point of impact doesn’t change between hollow points and the polymer-nosed AeroTip style bullets; I had thought it would, at least to some degree. At 50 yards, my Optima prints two inches high which, according to the company’s trajectory tables, brings the 295-grain PB back to zero at not quite 150, or in plain English, plenty of distance for most Midwestern whitetail situations, and then some.
Oh, and as for the bane of many a blackpowder shooter, the cleaning – well, and I mean no disrespect here, but if you’re capable of changing an ordinary light bulb, then you’re more than intellectually suited for maintaining the Optima, old or new.
A half-inch socket – or the supplied tool – removes the breech plug, which is dropped into a Mason jar with a couple inches of #13 black powder solvent. A spritz of bore cleaner, a .50-caliber brass brush, a little elbow grease, and a light coating of Bore Butter tends to the barrel. The breech plug gets scrubbed, the threads lubed with Anti-Seize, and replaced. A final wipe-down of the exterior – and maybe some Viz-Wiz on the scope lenses – and she’s ready for the rack.
Accuracy, aesthetics, simplicity; what more could a hunter ask for, except perhaps a killer bargain? Well, there’s that, too. Digging around on the Web, I found one Old School Optima, a .50 caliber identical to mine, listed on The Sportsman’s Guide site (sportsmansguide.com) for a club price of $197.
Hell, even the non-member price of $249 seems to me a clear cut case of money well-spent. New versions of the Optima range in price from $300 for the gun only (midwayusa.com) to Bass Pro’s (basspro.com) kit that features a scoped and bore-sighted .50 caliber, plus a padded case, for $400. In this day and age, when a tank full of fuel that’s gone in a week can cost $110, $300 for a firearm that lasts a lifetime is a damn good deal.
By the numbers
Make/Model – Connecticut Valley Arms Optima Pro Caliber/Gauge – .50 caliber Action/Firing mechanism – Exposed hammer; break-action Ignition system – #209 Primer; in-line Weight – 9.13 pounds (with scope) Barrel length – 28 inches; fluted Overall length – 44.25 inches Trigger pull – 2.5 pounds Sights – Adjustable fiber optics Scope (as tested) – Cabela’s Alaskan Premium 3-9×40 Stock length – 13.25, with pad Finish – Matte black Recoil pad – one-inch; ventilated rubber Safety – Transfer bar
This article appeared in the February 28, 2011 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Of the two concealed-carry bills being bandied about in the state Legislature, the so-called “constitutional carry” bill in the Senate appears to have the upper hand.
A executive meeting scheduled for Thursday on the Assembly bill, which would require those carrying concealed weapons to obtain a license from the state Department of Justice, was canceled.
Andrew Nowlan, an aide for Rep. Jeffrey Mursau, R-Crivits, who authored the Assembly bill, says the Senate bill will likely get a vote in both houses.
“What the Senate version ends up being remains to be seen, so that's kind of why we held off,” says Nowlan.
But Jen Esser, spokeswoman for Sen. Pam Galloway, R-Wausau, the author of the Senate concealed-carry bill, says the amendments are done and the bill is headed for a vote by the full Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald's office didn't return a message asking if a date for the vote had been set. Read more
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HK 45C Pistol
Gun Review: Smith & Wesson 1911
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Congressman Darrell Issa (R-Calif), Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) are going after the Bureau of Alcohol and Tobacco (ATF)—the same folks who brought us Waco and Ruby Ridge—as well as Eric Holder, US Attorney General and head of the Department of Justice (DOJ—ATF’s parent agency).
That means they’re also looking at Holder’s boss, President Barack Obama.
The problem this time is Project Gunrunner, and its offspring initiative, Operation Fast and Furious—an operation that only came to light when an ATF whistle blower, ATF Agent John Dodson, stepped forward with disturbing, detailed information about the ‘secret’ ATF undertaking.
