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.
The author reviews the Stoeger Double Defense, a double-barrel shotgun that puts a 21st-century spin on the coach gun concept.
When I was a young Army Lieutenant graduating Officer Basic Course, one of the instructors made a speech in which he outlined some of his sage combat advice earned during the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Among his battlefield tenets, he said: “If someone needs to be shot, shoot them twice.”
We imagine some other gunfighter from centuries previous had the same idea, manifesting this credo in the form of the double-barreled shotgun. While various manner of double-guns can be found across the world and across time, it’s most solidly cemented in the American lexicon. The quintessential coach gun of the Western frontier, from when both justice and power—not always the same thing—spilled from the muzzle of black powder double-barrels like so much lead shot.
The Double Defense uses a tried-and-true break action, adorned with modern enhancements.
Since then, the coach gun has been eclipsed by a number of other firearms as the go-to defender of households and horseless carriages. It could be rightly argued that there are more practical and technologically advanced firearms for the purposes of self-defense. Short-barreled rifles, pistol-caliber carbines, tricked-out handguns, and even suppressed PDWs in messenger bags are all able to defend your life and loved ones as quickly as you can align the sights. But there’s also a lot to be said for things that “ain’t broke,” as the saying goes. Despite all of the competing advancements, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with relying on a double-barreled shotgun, and as Stoeger has proven, the template isn’t immune to being dragged into the 21st century.
Their Double Defense shotguns—available in both over-under and side-by-side configurations—aren’t new guns. But they bring some distinctly modern enhancements to an otherwise timeless firearm. For that, we felt this diamond-in-the-rough was worth a closer look.
Old And New
The format of the Stoeger itself is unaltered from what you know and love about double guns. Our test gun is of the side-by-side variety and laid out exactly as you’d expect. Two 20-inch smoothbore barrels, 2-¾ inch chambers and fixed improved-cylinder chokes are run by a single trigger. The safety is a tang-mounted slider switch that resets every time you close the action. Both versions of the Double Defense are available in 12- or 20-gauge.
We chose the more petite 20-gauge for a couple of reasons. First, we believe that 20-gauge is highly under-discussed as a home defense option. It offers significantly less recoil than 12-gauge, particularly in a locked-breech gun like a double-barrel, with ammunition being mostly readily available and less prone to panic shortages. There are some drawbacks specific to using this gauge as a defensive option, which we’ll discuss below. Secondly, the 20-gauge Double Defense is also incredibly handy at only 6.4 pounds, with most of that weight coming from the black-finished walnut furniture, balancing the gun toward the shoulder instead of the muzzle.
From there, Stoeger went to work on modernizing this Wild West icon. They replaced the bead front sight with a bright green fiber optic, ported both barrels in a similar fashion to what you might get from custom shops like Vang Comp, and added not one but two sections of Picatinny rail. One runs along the top just in front of the action, and a second one underneath out by the muzzle—ostensibly for an optic and weapon light, respectively. Both are removable in the event you don’t need the rail-estate.
Since we wanted to take full advantage of these updates, we decided to adorn the Double Defense with appropriate gadgets after putting some rounds through it in stock configuration. For sighting, we added a Holosun AEMS CORE red dot in an American Defense Manufacturing low mount. The AEMS CORE is a stripped-down version of the more expensive AEMS, lacking the multi-reticle system and solar failsafe cell of the standard AEMS but retaining the same large window and rugged aluminum housing. The bright, crisp 2 MOA dot of the CORE makes an excellent electronic replacement for the bead or fiber optic front sight.
For lighting, we bolted on a Crimson Trace CWL-202. This is a 2-cell, CR123-powered, 900 lumen weapon light that ships with both M-LOK and Picatinny rail mounts along with two tail caps—one for clicky push button activation, the other with a tape switch. The tape switch comes with a hook-and-loop strap on the wire to secure it, but we doubled-down on locking it in place on the gun with a couple of turns of tape as well. The reflector throws a wide beam, and the hot spot isn’t particularly strong, making it a great choice for shotgun work in close quarters.
A Crimson Trace light and Holosun optic round out the upgrade package.
Shell Selection
Before we get into the specifics of how the Double Defense performed on the range, we wanted to get some subject matter expertise on these guns, along with shopping for defensive ammo. So we spoke with Matt Haught of SymTac consulting. Haught and his father, Rob, are arguably two of the preeminent SMEs in our industry on practical use of the self-defense shotgun. In terms of load selection, Haught had this to say:
20-gauge kind of sucks for HD loads, in general. I’ve been fruitlessly searching for good buckshot for a long time now. Most of what I’ve seen is either #4 or #3 buck, and I consider both of those just a bit too small to really be useful (they generally won’t quite meet FBI spec in gel through four-layer denim, for instance, or if they do, it’ll only be at very close ranges). Currently, I lean toward some Rio 9-pellet #1 buck for my own use if I had to. Good enough for across-the-room distances, but I wouldn’t want to try a shot across the yard or down my driveway with it. I just picked up some Winchester Defender #3 buck loads but haven’t had a chance to test them yet to see if the plated pellets increase penetration sufficiently, or if the buffering and plating help tighten patterns up to acceptable levels. I also have some S&B #2 buck loads sitting in storage that need testing.
Unfortunately, we were only able to test two loads out of the Double Defense. One was a Turkish load, made by Sterling and imported by Global Ordnance, loaded with 7/8-ounce of #8 shot, and the other a defense load from Barnes Defense, with 17 pellets of #3 Buck, which translates to .25-caliber pellets. The box is marked “33 percent reduction in recoil” with a muzzle velocity of 1,140 fps. The Barnes load was up first, which we patterned at 5, 10 and 15 yards. At 5 yards we got a nice tight group about 6 inches across with all the pellets in a dense, centered cloud. At 10, the group size just about doubled—still acceptable for putting all rounds inside on a man-sized target. But moving out to 15, the group size expanded to almost 18 inches across. This echoes Haught’s sentiment above about 20-gauge being good across a room, but less so down a driveway. Each time we opened the action, the rim of the shells popped up about a half-inch, just enough to pluck them cleanly out of the chamber and reload.
Then, we tested the Sterling birdshot load. The first two rounds ran fine. We reloaded two more, fired them, then opened the action and the brass rims only ejected a couple of millimeters. We attempted to use a knife, then a flathead screwdriver, and then more tools to pry them out further so we could extract them from the gun.
Long story short, the gun was dead-lined until we could get home and yank the stuck shells out with vice grips. It should be noted that both chambers were lubed prior to test-firing, and we didn’t experience any ejection problems with the Barnes shells. But with the Turkish Sterling, we only got four shells through our test gun before it jammed up so severely we had to halt range testing. Take from that what you will. It’s fair to note that shotgun ammo, as a product class, is notoriously prone to wide tolerance margins and inconsistent standardization. Having said that, we had much higher hopes for our test gun.
Spent Shells
Continuing our discussion with Haught, he had the following to say about the use of 20-gauge shotguns in general:
If you look at the payload mass and velocity, 20-gauge shells generally are identical to low-recoil 12-gauge shells. Given the average 20-gauge shotgun is a pound or two lighter than the equivalent 12-gauge model, this means you pay a recoil penalty with 20-gauge. I love the light, handy nature of 20-gauge guns and I find smaller-statured shooters fatigue less over a day’s training with one, as long as they can get on top of recoil mitigation quickly.
This echoes exactly why we like the 20 as a quick-handling, easy-to-maneuver home defense or truck gun for unexpected close encounters of the violent kind. For this gun in particular, we were reminded of a valuable lesson: Regardless of what gun you use, it’s imperative to test it thoroughly with both your defensive and primary training ammo.
The Crimson Trace light comes with a tape-switch that includes hook-and-loop straps.
In general terms, both 20-gauge and coach guns as a whole remain time-tested and viable options for defensive use. Besides, if there’s ever a problem, you can walk out on the balcony with this double-barreled shotgun and fire two blasts outside the house. The President said so.
Stoeger Double Defense Specs And Accessories:
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the November 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Stag Arms is branching out into bolt-actions with the release of the Pursuit bolt-action rifle series.
Stag Arms is a company known for its precision ARs, but now it’s expanding into bolt-action rifles with the release of the Pursuit series. Initially available in nine configurations, Stag Arms promises that the rifle will elevate your shooting experience regardless of your pursuit, whether that be hunting, competing or anything else.
Based on the Remington 700 Short Action platform, Stag Arms Pursuit rifles are being offered in .308 Winchester with an 18-inch barrel, 6.5 Creedmoor with a 20-inch barrel and 6.5 PRC with a 22-inch barrel. Regardless of your preferred chambering, all models feature sporter fluted 416 stainless steel barrels and are sub-MOA guaranteed when using match ammunition. To further aid in accuracy, all models also ship with an adjustable single-stage TriggerTech Primary trigger.
As for the Stag Arms Pursuit rifles’ furniture, it’s a 3-piece chassis system that’s available in three colors including black, tan and OD green. The stock’s length of pull and cheek riser height are adjustable, and the stock can be quickly removed without tools for transport or storage. Throughout the rifle you will also find a 20-MOA biased rail on the action for mounting an optic, integrated QD cups, a Picatinny spigot, an attachable bag rider and a threaded muzzle. The guns are also AICS/AWS compatible, and each will ship with a Magpul magazine as well as a ½ Arca Swiss plate.
All nine variants of the Stag Arms Pursuit rifle are available now and have an MSRP of $1,899.99.
The author discusses rescue knives, blades purpose-built with materials and features meant to aid people in need.
Rescue knives are an integral part of first responders’ most important gear. They serve as multi-purpose cutting tools like other knives and are heavily relied upon during various rescue operations. Let’s look at the latest rescue knives available on the market.
All photos by Marty Stanfield.
Emerson Knives took its existing SARK (Search and Rescue Knife) folder, adapting it to the U.S. Navy’s specifications, and thus the NSAR (Navy Search and Rescue) was born. The 3.5-inch 154CM hawkbill-style blade features a blunt tip and a recessed cutting hook ground into the spine. Other features include an integral thumb rest and Emerson’s signature Wave remote opener designed to catch on the hem of a pants pocket and pull the folding blade open as the knife is withdrawn.
The ergonomic G-10 handle showcases an integral front hand guard, palm swell in the middle, and grooves at the thumb rest and rear positions to provide a non-slip grip in any condition. At a little over 8 inches long, the NSAR is a knife that can handle many emergency cutting tasks. A steel pocket clip secures the folder tip-up in the pocket, a configuration that works well with the Wave remote opener. An optional ambidextrous thumb disk deploys the blade more traditionally.
One of the things I like is the hawkbill blade with a reverse curve that gathers material as it cuts. Customers have a choice of a plain or partially serrated blade, the latter ideal for cutting through tough, fibrous materials. The blunt tip makes it easy to work around accident victims without fear of further injury.
In my tests, the recessed hook worked well, cutting anything that would gather inside its curved diameter. The flat-ground blade is sharpened on one side only like a chisel grind, yielding a keen and easy-to-hone edge. At the local scrapyard where I conducted real-life tests, the NSAR ripped through materials with ease, including seatbelts. It is a major league rescue tool in terms of design, construction and function. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for the Emerson NSAR is $299.95.
Anchoring the budget end of the spectrum is the Byrd Cara Cara Rescue 2. A value brand belonging to Spyderco, Byrd knives incorporate the same innovation and style of construction as more expensive Spyderco models, but with different materials that yield amazing value. Most folding rescue knives are on the high end of the price spectrum, placing them out of reach financially to many front-line blue-collar workers.
Measuring 3.9 inches long, the Cara Cara Rescue 2 blade is ground from 8Cr13MoV stainless steel and sports a fully serrated edge that munches through fibrous materials. The comet-shaped hole in the blade permits ease of one-handed opening and provides a more secure thumb purchase than a standard round hole, especially when wearing gloves.
Blunt Point Prevents Punctures
The blunt point of the sheepsfoot blade prevents accidental punctures during use. The fiberglass-reinforced nylon (FRN) handle promotes a comfortable, non-slip grip thanks to the unique bi-directional texturing along with grooving, or jimping, on the handle spine. The handle feels solid and showcases dual nested steel liners and screw-together construction. A four-way pocket clip allows the user to select from left- or right-handed, tip-up or tip-down carry. Once open, the blade locks into place solidly. The mid-handle placement of the lock release itself makes it possible to unlock the blade and close it using one hand.
I noticed the handle’s lack of significant chamfering and contouring. Less machining is necessary with a moldable FRN handle, translating into a lower price point. Yes, the Byrd Cara Cara Rescue 2 can feel a bit blocky in hand, but the straightforward design results in a secure grip and a knife that is easy to manipulate when wearing thick gloves typical to a first responder.
Spyderco engineers some of the finest fully serrated folding knives on the market, with the Byrd Cara Cara Rescue 2 being one of them. The blade easily eats through the toughest materials—cardboard, seatbelts and thick tie-down straps being no match. The comfortable, ergonomic handle rests securely in the palm to instill user confidence. Comfortable to carry in a pants pocket or inner waistband, the thin profile doesn’t add bulk, yet feels good in the grip.
The 8Cr13MoV steel is a Chinese equivalent to Japanese AUS-8, a good mid-range alloy that balances edge holding with ease of maintenance and cost. To those looking for a quality rescue knife on a budget, the Byrd Cara Cara Rescue 2 is the answer. With an MSRP of $53, it is made in China to Spyderco’s exacting specifications.
When it comes to high-end rescue knives, the Benchmade Auto Triage 9170SBK is a serious piece in any emergency kit. A member of Benchmade’s Black Class line of professional rescue and tactical knives, the Auto Triage packs a bunch of innovations into one comprehensive tool. The 3.5-inch Bohler N680 stainless modified drop-point blade sports a partially serrated edge for cutting versatility. Benchmade’s dual-purpose Auto Axis Lock secures the blade open and seconds as a blade release for the auto-opening folder. Pulling back on the lock release opens the blade automatically.
The heavy-duty Benchmade Auto Triage integrates features that allow it to double as a rescue folder and a versatile work knife. The partially serrated, modified clip-point blade can handle any utility cutting chore.
The Auto Triage rests securely in the hand and is easy to operate and completely ambidextrous. An ergonomic handle is constructed of T6-6061 aluminum with a Type III hard-coat black anodized finish. Black G-10 handle inlays provide additional hand purchase, and the grip also features a safety cutting hook for seatbelts and clothing. Pulling back on the lock release button close to the rear of the handle activates the cutting hook that is otherwise tucked away until needed. This is the only cutting hook on the market that is automatically deployed.
The cutting hook of the Benchmade Auto Triage is the only such tool on the market deployed automatically. An effective cutter, the hook deploys instantaneously in high-stress rescue operations.
At first blush, I thought the automatic cutting hook might be overkill, but in considering the thick gloves first responders wear, combined with the stress and adrenaline rush of being in the moment, having an auto-deploying hook makes total sense. The pull-down release works well with gloved hands as opposed to fumbling around while attempting to use a manual rescue hook. A deep-carry pocket clip allows tip-up right-hand carry and a carbide glass breaker at the end of the handle shatters car and other windows with ease.
Overbuilt Handle
Right off the bat, from the build of the handle, users can see the Auto Triage is a stout knife easily manipulated wearing gloves. While it might feel blocky in hand, when gripping the handle with gloves, one becomes aware of its presence and the knife feels secure. Because there is a secondary cutting hook to manage seatbelts and clothing, the main blade is designed with a sharpened tip. The true rescue tool that it is, Benchmade’s Auto Triage is every bit as much a working folder for general cutting tasks.
The semi-serrated, modified clip-point blade of the Benchmade Auto Triage rescue folder can handle any utility cutting task.
Partial edge serrations on the modified drop-point blade easily power through stubborn materials. The flat grind of the blade is another aspect of its exceptional cutting performance, with a thin but strong edge that sails through cutting media with little effort. The Auto Axis Lock release is intuitive and truly ambidextrous, allowing for quick and easy blade release with either hand. It is especially crucial in emergencies for professionals who use whatever hand is available to deploy the blade or cutting hook.
The vanadium and nitrogen inherent to the N680 steel help boost its anti-corrosion properties. The cutting hook works quickly, gathering material as it cuts and slices through seatbelts as easily as pulling a zipper. The keen hook bites into webbing and clothing with little effort and a sliding switch safety on the main blade prevents the Auto Axis Lock from inadvertently deploying the blade. Located on the handle spine just behind the lock release buttons, the sliding safety switch is easily accessed.
Overall, the Benchmade Auto Triage 9170SBK is a professional, high-quality tool that feels great and secure in the hand and doubles as a general-use folding knife, which further makes it that much more attractive. The Auto Triage isn’t a single-purpose tool like other rescue knives. With an MSRP of $350, the Benchmade Auto Triage is a high-end rescue tool.
Leatherman Tool Group, the company that pioneered pliers-based multi-tools, takes a different approach to a rescue tool in the form of its Raptor Rescue Shears. Modeled after high-leverage emergency medical technician (EMT) trauma shears, the Raptor Rescue incorporates several features that make it a unique rescue tool.
The Leatherman Raptor Rescue Shears is a unique tool that can cover a wide range of lifesaving tasks and has advantages over a rescue knife.
The Raptor Rescue features several of the most used implements for removing clothing from rescue victims. For starters, the blades of the main shears are each over 1/8-inch thick, and sport super sharp cutting edges. This tool quickly cuts through thick material like nylon webbing and jeans. The full-size handle’s finger loops accommodate gloved hands and folding the Raptor Rescue allows easy access and employment of the tools and other built-in functions.
Such tools and functions include a carbide glass breaker for shattering side windows of vehicles, a fold-out cutting hook for seatbelts and other fibrous materials, and an oxygen bottle wrench. There’s even a built-in wire cutter behind the pivot of the shears, taking advantage of leverage at that location. The Leatherman Raptor Rescue folds into a compact, easy-to-carry package. The handle halves fold onto themselves, and there’s an ingenious lock on each handle that prevents the tool grips from folding up while in use.
The heavy-duty plastic holster accompanying the Raptor is designed to keep the tool close at hand until it is needed and does so in one of two positions. First, when the tool is folded, the Raptor slides into the holster and is secured by a pocket clip fastened over the lip of the sheath. A second carry option is with the handles fully open. The blade inserts through a specially shaped hole in the bottom of the sheath, and the shears are locked into place inside the holster for carrying the Raptor in the open position and secured with a locking tab. This method is the most ideal, as one doesn’t have to fiddle with opening the handles. Just grab the shears and go.
Leatherman’s Raptor Rescue Shears is an effective emergency tool built around a full-size pair of EMT shears. The heavy-duty shears can take on tough tasks like cutting up this thick hose. The bottom blade is serrated, which helps to hold the cutting medium.
Speaking of being on the go, the MSRP of the Leatherman Raptor is $89.95 in case you want to take one home with you.
Tactical And Rescue Knives
Hogue Knives is a major player in the tactical and rescue knife market. The company designed its Trauma First Response Tool from the ground up as a full-service rescue knife that has all the tools any first responder could need on a call. The Trauma is offered in a choice of a sheepsfoot blade or an opposing-bevel blunt-tip configuration. For this article, Hogue sent the opposing-bevel blade with a partially serrated edge and an orange G-10 handle.
Blade serrations on the Hogue Trauma First Response Tool (top) aggressively eat through fibrous materials, while the Leatherman Raptor Rescue Shears (bottom) quickly cuts through thick media like nylon webbing and jeans.
The Bohler N680 blade is corrosion resistant with additional nitrogen added to the alloy mix. The opposing-bevel grind of the 3.4-inch blade gives it additional strength in the cross-section, and a blunt tip helps greatly reduce injury to accident victims while cutting seatbelts and clothing. Dual thumb studs permit it to be easily opened with either hand, and the blade is secured open by Hogue’s ABLE Lock, a truly ambidextrous crossbar design that is strong and safe.
The highly visible, ergonomic orange G-10 handle integrates dual stainless liners for strength, and a large finger groove helps index the user’s grip. The thumb rest area of the handle spine has traction notches for a non-slip grip. The handle also incorporates a few important tools that are handy for rescue personnel. First, there is a fold-out cutting hook for performing pull-cuts through seatbelt webbing and clothing as easily as pulling a zipper. A single thumb stud deploys the cutting hook easily, and though a detent secures the hook in the open position, unlike the Benchmade Auto Triage, it doesn’t fully lock open.
There’s also an oxygen bottle wrench incorporated into the left side of the handle, and the final tool on board is a carbide glass breaker in the handle spacer. The glass breaker easily shatters vehicle side windows. Hogue offers two convenient carry options for the Trauma—a deep-carry, tip-up pocket clip and a sturdy ballistic nylon belt sheath.
The Hogue Trauma First Response Tool has a rescue hook that folds out manually from the rear of the handle to provide quick cutting of seatbelts and clothing.
The Trauma’s cutting performance is top-notch, with the partially serrated blade easily zipping through tough materials. The plain edge portion of the blade is sharpened on one side only, making it easier to maintain. Being a rescue tool, not a working utility knife, edge dings are not a primary concern. The straight-line edge makes the blade perform like a sheepsfoot model, and the serrations aggressively eat through fibrous materials. The cutting hook works nearly as well as the Benchmade Auto Triage, but as noted, does not lock open. This could be a slight inconvenience so long as the user does not lift it accidentally when employing the hook. Any cutting media is easily severed inside the hook. While using the knife with gloved hands is a cinch, accessing the hook can be a bit deliberate, as one needs to open it with the thumb.
I particularly like the look of an orange handle with a black blade. While orange makes the knife stand out, the Trauma is also available in a black G-10 handle. The MSRP for the Hogue Trauma tested here is $199.99.
Do pistols chambered for 5.7x28mm cut it for everyday carry? Yes and no and … maybe.
Back in 1990, NATO wanted a special firearm … a personal defense weapon (PDW). This PDW was to be the modern equivalent of the M1 Carbine. Unlike the carbine, however, they wanted something that’d penetrate the soon-to-be-issued Soviet “superarmor”, something that all Warsaw Pact troops would soon be wearing when they swarmed across the Iron Curtain.
The 5.7x28mm came to us in the P90, an SMG-sized firearm familiar to all fans of the Stargate TV show. Its companion, the PS90, came with a 16-inch barrel and no selector switch. In due time, FN offered a 5.7x28mm option in the FiveseveN, a pistol chambered in the cartridge. The ammunition, however, wasn’t the anti-Soviet loading that NATO could get, but various FMJ and polymer-tipped bullets that could be had here.
All three 5.7 pistols discussed here can have a red-dot optic mounted, if you wish. Here, the FN gets some range time.
So, the question is: Is the 5.7 a suitable option as an EDC firearm and chambering? Quick answer: Yes … and no.
Pistol Potential
OK, first up are the pistols. For the longest time, we’ve had just the FN version, the FiveseveN, which is pretty marvelous. Holding 20 rounds of 5.7x28mm ammunition, and with magazine extensions adding 10 rounds available, you can have a full box of ammo plus one, in the pistol and on your belt, with just two magazines. Then, Ruger added theirs, and just recently S&W unveiled a pistol in 5.7 as well.
So, you have choices.
FN Five-SeveN Centerfire Pistol (left), Ruger-5.7 Centerfire Pistol (middle) and Smith & Wesson M&P 5.7 Centerfire Pistol (right).
Oh, and if it matters, the S&W comes standard with an extended and threaded barrel, so you can mount a suppressor, if you want to, for more giggle-worthy range practice. Plus, the S&W magazine holds 22 rounds, but you’ll have to use the included magazine loader to get it stuffed full. The FN version differs from what we expect in a pistol in that the safety is not thumb-operated, but instead a lever on the frame located for your trigger finger. Both the Ruger and S&W have a safety (ambi) in the expected thumb-actuated location. Still, you can learn the FN safety location.