The facts Dodson has shared with Congress are startling indeed—enough, say some critics, to warrant an all-out ‘Weaponsgate’ type of investigation into ATF’s latest debacle.
It seems that over roughly a three year period, ATF agents have been pressuring US gun dealers, mostly along the Arizona-Mexico border, to sell thousands of semi-automatic weapons to ‘straw buyers,’ in this case to Mexicans (it’s illegal for US gun dealers to sell weapons to Mexican nationals), who then, with ATF’s knowledge and approval, would smuggle these weapons across the US-Mexico border and into Mexico, where they were sold (with or without the knowledge of Mexican authorities—still an unanswered question) to members of Mexico’s criminal cartels.
An AK-47 recovered at the murder site of US Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry has been identified as one of the rifles ATF agents permitted to be sold to a Mexican straw buyer and ‘illegally’ trafficked into Mexico. There are also links between Fast and Furious and the weapon used to kill ICE Agent Jaime Zapata. Read more
The people of New Hampshire did not get a constitutional carry (no permit required) bill passed this year, and a state grass-roots group called Pro-Gun New Hampshire is putting the blame for this on the local National Rifle Association legislative liaison and the state affiliate group who they say effectively killed the bill as it was poised for passage.
The core of the allegation is that the NRA liaison did not participate in the process as the legislation (H.B. 330) was being developed and moved through the committee process in the New Hampshire House – including several public hearings – but then in the eleventh hour submitted an all-encompassing, replacement amendment that included what some see as anti-rights provisions.
The House Criminal Justice & Public Safety Committee rejected the NRA amendment, suggesting that it should be offered as a stand-alone bill in the next session, and the full House overwhelmingly passed H.B. 330, sending it on to the Senate. In the Senate, the NRA liaison again offered the replacement amendment and made a deal with a friendly senator to slip it in through a side door. This immediately caused confusion and conflict among the pro-rights senators and the opposition was quick to exploit this. In short order the original bill and the amendment were tabled and dead for this session – until the gun-rights guys can find a bill they can agree on.
This whole debacle lands squarely on the shoulders of a fellow named John Hohenwarter, the NRA legislative liaison for New Hampshire.
When outraged grass-roots leaders in New Hampshire began loudly complaining about Hohenwarter's actions, NRA put out a statement claiming that the NRA bashers were making misleading statements and misconstruing the facts.
Florida Governor Rick Scott recently signed into law a bill that restricted when doctors can ask their patients whether or not they own firearms.
As the Gainesville Sun reported, “HB 155, which takes effect immediately, allows doctors to ask about gun ownership and record that data only when they believe the information is pertinent to a patient's safety and health. If the Florida Board of Medicine finds a doctor out of step with the law, the doctor could face various penalties, including fines of up to $10,000.”
In large part, the bill stemmed from a case last year when, “during an examination of her then 4-month-old baby, Amber Ullman of Summerfield declined to tell her child's pediatrician whether she owned a gun. Dr. Chris Okonkwo dismissed her from his office, telling her she had 30 days to find a new pediatrician and that she was no longer welcome at Children's Health of Ocala.”
“Physician groups argue they should be able to ask patients about firearms because not securing guns can lead to a greater risk for death or injury,” the Sun noted.
Shortly after HB 155 was signed, three Florida physician groups, plus the anti-gun Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, announced they would file a lawsuit to block the new law.
The elegant Darne V22, light, graceful, superbly balanced.
Do you know the Darne side-by-side double gun? This decidedly unusual shotgun, truly unique in its action design, has had small sale and distribution in the United States despite its several virtues and, in view of its quality construction — even in the lowest-cost grades — its moderate selling price. In point of fact, there is as far as I can determine, no difference in quality of workmanship metal-to-metal fit, jointing of wood and metal, polishing and finish of all components-between the lowest-priced Darnes and the highest.