But there’s a bigger problem with the 5.7 as a defensive pistol: size.
The 5.7 cartridge is long. At 1.59 inches, it’s longer than a .45 ACP or .38 Super, which means fitting it into a magazine, and the magazine into a frame, makes for a larger pistol than “normal.” And then you double-stack it to gain capacity, resulting in a full-sized-plus pistol. The thinness of the cartridge does mitigate the double-stack fattening of the grip, but not enough to make it not big. There’s no getting around it—you’re going to be packing something as big as a 1911 government model, and then some.
The 5.7 is long, longer than standard pistol cartridges. Here, you can see some standard (and not-so-standard) 5.7 loads, compared to 9mm, .40 and .45.
If you can get your hand or hands around the frame to hold and shoot it, then great. But if you can’t, it doesn’t matter if it’s the hammer of Thor—you can’t. This does limit the 5.7 to those with large-enough hands who are willing to dress around the gun. We all have to dress around the gun, but the various 5.7 pistols make that a greater task. In the past, I’ve mentioned the various 5.7x28mm pistols as an option for those who aren’t keen on recoil, but (I’m pretty sure) I’ve always been clear: You’ve got to have hands big enough.
Dollar For Dollar
Next up is the cost of ammunition. It isn’t too difficult these days to find practice ammo for a 9mm pistol at $12 for a box of 50 rounds. Granted, the better defensive ammo is going to cost more, but a box of 50 Gold Dots, for example, that runs you $30 will last you for years as carry ammo. But to practice you need to shoot, and shooting means it’s consumed. For that, $12 a box is a better deal, and it leads to more practice.
In the 5.7, practice ammo is going to run you as much as the premium defensive 9mm does—or darned close to it. The lowest-cost 40-grain FMJ I could source was $29 per box, and it went up quickly from there. And, you don’t have the option of reloading to lower practice costs. The case is a bottlenecked one, not always a problem, but while the S&W is a rotating barrel, the Ruger and the FN are both a short-distance blowback design, so case shoulders are blown forward when fired in those pistols. As a result, case life is thus short, and loading data is sparse or vague. There are a host of other problems as well. The quick answer is: No savings here.
FN was first with the FivseveN. While it’s a great pistol, it’s also the most expensive of the trio.
Oh, and while we’re on the subject of cost, the prices have quite the spread. The FN lists at $ 1,409, the S&W at $699 and the Ruger at $899. In an age of a host of 9mm pistols listing for $425 to $450, those aren’t inconsequential price bumps.
Punching Above Its Weight
How about ballistics? Detractors diss the 5.7x28mm as “being an expensive .22 Magnum,” but that’s not true. The little rimfire has its published ballistics rifle velocities, and using it in a pistol chops a bunch of fps off of those figures. Out of a pistol, the .22 WMR delivers around 1,200 fps or a bit more, with a 45-grain bullet. The 5.7 can accelerate a 40-grain bullet to 1,700 to 1,800 fps, which is a significant difference.
Field reports on the 5.7 aren’t extensive. It hasn’t received anything like the acceptance of the .40 back in the early 1990s, nor the adoption of the latest-generation 9mm JHPs that we can mine for a trove of data. However, there’s one incident we can turn to—the use of a 5.7 at Fort Hood. There, 45 people were shot, 13 of whom died.
The interesting (from a ballistics viewpoint, otherwise it was horrible) aspects of the incident was that, despite all the victims being young, fit and motivated, none were able to close the distance to the shooter. In fact, the 5.7, when it struck bone, broke bones, which isn’t always something a pistol cartridge can do. As I’ve mentioned before, when a “lowly” .22 strikes the femur and breaks it, there’s something going on here we can’t necessarily explain with the various ballistic theories I’ve read. Ballistically, the 5.7 seems to punch well above its weight.
Accuracy Excel, Recoil Is Pleasant
The impressive ballistics delivered don’t come at a cost in apparent recoil. While the 5.7 in any pistol is going to be a bit “bouncy” in recoil, it doesn’t beat you up like others do. A +P load in a .45 ACP is definitely a workout to shoot. A top-end 9mm, or a +P load, while not as hard-hitting on your hands, has more bark to it, and some people find the noise more of a problem than the recoil. Some loadings of the 5.7 are snappy in noise, but none are what you’d call hard to shoot, recoil-wise.
The 5.7 doesn’t have much in the way of felt recoil, so you can shoot fast and accurately. You just must have hands big enough to reach around the grip.
In recoil, momentum seems to be a better yardstick of the impression in your hands than kinetic energy is, so we’ll use the power factor (PF) calculation here (weight times velocity). So, a vanilla-plain 9mm load (115 grains at 1,150 fps) posts a 132 PF, while an average .45 hardball load posts a 190 PF. (The top-end loads of each are considerably higher in PF.)
The 5.7? With a 40-grain bullet traveling at 1,900 fps, you’d have an 85.5 PF. So, that’s soft recoil, if you can get your hands around it.
As far as accuracy is concerned, the 5.7 is no slouch. The ammunition—and the pistols—will be more accurate than just about any shooter out there. And all can be had now with mountings for red-dot optics, so you aren’t giving that choice up.
And The Verdict Is?
So, where are we, as far as EDC for the 5.7x28mm?
We’ve got a large pistol, and for that you’ll need proper leather (or Kydex) to carry it and not be noticed. All three options weigh a few ounces less than a G17 and a half-pound less than the weight of a lightweight commander—just a bit more than half the weight of a steel government model. If you’re carrying a spare magazine (and you really ought to), you’ll have one as big as one-plus of a G17 mag or two 1911 magazines. And that’s even before you take advantage of the extra capacity extensions.
The S&W 5.7 magazine holds 22 rounds, which could be very comforting in an emergency.
I gave up on packing a full-sized government model back when Reagan was president, in favor of a more-compact, lightweight commander. I’m not sure I’d go back to that size, even for the capacity of the 5.7.
But I’m old, cranky … and like my comfort.
To sum things up: If you can hide the size and get your hands around the grip, the 5.7 offerings can be very attractive. For a lot of shooters, those are both big hurdles to overcome. And practice will be expensive, because you can’t cut costs by reloading.
But, as I’ve said many times before: This is America, and you have choices.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the 2023 EDC special issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
The author tests out fast draws, hip shooting and point shooting to demonstrate the value of using your defensive handgun’s sights.
Through Western lore and Hollywood, the quick draw has been promoted as the default approach to gunfighting. There’s no doubt being able to swiftly draw your handgun can be an asset if you have to shoot fast to save your life. But because your trigger finger sometimes decides to operate independently of your brain, and because humans have a propensity for doing stupid sh*t, attempting to draw and shoot a handgun as fast as absolutely possible can lead to a bullet hole in your ass cheek, thigh or foot. If you’re exercising appendix carry, a negligent early/discharge might best be described as a catastrophe.
So, this column comes with a warning: Trying to draw and fire a pistol as fast as possible can be dangerous.
The quick draw, combined with hip shooting, is a very fast way to engage a threat. It’s also very difficult to get good hits when using this technique.
If you carry a concealed handgun, you should practice your draw stroke, and you should work toward making it smooth and speedy. Your goal is to get the handgun out of the holster and deliver an accurate shot on target—fast. There’s a lot of gibberish about fast draws, hip shooting, point shooting and the value of using sights, and I wanted to conduct a test to see how they actually compared to each other when I’m the one doing the shooting. Now keep in mind, I’m not Jerry Miculek, so my performance will not amaze or impress you.
Shooting With Sights
To start, I placed a silhouette target with a 2.5-inch kill zone at 5 yards. Using my PACT shot timer, on signal I drew the handgun, raised it up in front of my face, found the sights and pressed the trigger as fast as I could. My average time for the draw and a single shot was 1.27 seconds. I hit the silhouette 100 percent of the time, and my shots landed in the kill zone 40 percent of the time. The resulting 10-shot group measured 10.5 inches. Admittedly, I yanked the hell out of the trigger twice, and one shot got away from me a bit early.
Testing yourself with a shot timer can tell you how fast you can get your hits when employing different shooting techniques. You might want to try it.
Point Shooting
I don’t need sights to hit a silhouette target at 5 yards, so I ran this drill again using a 5-inch kill zone to see how much faster I was when point shooting, and to see how much my accuracy would suffer. Instead of finding the sights, I just brought the pistol up in front of my face, shoved it toward the target and pressed the trigger—I probably yanked the trigger about half the time. I hit the target 10 out of 10 times, but only hit the kill zone once, and my average time was 1.11 seconds—12 percent faster than when using the sights. Interestingly, the size of the 10-shot group was only ½-inch larger than the group created by the 10 shots fired with sighted fire.
Hip Shooting
Then, I went Western. I wanted to see how much faster it would be to draw and shoot from the hip like the TV cowboys and gangsters do. By not having to raise the pistol to eye level, I should’ve been able to cut some time off the engagement, and I did. My average time was 0.92 second—17 percent faster than point shooting and 27 percent faster than when using the sights. But this time I used an 8-inch kill zone and never hit it. In fact, I only hit the silhouette 8 out of 10 times.
So, what did I learn? Well, at 5 yards, if all I care about is hitting a silhouette, I can do it just as well by point shooting as I can if I use the sights. I also learned that, if I’m going to try to do any hip shooting, I need to dedicate some time to practicing that art.
These targets show the results—with times—for all 10 shots fired with the sights, by point shooting, and by hip shooting.
Sending Multiple Rounds
But all this shooting got me thinking what the difference might be if I was firing multiple shots. Handguns are notoriously poor at stopping a fight, which is why most defensive handgun firearms trainers teach you to engage a target with at least two rounds, or until it’s no longer a threat. Again, at 5 yards, I repeated the exercise … but this time I rapidly fired four shots instead of one using each technique.
My average time for four shots from the hip was 1.80 seconds, with a silhouette hit rate of 80 percent. My average time for point shooting four shots was 1.90 seconds, and for aimed fire it was 1.95 seconds, both with a hit rate of 100 percent. With multiple shots fired, hip shooting was only 5 percent faster than point shooting, and only 7 percent faster than shooting with the sights. I believe the reason for this is partly because, when point shooting and shooting with the sights, you have two hands to help you control recoil, and also partly because most of the shooting many of us do is either point or sighted fire.
Your skill may vary, but what this exercise mostly proves is the slight amount of time you gain by not using the sights or shooting from the hip demonstrably hinders your ability to place your shots accurately. You can believe whatever theory you want when it comes to stopping power, but the most accepted fact is that shot placement matters most—take enough time to aim your pistol and get a good hit.
This mock-up target shows the results of the best attempts at the multi-shot drill with each shooting technique. It’s abundantly clear which method would be best for getting good hits.
Dictating Circumstances
Of course, there are times when point shooting or shooting from the hip might be a better option. If your assailant is nearly within arm’s reach, it’s probably not a good idea to fully extend your pistol, and hip shooting might be the best approach. Similarly, if your target is only about 3 yards distant, depending on your skill level, you might be able to reliably get good enough hits faster by point shooting. There’s only one way to discover any of this—you have to try it.
There’s no question that the quick-draw hip shot is faster, and maybe there were some Western gunslingers who employed it and even regularly practiced it. However, sights on handguns have been around as long as handguns have, and I doubt this was the case unless the action was at breath-smelling distance.
You simply shoot better when you use the sights, and it appears those who live by the gun have known that for a long time. When Bat Masterson ordered his pistols from Colt, he gave them very specific directions about the sights. He wouldn’t have done that if he was not planning on using them.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the 2023 EDC special issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
These days, nearly every handgun comes with a rail, so here are some top pistol light choices to help destroy the night.
There was a time when it simply wasn’t possible to mount a light onto your firearm. Oh, duct tape, hose clamps and an indifference to tactical fashion could get a flashlight attached to your riot gun or AR-15, but people wouldn’t have called you clever for that—not even back in the 1980s.
Now, it’s rare a pistol doesn’t have a rail for light-mounting, and the choice of lights to mount are near legion.
Streamlight TLR-1
To some, basic is boring. To others, it’s dependable. The TLR-1 isn’t new, it’s not flashy, but it works. And has worked for years. Using a pair of CR123 batteries, it generates 300 lumens of light and continues to do so for two and a half hours. If you’re simply playing the numbers game, 300 might not seem like much, but when it came out that was plenty. And it still is in a lot of circumstances and locations. Indoors, in particular, too many lumens can be a problem. If the predominant paint color on your walls at home is Navajo White, you’re not going to need, nor like, 1,000 lumens.
If, however, you do want to have enough lumen horsepower to signal the mothership, then let’s go up in power.
Streamlight TLR-9
Back in the old days, if we wanted lots of lumens, the choice was the TLR-1HL, a high-output light with 1,000 lumens. You can still have it, but a more modern and better choice is the TLR-9. A thousand lumens, but now in a sleeker package. Instead of side-by-side configuration, the “9” loads the CR123 batteries in line, so you don’t have a fat box under your pistol. This does make it a bit long, but if you want 1,000 lumens for an hour and a half, you’ll need a pair of batteries. It has a toggle/rocker switch at the rear you can reach from either side and a light lock-out feature. This lets you make sure the light doesn’t get switched on when you put it away, only to find the batteries dead some time later. (You do have to remember to unlock it when you next go to load up and carry, but Streamlight can’t do everything for you.)
Let’s take a step back and consider not all lighting options need to be focused on power, even if it means bulk.
Streamlight TLR-8
The Streamlight TLR-8 fits on the EAA P35 just fine and works like a charm.
This is a light for compact pistols, but it works on full-sized ones as well. The “8” indicates it’s the light/laser combo, and its companion non-laser model is the TLR-7. It generates 500 lumens and offers a strobe function as well. There are dual buttons on either side of your trigger guard (as mounted), and as with all lights, you’ll have to learn the touch-press-hold pattern that generates the desired function. You have the choice of red or green lasers but not in the same unit. Pick one—that’s the color you get. The TLR-7/8 uses a single battery, the common for lights CR123A battery that’s now an everyday item even in big-box hardware stores.
The Streamlight TLR-8, with its adapter plates and tools I used to install it onto and off various pistols.
One detail of the TLR-8 (and the 7) that I like is that the light comes with a set of adapter plates. You need to install one of the plates in the body of the light and then fit the light to your pistol. This permits Streamlight to make a single shell with light, battery compartment and controls; by installing a plate, you fit it to your pistol. That means they don’t have to stock a dozen inventory items to fit everything, and you can make it fit whatever pistol you have … or the next one … or the next.
The attachment isn’t fast or overly engineered. It’s a simple screw that pulls the clamp plate on the far side tight to the rail. The slot on the screw has been produced to fit a coin, so whatever pocket change you have will suffice to tighten, or check the tightness of, your TLR-8.
Lights last a long time.
Insight X2
Don’t overlook old lights. This Insight X2 may not be blinding, but it’s compact, puts out plenty of light and fits on everything (at least everything I’ve tried it on—and that’s a lot of pistols).
One of my favorite compact lights is the Insight X2, a light/laser combo. The listed light output is only 80 lumens. However, every time I fire it up, I have to ask myself, Who measured that? It punches above its specs. I hang onto it because it hasn’t quit; it’s easy-on, easy-off, fits on everything and produces plenty of light for plenty of applications. Did I mention it fits on everything? If you see an orphan tactical light, don’t pass it up just because it isn’t he newest. New is good, but old can be useful.
To show versatility, a compact light fits onto a full-sized pistol—and works. Don’t worry too much about lumens; get what fits, works and you’re comfortable with.
Money matters, so let’s not break the bank while lighting up the night, shall we?
Crimson Trace Lightguard
The Crimson Trace Lightguard series doesn’t cover a lot of pistols, only nine models, and they’re not going to get you “what SEALs use” points on your man-card, but not everyone wants to light the dark for any reason other than they have a practical need. The Lightguard series fit onto the trigger guard or accessory rail. They offer ambidextrous controls for momentary and constant-on, and the output, at 110 lumens isn’t going to be laser-like; it’ll show you what’s trying to hide in the dark. Each one comes with the batteries it uses, a pair of 1/3N cells (aka CR1/3N) and will run for an hour on those. With a list price of $90, you can have light on your pistol, even if it’s an older model (one of the nine Crimson Trace makes this for) that doesn’t have an accessory rail.
If you have to have the best, the biggest, baddest, most durable light to be had, then we know which aisle to be shopping in.
SureFire X300
The SureFire X300 Turbo fits on a lot of pistols, but boy is it big. Then again, it’s tough, so pick wisely for the pistol you use.
The big daddy of lights—in performance and price—the X300 offers you 1,000 lumens. Now, before we get to gushing over the SureFire light, we again have to consider light. And backgrounds. A thousand lumens is great if you’re checking the exterior of your house, out in the country. (Perhaps a rifle or shotguns might be a better tool …) Indoors, maybe not so much. A thousand lumens, especially if your décor tends toward the lighter colors (or white), can cause a lot of “backsplash.” That’s the excess light you’ve projected out, reflecting off light or bright surfaces and bouncing back into your eyes. Disorienting the bad guy with light is great, but not if you’re doing the same thing to yourself.
The SureFire X300 Turbo fits nicely on this XD-M Elite, but then it’s a big pistol, so a big light isn’t a big deal.
If you have a need for it, and the practice to manage it, the SureFire is king of the hill in pistol lights. It does this with two CR123A batteries, so it’s not as compact as other lights. It offers a quick-attach mount system and can be configured to fit various-sized rails. It’s waterproof to 1 meter for 30 minutes—probably longer than you can hold your breath—and it’s the epitome of solid construction.
The SureFire light uses a quick-detach system that locks in place and is fast, but you might not fit it onto every pistol out there.
The X300 has toggle levers that are easy to use and work the same on each side of the trigger guard. Those of us with longer fingers find that with some mounting setups we can use the support-hand thumb as the light control.
However, in addition to the extra bulk dictated by the dual batter power (which generates its 1,000 lumens for an hour and a quarter), you also pay for this performance in other ways. At 4 ounces in weight, the X300 is heavier than other lights. It has an extended light housing, making the SureFire itself 3 1/2 inches long. And the price is as much as double that of other lights. But if you want a light no one can speak down on, and want buckets of lumens, Surefire is your go-to.
Spot, flood, “hot,” splash, backup and practice.
Beyond The Lumens
There’s more to light than lumens. Ever wonder why some big bulbs are denoted as spotlights and others as floodlights? Think about it. A spotlight is just that, all (or almost all) of the light generated is focused into a tight circle. Add a pile of lumens to that and you have some interesting reach. With a rifle, in the outside and open, that could be good. If I’m in the country and trying to shoot a problem on the farm at night, a spotlight lets me get a good ID when aiming my rifle. If, however, I want to evenly illuminate the yard or enclosure, I use a floodlight. Weaponlights work the same way.
A “hot” center is a combo, a flood of light, but with a brighter center. You can illuminate the edges, but the bright center is the part lighting up your point of impact.
Splash is light that spills out from where you’re pointing your weaponlight. You must check your local laws, because in a lot, if not all of them, pointing a loaded firearm at someone without legal justification is a crime on your part. One or another variation of assault with a deadly weapon is the charge that’ll be listed, if it gets that far. Even if there are no charges filed, it’ll almost certainly be cause for lifting of your CPL, probably on the subject of “brandishing.” So searching while using a weaponlight as the sole tool of illumination is a fraught proposition. However, with training and practice, you can use the splash from your light to illuminate without actually sweeping someone with your muzzle. It’s not always easy, but it can be done.
Oh, and batteries? Stock up. There’s not much more discouraging than hearing something go bump in the night and when you go to see what it is, discover the battery is dead. Buying batteries one at a time is just crazy—buy in bulk. A quick check of batter costs showed me that I could get CR123s one at a time for four or five bucks each, but if I bought them by the dozen or more, they cost just $1.50 each. The bigger the bulk, the lower the unit cost, but even I take a long time to grind through 100 batteries.
We use lights at night, but not a lot of ranges let you shoot with the lights out—nor do gun clubs like night-time practice. So, you’ll be doing a lot of your practice in the daytime. Do it and learn to press the light on for what you need as you’re doing the drill you’re doing while shooting. Practice is practice, even if it’s in the daytime for getting ready for the night.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the November 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Mastering double taps through a proper understanding of hammers and controlled pairs.
It’s thought that the concept of firing two fast shots to stop a threat, also known as a double tap, was first taught by W.E. Fairbairn and E. S. Sykes, around 1944. The history is important but not as important as the logic behind the concept.
Since handguns are notoriously poor at stopping fights, common sense suggests that two hits achieved very quickly are better than one. It should be obvious that two hits will make an attacker bleed more than one hit, and the more an attacker bleeds, the sooner they’re likely to become incapacitated. However, because the effects of bullet wounds are very complex things, it cannot be said with any certainty that two hits are twice as effective.
Were these two shots the result of hammers or a controlled pair? Who knows, but the chances are high this target was double tapped.
Wounding speculation aside, the delivery of two quick shots has evolved into the standard response that’s generally taught by self-defense firearms instructors for law enforcement, military and civilians. Of course, if two is better than one, then three and four shots are better than two, but time on target must be considered. If you’re faced with multiple threats that need to be shot, it wouldn’t be wise to spend too long attempting to neutralize just one of them. Two quick shots at each, with immediate re-evaluation and continued engagement as necessary, makes sense.
But what if there’s only one threat? In that case you could—and probably should—continue to shoot the threat until it’s no longer a threat. This makes perfect sense for the military, but for law enforcement and civilian self-defense application, there might be some difficulty convincing a jury that emptying a 15-round magazine into the perpetrator was an absolute necessity.
This brings us back to the standard response concept: If you obtain two quick hits and the threat still exists, then firing additional rounds seems much more justified.
Subtleties Of The Double Tap
As interesting as the history, legality and common sense associated with the double tap might be, from a training standpoint, the terminology has gotten confusing. According to my friend Sheriff Jim Wilson, when Jeff Cooper was developing the Modern Technique of the Pistol, he incorporated the double tap into the training program.
Ultimately, Cooper redefined the concept with the terms “hammers” and “controlled pair.” Both are examples of two quick shots, but with hammers you only see a sight picture before the first shot. With a controlled pair, you see a sight picture before each shot. The reality is that hammers and a controlled pair are both double taps—the practical difference is how they’re executed.
The primary difference between “hammers” and a “controlled pair” is how you use the sights for the second shot. This is splitting hairs; both are double taps.
For example, using a version of my step-back drill, I recently conducted a test using multiple handguns by firing two quick shots at an 8-inch target—from the holster—at 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 yards. The timed results established my shot cadence at each distance.
For example, my average time between shots at 5 yards was 0.35 second, at 10 yards it was 0.63 second, at 15 yards it was 0.86 second, at 20 yards it was 1.09 seconds and at 25 yards it was 1.38 seconds. Interestingly, each additional 5 yards added—on average—a quarter of a second to my split times.
At 5 yards, I only saw a sight picture before the first shot. At 10 yards it was mostly the same, with what I’d call about a 50 percent sight picture before the second shot. At 15 yards and beyond, the only way I could obtain consistent hits, quickly, was to see a sight picture before each shot.
According to Cooper’s definition, at 5 yards and maybe 10 yards, I was shooting hammers, but beyond 10 yards I was executing a controlled pair. Time matters, but with regard to whether I was executing a hammer or a controlled pair, time isn’t the determining factor … it’s whether I was obtaining a sight picture for each shot I fired.
Simplify Your Shooting
With all the respect due to Cooper, who more than anyone else established the foundation for the application of the defensive handgun, it doesn’t have to be that complicated. Regardless of what you want to call it, it’s the execution of two accurate hits as fast as they can be obtained, and, it’s a double tap! Distance, target size, skill level and the handgun used will determine how many sight pictures a shooter must see, and it will be different for everyone.
Distance and target size dictate the necessity of sights and the shot cadence when executing a double tap.