There is, though, good value in the extra-cost versions — stocks of better-quality, fancier-figure walnut, a greater expanse of finer-line checkering, plus various degrees and extents of engraving. There is a basic design difference, too, but a relatively unimportant one — removal of the barrels is made a little easier on the higher grades, but that’s a matter, mostly, of convenience.
Elegant is the word for this delightful Darne birdgun, a 6-lb. 12 bore.
It’s the action of the Dame that sets it apart from all other shotguns. An action that, at the same time, makes it one of the trimmest and streamlined of shotguns, yet the basic design of the action was evolved some 80 years ago — Darne guns of that age look, in their essential form and style, identical with their latest productions. One could, I suppose, look on this adherence to long-established form and design elements in two ways — one, that the makers of the Darne have resisted change and modernization, remaining locked into the original concept through inertia or worse. Or it might be said that, once having brought the Darne design to its ultimate development, the makers looked on their efforts and found them good, even perfect, virtually.
I hold to the second view, for offhand I can’t think of anything that could materially improve the current Darne design — not and keep the Darne design intact. O, there are those who would like the safety repositioned — it’s on the left side of the action — but there are some shotgunners who prefer through-bolt safeties to top-tang types. There is another Darne aspect, a style point, that isn’t completely to my liking, and that’s a stock form Darne furnishes — and one that is, I’ll admit, quite popular in Europe.
This particular Darne stock has a semi-pistol grip — a long, sweeping form, with rounded end, that looks much like the type found on vintage Browning autoloaders. I’d bought my first Darne some 25 years ago, at which time this stock style was common and popular on a number of shotguns. I didn’t know much then, either, though of course I thought I did.
I’ve used that Darne a good bit over the years, but in this job there’s almost always a new shotgun to try out, sometimes several a year or season — and in recent years more than ever. For that reason I’ve used the Darne less and less, but that’s also true of some three or four other smoothbores I own — the shorter seasons in recent times account for some of that, too.
During all that long usage I’ve never had a moment’s trouble with the Darne — nothing ever broke, nothing malfunctioned.
Visit to St. Etienne
I’d always wanted to visit the Darne plant in southern France (I can’t think of any arms factory I wouldn’t like to see), but I’d never done more than pass through that area on previous visits. Last year, however, knowing that I’d be returning to that section of France from Budapest, to spend a few days with Raymond Caranta (our Continental editor), I planned a call on Darne. Caranta lives at Aie-en-Provence, only a short drive from St. Etienne, site of the Darne factory.
The general manager for Darne, Jean Bruyere, made Raymond and me welcome and escorted us on a tour of the buildings and shops. I don’t know what, exactly, I expected to find, but I’ve got to say that both of us were hardly prepared for what we saw! Imagine a one-story, long and narrow shop — perhaps 50 feet wide and maybe 400 feet or more deep. The ceilings, about 20 feet above us, were dark with the soot and grime of years. Down either side of the long room, high above the workers, ran shafting and pulleys — lots of pulleys.
Leather belts, small and large, fell to the machines, driving them. Here was a shop where Samuel Colt, Philo Remington or Oliver Winchester would have felt at home. The slap and clatter of the belts and pulleys would have been familiar music. The lighting was dim, the corners dark — one had a sense of what the oil-lamped factories of a century earlier might have been like.
There was a touch of progress, if that’s the right word. Standing in one area were two ultra-modern machines — high speed, tape fed automated milling machines. An incongruous sight, to be sure, but both were in operation. These new tools, with others perhaps to follow, may — one day — see the Darne factory a fully up-to-date plant, but for now the Darne shotgun is still fabricated, fitted and finished by hand. Men wielding files — and women, too — are there in force, particularly at a long row of benches in the final fitting and assembly stages.
Make no mistake, I’ve not described the Darne plant to criticize or deplore — far from it. An old pappy myself, and one who has always delighted in the genuine excellence that trained and dedicated hands can produce, I was gratified — if surprised — to view the Darne approach to gunmaking. Quality of materials and workmanship, close attention to the perfect assembly of even minor components — these are the norms at Darne.
As I’ve said, Darne guns are not highly expensive, even in the embellished grades. Some $500-$750 will buy their top model, I believe; compare that with certain English and Italian shotguns! No, what puzzles me — now that I know how they’re made — is how they can be sold at such attractive prices.
The 28 gauge Darne has a “silvered” action, the stronger 10 gauge (rear) has a black receiver. One is the best-handling quail or grouse gun imaginable; the big bore is also light and lively enough for carrying many a mile without tiring the shooter.
The Dame is a solid-frame double gun, there’s no dropping down of the barrels, released to open by means of a top-snap lever. For this reason the stock can be — and is — a one-piece affair. If the inletting at and around the receiver is examined it’ll be obvious that here is a hell of an inletting job. I don’t think there are a dozen stockmakers here who’d want to replace a busted Darne stock — not without an aggravation bonus!
The Darne breechblock is a sliding one; the side-projecting “ears” are grasped between the thumb and first fingers, drawing it back, and the operating lever — swinging vertically in a central channel in the block — is pulled smartly upward and backward. That movement pulls fired cases fully out of the chambers; unfired cartridges are extracted only for a short distance. A roll of the gun to either side, after fired-case extractions, lets the empties fall to the ground or, if you’re a reloader, into your hand. Darne calls this “automatic ejection,” but cases are not kicked clear and away, as we know happens with the usual ejectors. Semantics, maybe, nevertheless their system works.
The Darne breech face, showing the obturator disks, the extractor hooks (at 6 o’clock) and the ejector pins. The large hole receives the round barrel lug, the latter secured by a vertical bolt. However, the main bolting is done by the toggle arm actuated by the operating lever, seen raised here.
All double-gun barrels converge from breech to muzzle. In all other doubles but Darnes, as far as I know, the loaded shotshell lies in a slightly cocked position because the standing breech is not at 90° to the long axis of the barrels. In the Darne this has been fixed — each half of the standing breech carries an obturating disk, these angled a small amount, just enough to bring them into exact square with each converging barrel.
Not very important? These flanged disks, completely encircling the shell rim, are an aid to gas containment if a rim lets go. In addition, and because Darne guns are carefully gauged to have minimum chambers and headspace, Darne claims reduced recoil, increased gas thrust on the shot charge for more velocity, and better patterns. In fact, Darne fully guarantees that their barrels, in whatever gauges and lengths, will pattern 72% to 82%. That “warrenteed” performance, note, was made before the advent of plastic shotshells and their enhanced patterning qualities.
All Darne guns, by the way, are fully guaranteed against defects in materials and workmanship for 5 years! They’re also approved by “Quality France” (an honor not lightly obtained), an organization which makes sure that French products live up to their manufacturer’s claims — sort of an industrial ombudsman.
The single trigger is not highly regarded in Europe, so Darne guns, like the others, have two triggers, but with the front one hinged. Trigger pulls are, in my experience, crisp and of moderate weight. I snapped some 7 or 8 guns during the factory visit, none of which showed any drag or excess heaviness. My sample Darne (which I’ll describe later) has triggers that weigh, consistently, about 4–5 lbs. rear and front — and they’re snappy.
Darne barrels are sleeved, that is, mounted into the breech sections via the “monobloc” system, a long-tested technique that offers various advantages — greater strength because the breech sleeve can be heat treated to better properties than conventional systems, and for less heat in assembly than is the case with brazed lumps.
Two styles of top ribs are furnished — a normal raised rib (not ventilated) and their “Plume” rib, the type sometimes called “swamped” also. This one drops away from its level position at the breech to lie between the barrels all the way to the muzzle — in effect, there is no top rib. The Plume rib is the type to specify if you want the Darne gun to be ultra light. As you’ll see, you can get them that way from Darne — no problem.