Let’s just be realistic about what’s expected: If someone tells you to execute a double tap on an 8-inch target at 25 yards using a handgun, unless you’re Jerry Miculek or Bill Jordan—reincarnated—you’re going to have to see a good sight picture for both shots. The fact that you were instructed to conduct a “double tap” simply means you’re shooting two shots as fast as you can get two hits.
Ultimately, with practice, you’ll be able to get two fast hits at ever-increasing distances without having to obtain a sight picture for the second shot. Similarly, at very close distances, you might not even need a sight picture for either shot. At 3 yards, I can easily put two shots inside an 8-inch circle without using the sights at all. However, if you reduce the target size to 4 inches, I have to find the sights to get my hits.
Some say the advantage to hammers is pure speed, but the object with both hammers and a controlled pair is speed. I don’t see the need to complicate the exercise with different definitions when the end goal is the same.
The time it takes you to do that will be different for everyone, as will be the factors that determine how much you need to use your sights to make it happen. As a practitioner of the defensive handgun, your goal must be to emulate the advice of Clint Eastwood’s character Harry Callahan in the movie Dirty Harry: “A man’s got to know his limitations.”
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the December 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
A buyer’s guide for the best budget bolt-action rifle and scope combos currently on the market.
We all like nice things. Luxury cars, posh clothes, fancy cell phones, whatever your vice might be, it’s nice to have the good stuff. But when it comes to rifles, that attitude can get really expensive. And while none of us would turn down a $10,000 Blaser R8, most of us aren’t lining up to pay for one.
For the vast majority of hunters, a cheap rifle will put as much meat in the freezer as an expensive one. And these days, those budget rifles even come with scopes.
But are they any good? We got a whole pile of them to find out.
Out Of The Box And Into The Woods
Before we get into individual reviews, let’s talk about some big-picture things.
First, don’t make your decision based on the MSRP. While MSRP ranges widely among these rifles, prices we’re seeing in stores are much closer. The cost shouldn’t dictate your choice since these are really a lot closer than the MSRP makes you think they are. Check local and online pricing before committing.
Secondly, none of these rifles should be bought and then immediately taken to harvest an animal. You need to check the level of the scope, the torque on the mount and scope rings, zero the rifle and test with your preferred ammo. Some retailers will level, torque and bore sight the rifle for you, but not all, and almost none of them without your asking for them to do it.
Lastly, all of these packages have strengths and weaknesses, all get the job done, and they’re all great values for their price. But they have limitations. Depending on the hunting you want to do, these rifles might not cut it.
Savage Axis II XP & Bushnell Banner 3-9x40mm
For the money, this is a capable rifle. But since it’s the cheapest of the lot—by a large amount—you really need to manage your expectations.
The rifle and scope both feel really cheap. That’s understandable—they are really cheap.
Cycling the action has a distinct sandpaper feel to it that goes away after 100 cycles or so. The bolt feels rough to the touch, with a bolt lift that requires you to power through it. And the scope is a lot less than impressive. Although, shockingly, the Bushnell Banner wasn’t the worst scope of the lot—more on that later.
The Savage’s bolt knob and handle are a one-piece casting, which looks and feels like it belongs on a cheap rifle. Which it is.
The scope does its job; it held zero, it gives you a clear enough picture to see game in the trees, and the adjustments are good enough. But, as the price would lead you to believe, this is about as low on the totem pole as we’d ever go for an acceptable hunting scope.
Bottom line: This is a cheap rifle. Does it work? Yes, it does. Even with the annoying Savage trigger safety blade, action that feels like pot metal, and Walmart scope, the Savage puts rounds where you send them and does it for a scary low price.
This might not seem like a positive review, but considering the price, we don’t hate this rifle. We wouldn’t pick one for a lifelong rifle, but for a beater that fills the freezer or a loaner rifle to introduce your non-hunting friend or family to, it won’t fail you. And that’s what really counts.
It’s a cheap rifle and scope, but it isn’t a bad rifle or scope.
MSRP is $530, but we’ve seen them for about $470 in stores.
Howa Gamepro 2.0 & Nikko-Stirling 4-12x40mm
We really want to love this rifle, and in a way, we do. Having owned and shot a lot of Howa 1500 rifles before, this one’s no different—the 1500 is a great rifle.
For the price, Howa might just deliver a better rifle than anything else on the market. The HACT trigger is almost certainly the best factory two-stage trigger you can get. The action is second only to Tikka, and the overall build quality and precision are outstanding in this price tier.
Even the Hogue stock is amazing—soft, grippy and great to shoot.
The blind magazine isn’t our favorite, but it’s a good, hinged design that works well for a hunting application. It’s also pretty easy to change out if you feel the need.
But then we get to the scope: the Nikko-Stirling 4-12x40mm. As professionals with standards, it’s our unpleasant duty to say there’s basically nothing redeemable about this scope—except that it didn’t break during testing, but we also didn’t set out to abuse any of these packages.
While every other rifle in this review had a scope level to the rifle, the Nikko-Sterling came torqued at a fairly light 18 in-lb, but with the scope off plumb by about 8 degrees. This was clearly noticeable before even looking through the glass.
This probably didn’t happen in shipping, as the scope was undamaged and the coating under the rings didn’t show any wear. Perhaps this slipped through quality control; it was the only gun/scope combination to arrive this way. Once disassembled and fixed, we took it to the range. The results were … unimpressive.
If you can get over the cheesy branding and terrible scope, the Howa is a lot of gun for the money.
The eye box is tiny even at minimum magnification, and at max magnification finding the sweet spot is extremely hard. This is made worse by the way it’s mounted. Unless you have a neck like a giraffe, the scope is too far forward, and once you find it, it’s like looking through a straw. The edges are dark, light transmission poor, and the chromatic abrasion would look amazing if this were a kaleidoscope.
To top it off, the turrets are exposed and really tall, which for a hunting rifle, is simply a bad choice. In fairness, the other scopes in this review aren’t amazing. But they’re definitely big improvements over this one.
Apples to apples, the Howa 1500 is the best rifle in this review, but the Nikko-Stirling scope is unquestionably the worst.
MSRP is $650, but in-store could be around $615.
Savage 110 Apex Hunter XP & Vortex Crossfire II 3-9x40mm
If the Savage Axis II XP were the Maruchan ramen of hunting rifles, the 110 Apex Hunter XP would be Top Ramen. It’s still inexpensive, but it’s a lot better than the bare minimum.
The action is much smoother, the bolt lift feels like a normal rifle, and the stock has checkering all over the place and feels great. Even the butt pad gets a major upgrade and helps dampen a lot of recoil.
The Apex Hunter is a solid choice if you want a combination of components that work well together.
While it still has the same Savage parts we don’t love, namely the trigger safety blade and a bolt release that requires pushing a button while pulling the trigger, those are pretty easy to forgive when you’re looking for a budget combo that works.
Paired with a Vortex Crossfire II 3-9x40mm, this is probably the best scope offered in these combos. They’re decently durable, work well, and you can trust Vortex to take care of any issues that might come up.
The eyebox is a little tight, and the glass isn’t amazing, but for the price, it’s better than what you used to get.
Another big plus is that the scope is mounted via a 1913 rail. Not only does this give you a lot more options in terms of mounting the scope where you need it, but it also makes replacing the scope a lot easier should you decide to do so.
The 110 Apex Hunter XP is a solid rifle. The Vortex Crossfire II is a solid scope. Of the two, the scope is a lot easier to upgrade if you wish to down the road.
MSRP is listed at $710, and the street price we’ve seen is about $650.
Winchester XPR & Vortex Crossfire II 3-9x40mm
This is another combo bundled with the Crossfire II 3-9x40mm, so we won’t waste ink talking about it, since it’s exactly the same scope as the last package.
We haven’t used the current lineup of Winchester rifles very much, so we didn’t know what to expect, but we quickly found that we liked it. A lot.
On opening the box, Winchester wins some points because they include two magazines. We’re fans of that because two is one, and one is none. Nothing sucks more than having to cancel a range or hunting trip because you forgot or broke your only mag. And it wins some points by having a 60-degree bolt throw. The bolt body is extra thick and heavy, and while it isn’t the smoothest bolt to cycle, the weight actually makes it feel pretty nice and is harder to bind up than most of the other bolts here.
Maybe this is a strange comparison, but the thicker bolt kind of feels like the difference between shooting a .45 ACP and a 9mm. The smaller bolts of the other rifles are a hair faster to cycle and take less effort, but the bigger bolt of the XPR feels smoother due to how much mass is moving.
Winchester is really proud of their MOA trigger system. They advertise it as having zero take-up, zero creep and zero overtravel. We have to agree. While a touch heavy, it’s an outstanding single-stage trigger.
Winchester’s XPR has one of the best triggers in the rifles we sampled and feels like a more expensive rifle.
MSRP is $710, but again, the store price is lower at about $650.
Mossberg Patriot Synthetic & Vortex Crossfire II 3-9x40mm
The Vortex Crossfire II 3-9x40mm in this package is pretty common. See above.
The best part of the Mossberg Patriot is the overall aesthetics of the rifle. The fluted bolt, fluted barrel, lightning bolt in the trigger safety … we just really dig it. Mossberg put some effort into the design to make a budget rifle that also looks good, and we appreciate that. While there’s nothing brilliant about the rifle, there’s nothing too bad, either. The bolt is lighter than most others on this list. That makes chambering rounds faster and a little easier, and as much as we dislike trigger safeties on rifles, this one at least looks cool. The bolt lift is on the heavy side, but the bolt knob has a lot of checkering and a nice shape to it. The stock isn’t something to write home about, but it does stock things well enough.
There’s one thing about the Patriot that stands out however, and that’s the trigger. User-adjustable between 2 and 7 pounds, it feels crisp and familiar. We’re fans of this, but your taste might differ.
Mossberg probably isn’t the first manufacturer when you think of the words “hunting rifle,” but they offer a lot of value for your dollar.
MSRP is $631, but most stores seem to have it in stock for about $520.
Ruger American & Vortex Crossfire II 4-12x44mm
Ruger stands out a little by including the 4-12x44mm instead of the 3-9x40mm Crossfire II that seems so common in these packages, and while its glass is the same, we’re not sure the extra magnification really matters. But the extra 4mm of the objective lens makes a noticeable difference in how much light is gathered. The 4-12x44mm version is brighter in the 4 to 9ish range than the 3-9x40mm version. Past that, things get a little darker. But in that sweet spot, this is a better scope.
Ruger’s American line have established themselves as well-made, reliable rifles capable of a surprising degree of accuracy.
Will it be the difference between meat on the table or not? Probably not, but it’s nicer to use.
Ruger also scores points because the scope is mounted on a 1913 Picatinny rail—just like with the Savage 110, this gives you a lot of options for where your scope sits and makes adjusting the rifle to fit you a lot easier.
And they score more points by having a threaded barrel for suppressor use.
Those features are in its favor, but the rest of the rifle is unremarkable. The stock is very plasticky, the grip molding is OK, the bolt is a bit chunky with heavy bolt lift, and the butt pad is about the same as any other butt pad. Between the nicer scope, the 1913 rail and the threaded barrel, the Ruger American earns a place in our Top 3 on this list.
In full disclosure, this was the second Ruger American tested. The first had a chamber issue and needed to go back. From what we’re told, there was a manufacturing change, and the first rifle happened to be one of the unlucky few that got caught in the middle of that change. This second rifle has worked flawlessly.
MSRP feels high at $880, but the store price is much more reasonable at around $700.
Is A Rifle And Scope Combo Worth It?
For the reasons outlined above, none of these combos are really a home run—a couple of standup doubles, but nothing that’ll knock your socks off.
We don’t say that as a bad thing, it just is what it is. When you’re looking at a price point like this, you have to manage your expectations.
For an absolute bare-bones option that you don’t need to really think about, that Savage Axis II is a lot of bang for your buck. If you want something a little nicer as a first hunting rifle, Winchester’s XPR is a great contender. The combo we liked the most is the Ruger American, but the one that delivers the best bang for the buck is the Mossberg Patriot, assuming you don’t want to mount a can.