Darnes are made in all gauges extant — 10, 12, 12⁄3″, 16, 20 and 28, plus one you won’t want — 24! I don’t think the 24s are very popular in France, either. Barrel lengths — standard is 27.6″ (70cm), but lengths in 25.6″ (65cm), 26.8″ (68cm), 28.4″ (72cm), 30″ (75cm) and 32″ (80cm) can be had. All Darne barrels, price range regardless, are given the heaviest French proving — the Triple Proof Test — equal to 8¼ tons psi, and the fully finished guns are again proved at chamber pressure ranging from 5.4 tons to 7.7, the exact psi depending on chamber length.
All of the specs cited apply to standard Darne guns — those that can be bought over the counter from any of Darne’s world network of agents. However, Darne has long been geared to a custom gun setup — they’ll make one up with virtually anything the customer wants — stock woods, engraving, barrel lengths and chokes, whatever. All you have to do it name it — and, of course, pay for it!
As I’ve said, Darne guns are elegant and graceful, light and excellently balanced — yet they’re tough, too, and made to take it. The V22 grade gun loaned to me (while my special order Darne is being made) weighs just 6 lbs., and that’s a standard weight for them.
The bright squares on the receiver are, in effect, the sears of the Darne action. At right is the actual receiver turned upside down.
Heavier ones can be had, of course, and lighter ones as well in the smaller gauges. The Model V22 has Darne’s standard stock dimensions — 1½” at the comb nose, 2¼” at heel, and a pull of 14¼”-15¼” to the rear and forward triggers. I need a pull of 14¾”, and I like a comb cut to 13⁄8″ or a hair less, hence my special order — it hasn’t arrived yet, unfortunately, so there won’t be any pictures of it here.
The V22 has 27.6″ barrels, and for that reason it hasn’t been as handy as I’d have liked in the woodcock thickets I got into last fall. The one on order will have their 25.6″ tubes, which I think will help in like conditions. On the other hand, managing to get in a few days of pheasant hunting last year, I found the Dame a delight to carry and to shoot. I’d worked up some 2¾ dram loads, using an ounce of 6s, and when I was on ‘em they fell.
That light load produced no bothersome recoil, either, but I had slipped on a Pachmayr rubber pad to lengthen the pull. That doubtless helped. Recoil, it seemed to me, felt about like a 3¼-1¼ load would in a gun of 7–7½ pounds.
Stoeger marketed the Darne until recently — and they may still have some on hand — but now there’s a new importer — Firearms Center, Inc., 113 Spokane, Victoria, TX 77901. They’ll have basic models in stock, they say, but any of the many grades may be ordered. FCI hasn’t established firm prices, so far, but they are selling the Darnes on the company’s standard 5-year warranty. How can you go wrong?
Area law enforcement officials are keeping close tabs on the developments in Madison regarding the concealed weapons legislation that, if enacted, would allow individuals to carry firearms without a permit or any training.
The legislation, which was approved by the state Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, has provoked a variety of reactions throughout Milwaukee and Waukesha counties from top brass. Some favor the legislation on a constitutional basis, while others oppose it on the grounds of safety.
“My opinion is that as our society got so bad that the only way that we are going to feel safe is that everyone has got to have guns to deter more crime,” he said. “I think that is a travesty and we all bear the blame for that.”
Lenient gun laws along with the sheer amount of guns available have exasperated the issue, Weber said. “Now the only way we feel safe is for everyone has one,” he added.
On the other end of the spectrum is Waukesha County Sheriff Daniel Trawicki, who believes the legislation helps uphold the constitutional right to bear arms.
“I am definitely in favor of conceal carry,” Trawicki said. “I think it is ridiculous that we can’t trust law-abiding citizens to carry guns.”
Looking to go armed, but are stuck in the weeds as to what to arm yourself with? Here are 20 of the best concealed carry gun options that will keep you on the defensive.
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