If you want to press the easy button and just want something you can pick up off a shelf, pay your money and take your chances. But if you want a better long-term experience, you might want to look at getting a rifle, scope, mount, and rings separately.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the December 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
A quick look at 7mm Winchester Short Magnum, the modern, short-action equivalent of the 7mm Rem. Mag.
Introduced in 2001 and intended for ranks of riflemen preferring 7mm cartridges, the 7mm Winchester Short Magnum WSM is crafted from the instantly popular .300 WSM case, necked down to accept .284-inch-diameter bullets. Also, the 7mm WSM shoulder was lengthened by .038 inch to prevent any possibility of chambering in a .270 WSM rifle.
The 7mm Winchester Short Magnum is the modern short-action equivalent of the 7mm Remington Magnum, a cartridge that showed untold numbers of hunters just how effective a flat-shooting, highly efficient .284 cartridge could be for North American and large African plains game. SSK Industries also re-barrels the AR-10 self-loading rifle for 7mm WSM.
At one point, Winchester and Browning offered several chamberings of their rifles in this round, including the M70 Extreme Weather, Featherweight, and Coyote bolt actions. Browning offered the round in several X-Bolt rifles and also the BAR Safari Rifle and BLR Lightweight 81 Takedown. Mossberg also chambered the round in its 4×4 rifle.
General Comments
For efficient and consistent powder burning, the 7mm Winchester Short Magnum continues the short-fat cartridge case geometry Winchester first popularized in the .300 WSM, a benchrest-proven concept for nearly three decades. Omitting a belt on the case, the 7mm WSM headspaces on the shoulder, which should provide for tighter headspacing tolerances and bettered accuracy potential.
Shooters are cautioned never to fire the slightly shorter, physically similar 7mm Remington Short Action Ultra Magnum in .270 WSM- or 7mm WSM-chambered rifles, as the .270 bore is smaller and the headspace would be excessive, leading to possible injury or firearms damage. The WSM line still enjoys moderate appeal, especially the .270 and .300 offerings.
The Anschütz 141 has upheld a steadfast reputation and a commitment to incredible precision.
Some things are timeless classics. One such example is the Parker 61 fountain pen with which I am drafting this article. There are timeless classics in shooting sports as a result of their excellence of design and construction. For many shooters, that includes the Winchester Model 12 pump shotgun, the Colt 1911 .45 Auto and the Ruger 10/22 rimfire autoloader.
All of these are fine firearms, but, to many, the classic firearm is an elegant bolt action made of metal and wood. Possible examples on some people’s lists would be the Winchester Model 70, Remington 700 or Ruger 77.
Rimfire enthusiasts also have classic examples. I remember well the beautiful Winchester Model 75 that a cousin had when we were young. At that time, the Winchester 52 was the elegant rimfire sporter for the connoisseur rimfire shooter. There are some current candidates for classic status, among which are the Ruger 77/22, some of the CZ models and a few others.
The Anschütz 141.
Classics Of A Different Design
The Anschütz name may not be familiar to some shooters, but the company was founded in 1856 by Julius Gottfried Anschütz in Zella-Mehlis, Thurnigia, Germany. After Julius died in 1901, sons Fritz and Otto continued to direct the company. Otto died in 1923, and Fritz and his sons perpetuated the Anschütz name on firearms. After World War II, the company moved to Ulm, and, in 1968, Dieter Anschütz became the fourth generation of the family to head the company until his retirement in 2008.
J. G. Anschütz GmbH & Co. is now headed by Jochen Anschütz and his son, Maximilian. It’s interesting to note that although Anschütz firearms have been available in the U.S. through collaborations, the company has now developed its own importation and distribution facility in Trussville, Alabama.
In the years from 1963 to 1981, Savage had a reciprocity agreement with Anschütz, whereby each marketed the other’s products. As a result, Anschütz models imported here were marked Savage-Anschütz, but the models were identical to those sold elsewhere by Anschütz. In the early 1960s, the big catalog companies sold firearms, but they couldn’t be delivered directly to the buyer.
The cooperation between Savage and Anschütz is evident from the marking on the receiver.
Anschütz is one of the great names in rimfires, and I’ve been privileged to know intimately a fine rimfire sporter for almost 60 years. That rifle is an Anschütz 141 I bought in 1964 from JCPenney for the price of $77.50, and it came as a kit complete with a skinny scope and a cheap case. As I see them for sale now, the going price is usually in the $800 to $1,200 range.
Metal parts on the Anschütz 141 are highly polished and have a nice blue finish. The top of the receiver is stippled to reduce glare when using open sights, and it’s grooved to accept clamp-on scope mounts. Like a nice sporting rimfire should be, the Anschütz 141 is provided with excellent iron sights. The rear sight is a folding model that can be adjusted for elevation by loosening two screws and moving the blade and for windage drifting the sight laterally. An attractive hooded front sight on a ramp adorns the forward end of the barrel. The trigger is adjustable, but I’ve found no reason to change anything—let off is crisp and as light as I want it to be.
A folding rear sight is used on the Anschütz 141. Note how the dovetail is located in an enlarged section of the barrel.
Like many other .22 bolt-action rifles, the safety on the Anschütz is a thumb-operated tab on the right-hand side of the receiver. The safety is “on” in the forward position and “off” in the rear position. An interesting feature of the safety is that when it’s pushed “on” in the forward position, a tab moves forward and mates with a small hole in the rear face in the root of the bolt handle. This prevents the bolt from being opened when the safety is on.
A sliding safety is located conveniently for thumb operation.
The Anschütz 141 has a very nice walnut stock that features skip line checkering. A comfortable cheekpiece adorns the left-hand side of the buttstock, and the comb is at a comfortable height for use with either open sights or a scope. The rifle always seemed to be light, so I had it weighed on an accurate scale. The result was 5 pounds, 11.1 ounces, so the Model 141 is really a light sporter.
A comfortable cheekpiece adorns the left-hand side of the buttstock.
Although I’ve had the Anschütz for a long time, it had been relegated to the safe by several other rimfires that had more pressing assignments. In fact, the rifle had probably not been shot for at least 25 years, so it was exciting to see how it would perform. A variety of types of .22 LR ammunition was selected for testing, but a word of advice is in order: The Anschütz 141 has a match chamber, meaning the rifling starts just at the mouth of the chamber. Cartridges such as the CCI Stinger have a longer case than that of regular .22 LR, so if you use enough force to close the bolt on a Stinger in the chamber, the case engages the rifling. I did that once before I realized what was happening, but I’ve never shot a Stinger in the rifle since.
Dual extractors are located on the forward end of the bolt.
Classic For A Reason
For testing, I mounted a 2-12x42mm Athlon Argos scope that has side focusing in the range 10 yards to infinity. This makes it an excellent choice for use on a rimfire that may be used on targets at both short range and, perhaps, up to 100 yards. The scope gives a very bright view, and it has a crosshair reticle with heavy bars on the side and thin ones in the central region … like a heavy duplex. It also has a series of holdover dots on the thin section of the reticule. Adjustments are accommodated in terms of clicks that have a value of 0.25 inch at 100 yards. Testing was conducted on a range in Wyoming, where wind is almost always a factor.
The Anschütz 141 is an attractive sporter whose performance matches its looks.
Firing from a solid bench, CCI Standard Velocity gave five-shot groups that averaged 0.65 inch. However, given the wind conditions, it’s instructive to drop the widest shot as “the wind got one” and consider the other four. In that case, the groups average only 0.35 inch. With Fiocchi F320, the overall average of the five-shot groups was 0.65 inch, but taking the best four of each group gives 0.46 inch.
This 0.61-inch group has four shots in 0.39 inch obtained with Fiocchi F320 ammo.
CCI Mini Mags gave five-shot groups averaging 0.74 inch but that’s reduced to 0.55 inch if the best four shots of each group are counted. The same procedure yields an average of 0.53 inch for the Winchester Power Point load counting the best four out of five in each group. The point is, the old Model 141 is capable of excellent accuracy and will give groups smaller than 0.5 inch with the right ammunition under better range conditions.
After getting reacquainted with my first real rimfire sporter, some of my other rimfires will get less use. To me, the Anschütz 141 is the essence of a classic rimfire sporting rifle. Anschütz still produces an extensive line of rimfire rifles but also offers several in centerfire calibers.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the November 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
A look at some of the best firearms hardware this sun-soaked corner of the world has to offer.
I’ll pitch this out at the start—I’ve got no bone with American guns. Quite the opposite, actually. Red-blooded irons are the lifeblood of my arsenal and, generally speaking, are the first options I’ll grab for a task—be it protecting hearth and home or bagging a freezer full of venison. That said, a man’s eye can wander. When mine does, it usually lands flush on a particular corner of the map: the Mediterranean.
Now, I’m the first to admit the region—for the unwary—is a fertile lemon farm. Who hasn’t heard of or has a personal story about a dreadful Turkish shotgun, so ill-conceived it wouldn’t make an acceptable club?
Fair enough.
Yet, for every troubled smoothbore exported from the Bosporus or persnickety pistol emanating from the Italian Alps, boatloads of top-rate, out-and-out classics are emanating from the Levant. Hell, some of them easily qualify as best-in-class, not to mention as alluring as a bikini-clad, olive-skinned beauty. All you need to know is what to look for when searching out the gems of the Mediterranean.
Pedersoli Tascosa Creedmoor Rolling Block
Throwback appeal aside, the Rolling block is a lights-out iron at long range—if your eyesight can handle the sights.
Honestly, much of the surface appeal of this rifle is its colorful history. There’s a tingle to wielding among the most utilized single-shots in history, one that’s proven its mettle as one of the all-time great precision arms. Yet, there’s more happening with the Italian reproduction than purely a façade of nostalgia for a golden age of riflesmithing. Plain and simple, the Pedersoli Rolling Block shoots.
Once dialed in, I had the .45-70 Government Tascosa Creedmoor Rolling Block (MSRP: $2,500) averaging right around ½ MOA all day long at 100 yards. Puffing Black Hills Ammo’s 405-grain Authentic Cowboy Action, that’s not too shabby.
As much as it humbles me, Pedersoli’s second-to-none manufacturing process deserves the lion’s share of the credit for these results. This is most evident in the rolling block’s massive 30-inch target barrel. Pedersoli’s boring and rifling process is second to none, involving polishing the bore to a mirror finish before cutting the rifling, giving the barrel a near-perfect bearing surface. Then, there’s the set trigger, which quite possibly could break with a stiff breeze. I estimated it roughly at 2 ounces, but that’s a shot in the dark given it barely registered on my Wheeler scale.
Furthermore, I’d be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to talk about the rolling block’s 3-inch tang Vernier rear peep sight and tunnel front sight. The frontier version of today’s high-powered rifle scopes, the system offers 300 points of elevation adjustment, as well as fine windage adjustment. Granted, it’s not the simplest system to pick up—particularly for greenhorns. However, once mastered, it’s perhaps the most accurate non-magnified aiming solution available.
Bergara B-14R
From its HMS stock to B-14 action, and the option of a carbon-fiber barrel, few rimfires short of a custom gun offer shooters more than a B-14R.
If you’ve yet to shoulder any of Bergara’s rimfires, consider yourself robbed. Far surpassing the classification of “plinkers,” the rifles are among the finest you can find short of going custom. This especially holds for the Spanish company’s B-14R line of precision irons.
Essentially a full-sized trainer built off Bergara’s wildly popular B-14 series action—only chambered for .17 HMR, .22 LR and .22 WMR—the rifle delivers next-level accuracy. Of course, that’s what it’s meant to do, given the rifle is designed to offer precision shooters a cheap way of keeping their eye and skills sharp.
Yet, you needn’t be a PRS or NRL22 ace to appreciate what Bergara has put together. Chief among its assets, the rifle’s action has a Remington 700 footprint. The most utilized dimension of stock inlets—the sky is nearly the limit in how you configure the barreled action.
Want a chassis rig? That door is open. Desire a classy hunting setup? Search out a stick of walnut and let the brushy tails beware. The same compatibility holds for 700 bases and triggers as well, making the B-14R’s system eminently flexible and customizable. Heck, Bergara even patterned the rifle’s magazines after AICS short action mags, making certain no retrofitting is required.
However, don’t feel as if you’re compromising if you stay stock with the B-14R—it’s lights-out off the shelf. Available with an 18- or 20-inch carbon-fiber barrel ($1,329) or a slightly less expensive steel barrel ($1,229), Bergara mates the barreled action to its HMR stock. A hybrid of sorts, the HMR is light enough for field use but more than adept at precision work. Thank what Bergara calls its “mini-chassis” molded into the stock for this double duty, as well as a fully adjustable length of pull and cheek riser. Plus, Bergara’s single-stage stock trigger is no slouch—most find its crisp 2.5-pound trip more than adequate for their needs.
Honestly, there’s more to chew over on the B-14R, but this is a survey of firearms, not a standalone review. Suffice to say, if you like splashing one round off another at ranges fitter for centerfires, the B-14R is for you.
Benelli Super Black Eagle 3
An absolute terror of the flyways, the Super Black Eagle—now in its third generation—has solidified itself as the premier waterfowl semi-auto.
Now in its third generation, the inertia-driven auto isn’t long enough in the tooth to make an all-time claim on ducks and geese knocked from the sky. That said, hunters most certainly have slayed waterfowl at a blistering enough clip with the 12-gauge (there are 20- and 28-gauge options too) that it certainly has to be in the running. Of course, Benelli kind of planned it that way.
The Super Black Eagle’s introduction coincides with the 3½-inch shotgun shells, and the gun was among the first chambered for what became a favorite among waterfowlers. Although, pitching big dogs is only part of the story. Where the SBE (starting at $1,900) truly makes its bones in the duck blind is holding its own with the shotguns that go cha-chunk when running the action. Damn near impervious to water, sand, marsh muck and any other environmental hazard that brings lesser semis to a halt, the inertia system chews through shells as reliably as a pump-action, which is pretty much a necessity in a quality waterfowl gun.
Ruggedness generally gets the kudos with the SBE’s inertia system, but there’s a subtle benefit felt once the gun is at the shoulder: It’s nimble as all get-out. Simpler and smaller than a gas-operated gun, the SBE boasts a slimmer forend, which makes the gun much quicker on the point. And, it’s lighter, even in its 28-inch barreled configuration, than most comparable semis—in some cases by as much as 2 pounds.
Admittedly, the svelteness and inertia system put a bit of a thump to the SBE—particularly when shucking 3- and 3½-inch shells. But it’s not enough to make it a monster or dissuade you from taking after snow geese or other high-density shooting affairs. Far from it. In fact, given all the gun’s other assets, you likely won’t even take note of its recoil.
Franchi Momentum Elite
Not a flashy option out of the Med, the Momentum Elite squares itself away as one of the top affordable hunting rifles.
Bold statement incoming: The Momentum Elite might be among the finest budget hunters available on the market today. At least it’s drawing on par with more established affordable European rifle makers, such as Tikka and the like. Given this market is as cutthroat as the Golden Age of Piracy, that’s saying something. It’s also surprising, given the bolt-action is essentially at the front end of the shotgun maker’s run into the rifle niche.
Where Franchi succeeds is striking a sane balance between affordability and quality, a difficult compromise to be sure. This is particularly notable in the Momentum Elite’s stock, which is injection-molded polymer, but a more rigid variety than to what most have become accustomed. Alone, this creates a light, yet solid shooting platform that proves durable in the field, with some nice ergonomic touches. A large pistol grip, recessed sling studs and the fore stud moved back to better accommodate a bipod top this list. But there are worthwhile subtleties in the Momentum Elite’s stock as well. In particular, its clever recoil lug system.
Essentially, a pair of lugs are embedded in the stock and canted in a “V” configuration around the action screw. These match up to corresponding slots on the underside of the action. It doesn’t seem like much, but the system perfectly centers the receiver while creating a rock-solid mate-up near impervious to recoil. Given mechanical consistency is a key to accuracy, the system goes a long way to upping the Momentum Elite’s ability to repeatedly deliver hits.
Saving dough, Franchi uses the easy-to-manufacture three-lug fat bolt, but this also imparts some desired qualities to the rifle … namely, the rifle’s 60-degree bolt throw. Not only is this fast, a boon in case a follow-up shot is required, but it’s much more forgiving if you run a large optic. The bolt is housed in the Momentum Elite’s cylindrical action and mated with a sporter contoured 24-inch barrel with a threaded muzzle. Additionally, the rifle comes with a muzzle break—nice, but a bit of a take-it-or-leave-it proposition.
Franchi tops off the system with its very respectable Relia trigger—fully adjustable from 2 to 4 pounds. Holistically, the Momentum Elite ($1,000) comes together to create a system capable of knocking the snot out of a dime at 100 yards until sundown. (I averaged 0.59-inch groups with the 6.5 Creedmoor I tested, which, for most hunters, is much more accuracy than they’ll ever require.)
Beretta 687 Silver Pigeon III
So, no, despite its looks, a little old Italian man isn’t hand-cutting the game motif on the receiver. It’s laser engraved.
True enough, the “Mama Bear” of the 680 series isn’t the cheapest of the lot and is identical mechanically to the rest of the line. High points here include inertia-operated trigger-plate action powered by captive coil springs, conical locking lugs, fast-handling low-profile receiver and Beretta’s legendary Steelium barrels. As an aside, as comic book as the high-molybdenum steel sounds, it almost guarantees the tubes will last a lifetime, perhaps a couple. Yet, the Silver Pigeon III ($3,300) gives ample reason to pony up a bit more cash. Here we’re talking about aesthetics.
You’d be daft to think a motif of any kind leads to more broken clays or extra quail in the bag. However, the laser-engraved game scenes on the coin receiver—part of the III’s package—as well as the Class 2.5 walnut enhance the overall experience of the shotgun. It’s the same as leather seats in a car; the little extras deepen the pride of ownership and make those autumn flushes a bit more memorable. Not to mention, the flourishes make the gun a bit more exceptional when it’s handed down to the next generation.
Furthermore, Beretta’s over/unders are as reliable as the day is long and truly come into their own when shot. The manufacturer has an uncanny ability to make its production guns almost seem custom fit, a factor enhancing the firearm’s overall performance and reducing felt recoil. The 12-gauge Silver Pigeons I’ve handled (they also come in 20 and 28, as well as .410) always feel light when mounted, yet don’t tend to over-swing.
Balancing right around the hinge plate gives the gun this neutral aspect, and that makes it relatively versatile in its application. Combined with the aforementioned low-profile receiver and ample non-reflective rib, the Silver Pigeon also mounts fast and is among the most instinctual break-actions out there. For those who desire the entire package—looks, performance and grace—the Silver Pigeon III has each in spades.
Springfield Armory Hellcat
The Springfield Hellcat has done its part to redefine the modern concealed carry pistol.
At the vanguard of the “micro nine” revolution, the Hellcat didn’t spark the sea change, but it sure as hell helped define it. Minute, enhanced capacity and relatively easy to shoot—these pretty much define the Croatian creation and the standard bearers of modern concealed-carry pistols. Pretty heady stuff.
While the Hellcat ($633 base model) hasn’t and likely won’t unseat the king—the Sig P365—it has proven to be perhaps the most adroit alternative of the micro 9mm options. Part of this is thanks to the 3-inch barreled pistol’s diminutive dimensions. Measuring 1 inch in width at its thickest point, 4 inches in height and weighing in at a tick under 18 ounces, the Hellcat is concealable in all but the tightest hot pants. Great, but anybody can make a tiny gun.
Where the HS Produkt design excels is in providing best-in-class firepower—engineering-wise, far from a walk in the park when it comes to miniaturized “nines.” Pop in a flush-fit magazine and you have 11+1 on tap; rock the extend-capacity mag and you’ve got 13+1. That’s not quite duty pistol specs, but it’s considerable peace of mind in a small gun.
The Hellcat is not a bull’s-eye pistol, but what 3-inch barreled gun is? It’s bucky enough that those unanointed in micro guns should plan on range time to acclimate to its temperament. Yet, for its size and weight, the pistol isn’t punishing. It’s got enough grip and Springfield’s aggressive advanced texturing do their parts in making the Hellcat a kitten. The pistol’s ball-and-basket sights are intuitive and as quick as a three-dot can be—despite being a bit quirky. Furthermore, Springfield offers the Hellcat in its optic-ready OSP variation for the cost of a box of defense ammo. That’s a no-brainer upgrade.
Even if the Hellcat won’t ever be the world’s most popular micro compact, it has more than proven itself among the best.
SAR 2000
For its price point, the Turkish take on the CZ-75 is among the top clones and one heck of a value.
Generally speaking, Turkey is better known for its blue-light-special shotguns than its pistols. Truly a shame. The Anatolia peninsula is home to some of the world’s most underrated handguns; case in point, the SAR 2000. While the Turkish take on the Czech classic isn’t going to win the Bianchi Cup anytime soon, it is a lights-out entry-level race gun for those just cutting their teeth in competition.
Once imported by Armalite as the AR-24, the 9mm DA/SA pistol is essentially a CZ-75 clone fairly well mimicking the original “wonder nine.” However, a burgeoning competitor can expect to pay around $250 less than a CZ original. A steel frame with plenty of heft (32 ounces) and a dang respectable single-action trigger for a pistol at this price point, the SAR 2000 ($480) can run.
Especially nice, the 4.5-inch barreled pistol boasts a thumb safety, as opposed to a de-cocker. This allows for cocked-and-locked carry, giving instant access to the 2000’s crisp 5-pound break right out of the holster. Its double-action pull is … well, a double-action pull—roughly 12 pounds. Furthermore, the Sarsilmaz gets the grips’ ergonomics right, enhanced with a decent undercut trigger guard and high beavertail.
Admittedly, the 2000 has some chinks in its armor. The company doesn’t offer target sights, just a drift-adjustable rear, or an optics cut. Middling cocking serrations at the rear, combined with a slick pyramidal fore slide, proves unforgiving, especially under the clock. And the lack of a flared magwell complicates expedient reloads. All these likely mean those who become dedicated match shooters will eventually outgrow the 2000. Until they do, competitors should have a blast and their share of success behind the Turkish treasure.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the October 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Despite its old-school design, there are still plenty of good reasons to keep reloading .300 Win. Mag.
If you look at the most recent cartridge designs, the 60-year-old .300 Winchester Magnum is the antithesis of modern trends. It’s belted, has a neck considerably less than one caliber in length, and it functions in a long-action receiver … yet the engineers moved the shoulder forward to increase case capacity. This last feature certainly allowed more room for powder, but it precluded the use of long, sleek bullets that have proven to give the best downrange results. These new bullets possess ogives so long that they can’t be seated in the .300’s case and still fit in the magazine.
When loaded with a truly stiff bullet like the 200-grain Swift A-Frame shown here, the .300 Winchester is a powerful cartridge capable of handling the majority of game species hunted today. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
Being a derivative of the Holland & Holland case, the .300 Winchester Magnum headspaces on the belt, and that can pose several issues. First, there will be stretching above the belt as the case is fired; this can be combated, as we’ll see in a minute, and it’s why I use fired brass cases when I’m getting serious about accuracy in any .300 Winchester. Second, the 25-degree shoulder can provide excellent headspacing, so long as you don’t move that shoulder too much during the resizing process.
Many claim that short neck fails to give proper neck tension, yet I’ve never had an issue in the thousands of rounds I’ve loaded. Unlike some modern designs, many projectiles will extend considerably below the neck/shoulder junction, and that can have an effect on the space left for the powder column. As the neck of the .300 Winchester measures just 0.264 inch, the idea of neck sizing—in order to keep the shoulder where it gives best concentricity and headspacing—might not be the best solution.
Instead, I much prefer to measure the amount of shoulder movement by using Redding’s Instant Comparator to give me the difference between the SAAMI specification and the fired case. I can then use one of Redding’s Competition Shellholders, which are graduated in increments 0.002-inch deeper than a normal shellholder, to be able to resize the case diameter and neck fully, while leaving the shoulder in the spot that gives the best headspace and concentricity. Using this method also reduces case stretching significantly, extending case life.
Despite possessing the Holland & Holland belt, with use of the Redding Competition shellholders, the .300 Winchester Magnum case can be made to headspace off the 25-degree shoulder. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
The .300 Winchester Magnum can use a heavy powder charge, sometimes over 80 grains, and runs best when sparked with a large rifle magnum primer. I’ve come to rely heavily on Federal Gold Medal Match primers, and a GM215M primer is my go-to: The consistency of these primers plays a definite role in keeping velocity spreads low.
Building With Bullets
One of a .30-caliber is the wide selection of projectiles available, in both weight and conformation. Common bullets range between 125 and 220 grains, but despite my best efforts with traditional 125-grain bullets like the Nosler Ballistic Tip, I feel they’re too light for the velocity generated. And unless it’s of premium construction—like the 130-grain Barnes TTSX—most bullet choices will begin at 150 grains … and even then, things can get messy if it’s a cup-and-core design.
The copper monometal and alloy projectiles, being longer than their lead core counterparts of the same weight, will give satisfactory hunting performance at 150 grains; there are traditional choices like the Barnes TTSX, or boutique choices like the Badlands Precision Bulldozer 2, that come in at this weight. Both offer excellent field performance and will expand reliably at any sane hunting range. These 150-grain bullets can be loaded to 3,300 fps, and I’ve seen a chronograph read 3,400 fps.
With bullets between 165 and 220 grains, you’ll see the .300 Winchester really shine as both a hunting and a target cartridge. Though many have made the switch to various 6.5mm cartridges or larger, and newer .30-caliber cartridges for target or competition work, it wasn’t that long ago that the .300 Winchester Magnum was revered as a target cartridge.
U.S. Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle—immortalized in both print and film—relied heavily on a .300 Winchester Magnum based on a Remington 700 action. Load your .300 Winchester with match bullet, such as the 178- or 195-grain Hornady ELD Match, 176-grain Hornady A-Tip Match or 175-grain Sierra MatchKing, and you’ve got a formidable combination. All can be loaded to a velocity that will keep them supersonic out to 1,500 yards, and if you want a cartridge to pull double-duty for target and hunting work, you could do a helluva lot worse than the .300 Winchester.
For the hunter, bullets between 165 and 220 grains make one of the most flexible packages available. There are too many wonderful hunting bullets offered in component form to list here, though I’ve come to favor more than a few: Federal Trophy Bonded Tip and Terminal Ascent, Sierra GameKing, Swift Scirocco II and A-Frame, Hornady’s Interlock (both round nose and spitzer), and Speer Grand Slam.
While not exactly conforming to modern cartridge designs, the .300 Winchester Magnum still gets the job done. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
Fueling The Fire
During the past two decades, I’ve used Reloder 19, 22, 23, 25 and 26, IMR 4064, 4350 and 4831, Hodgdon H414, H4350, H4831SC and H1000, in addition to others. You’ll want a powder on the slower side of things, without needing to use so much that the load is heavily compressed. I like a column that takes up about 90 percent of the available volume.
For reloading dies, the .300 Winchester Magnum warrants the best you can afford. I like the RCBS MatchMaster Bushing Dies and Redding’s Type-S Bushing Dies; both have a micrometer-adjustable seating die, and both offer a sizing bushing that can minimize excess stretching of the neck.
The .300 Winchester Magnum is one of those cartridges that has fantastic accuracy potential with factory ammunition, and gets even better with handloads. Despite the recent lack of favor for belted cartridges, the .300 Winchester still shines, and if you’ve got a rifle you love, it’s easy to cook up a handload that’ll engender all sorts of confidence.
Pay a bit of extra attention, and you’ll more than likely end up with a tack driver.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the December 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
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.
Nightstick angles its gear toward law enforcement, which generally means its lights are well designed and rugged. This certainly is the case with the TWM-852XL. Kicking out 850 lumens for just shy of two hours, the fairly compact unit more than has the chops to enhance any carbine or SBR’s low-light utility. But it’s the long-gun controls that tend to win kudos. A rear-mounted single, dual-action momentary and constant-on thumb button provides shooters immediate and tactile activa-tion. Furthermore, at only 4.5 ounces, the aircraft-grade aluminum touch is tough—rated as IP-X7 waterproof. Compatible with Picatinny rail systems, the TWM-852XL is ready to rock with most mounting systems out of the box. MSRP: $100
Viridian RFX45 Closed Emitter Green Dot
Closed emitter pistol optics and green-dot sights seem to only be getting more popular, which makes Viridian’s new release perfectly timed. The RFX45’s robustness is reinforced by a machined 6061 aluminum housing, fully multi-coated lenses and an IPX6 environmental rating. Other notable features include its instant-on activation, auto shut-off and advertised 50,000-hour battery life (powered by one CR2032). The RFX45 also has a generous 24mm lens, a 5-MOA green-dot reticle and 10 manually adjustable illumination settings (eight visible, two for night vision). The ACRO isn’t the only mounting pattern available for the RFX45: Viridian also sells adapters for Glock MOS, RMR and Docter mounts, as well as Picatinny rails. MSRP: $459
N8 Tactical Magna-Clip
N8 Tactical mostly makes holsters, but the company sells spare magazine carriers as well. Until now, those have been traditional designs, but the company has cooked up something different with its Magna-Clip. The mag carrier uses three very powerful neodymium-grade mag-nets to retain pistol magazines. This makes it compatible with virtually any all-metal or metal-lined handgun magazine, including Glock mags. The body of the carrier itself features a spring-steel pocket clip, which not only holds the magazine in place but also helps to conceal it by looking like an ordinary pocketknife clip. MSRP: $30
Vortex Defender CCW Red-Dot
Tailored for compact carry guns, Vortex’s new micro red-dot sight offers top performance at a relatively friendly price. Chief among these is the Defender CCW’s ample sight window, offering exceptional peripheral vision and spatial awareness. At the same tick, the sight only measures 1.6 inches long, has a weight of just 0.95 ounce and offers a slim profile for a snag-free draw. Additionally, it mounts via the com-mon Shield RMS footprint. Available with a 3- or 6-MOA dot, the Defender has a motion-activated reticle and auto-shutoff to save battery life when not in use (14-hour timer). The Defender CCW also has a manually adjustable brightness setting, and the battery can be replaced without removing the optic from the weapon (takes one CR1632). MSRP: $350
Sightmark Wraith Mini Thermal Riflescope
The optics in Sightmark’s Wraith riflescope line were already capable of seeing in the dark thanks to their built-in CMOS sensors and IR illuminators, but the new Wraith Mini Thermal takes things to a new level. The model features a 384×288 resolution thermal sensor and five thermal color-palette display modes. The unit has a 1,400-yard max detection range, a 2x optical magnification range with 1-8x digital zoom and an OLED display with a 1024×768 resolution so images remain crisp even at higher zoom levels. Users can use a micro-SD card to record their shots, store five firearm profiles on the unit and choose between a wide variety of reticle and color options. However, the scope eats batteries (two CR123A) with a 3.5- to 4.5-hour battery life. MSRP: $2,100
Ruger ReadyDot Micro Reflex Sight
Ruger has put an interesting twist in creating a wallet-friendly red-dot option. The ReadyDot pitches the batteries into the ashcan and opts for fiber optics. Because of this, the optic automatically adjusts the dot’s brightness to the ambient light level. Given this, its large 15-MOA dot is very visible and easy to use in most conditions, excluding pitch dark. What’s more, it’s also non-adjustable and has no controls for changing windage or elevation. Why? Ruger claims that with compatible pistols the ReadyDot will be zeroed out of the box. The ReadyDot might not be the first option for your CCW pistol, but for range toys and fun shooters, it offers up plenty for little money. MSRP: $100
SureFire X400 Ultra
Engineered to fit virtually any rail-equipped pistol, the X400 offers an illumination and aiming solution for nearly anyone who totes a pistol. On top of this, it really kicks out the light. With a recoil-proof LED and TIR lens, the X400 focuses 1,000 lumens of light into a smooth, far-reaching hybrid beam with a large central spot and plenty of spill light. This is an extremely effective combination for close- to medium-range engagements. Available in traditional red (635 nanometers) or high-vis green (515 nanometers), its 5-milliwatt laser is highly visible to the human eye to help the user get on target quickly and accurately. With a Mil-spec hard-anodized aluminum body, it can handle hard knocks and stay in the fight. MSRP: Starting at $679
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the November 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Jacob Grey has just announced the TWC 9, a double-stack 9mm 1911 pistol.
The 1911 will probably never go out of style, but the classic single-stack varieties are lacking in capacity and features by modern standards. Hence the current popularity of the 9mm double-stack 1911, especially those sporting things like optics-ready slides and accessory rails. Jacob Grey is the latest company to announce its own spin on this concept in the form of the TWC 9.
The frame and grip of the TWC 9 are made of billet 7075 aluminum, and the pistol has a stainless steel 4.25-inch bull barrel with a 1:10 twist and a Nowlin ramp. Jacob Grey says that the CNC-machined billet aluminum frame and grip result in a very tight and smooth pistol while also providing good structural integrity and reducing the overall weight.
Other features of the 9mm TWC 9 include its CRT (Controlled Radius Trigger) that offers a consistent and crisp 3.5-pound trigger pull, its stainless steel optics-ready slide that’s cut for RMR/RMSc-pattern red dots and its suppressor-height tritium front and rear sights from XS Sights. The TWC 9 also has an ambidextrous safety, a flared magwell and uses standard 2011-pattern magazines.
Todd Neice, President of Sales and Marketing at Jacob Grey, said this about the TWC 9:
I wanted to utilize our tech and aerospace history and combine it with the Jacob Grey Custom 1911 successes to build a production gun that is priced right and second to none in quality. Once you get your hands on this firearm you will quickly see that we succeeded.
The TWC 9 is available now and it has an MSRP of $2,499.
No other comms system has resiliency like amateur radio. Here’s how to find the best ham radio for any task.
Extreme events upend people's lives in numerous ways, but one of the most devastating is the sudden, unexpected loss of cellphone communications. From the wildfires that ravaged Maui, Canada and the Western U.S. to catastrophic flooding, the chaotic climate can easily crush fragile communications networks. It leaves people unable to contact friends, family and emergency services.
What is the best ham radio for you? That depends on your needs—and your wallet!
One group of people, however, stays on the air “when all else fails”: the global network of amateur radio operators. The reason? Each operator is an independent radio station, meaning they have localized redundancy instead of a centralized cellular network. The latter can easily crash because they’re all tied together.
If you’re considering getting your amateur radio license, here's a quick list of the top 10 best ham radio choices to consider.
The 10 Best Ham Radios:
Yaesu VX-6R: Tri-Band Beast
The Yaesu VX-6R HT, or “handie talkie,” is a 5w FM transceiver with a ruggedized chassis for outdoor use. The VX-6R is triband, covering 144/222/430 MHz on transmit.
While many of my ham radios have come and gone, there’s one that I will keep until it stops working or the world abruptly ends—the Yaesu VX-6R HT or “handie talkie.”
This little handheld from Yaesu sports an outstanding feature set for the emergency communicator or beginning ragchewer.
It’s as rugged as a Jeep (JIS7 submersible), and the 1400 mAh Lithium-Ion battery won’t putter out after brief transmissions. You can transmit in three amateur radio bands in the VHF/UHF spectrum—144/222/430 MHz in FM, and it can receive wideband AM and aircraft band to monitor what’s happening in the air or on the other side of the planet via shortwave.
Its diminutive 5 watts of power might not “cook the groundworms,” but is sufficient to hit repeater stations that “hear” faint signals and retransmit them on high power over a much larger area—up to 50 miles with the stock antenna. Of course, that’s assuming you have a clear line of sight.
Yaesu radios are Japanese-made and aren’t cheap. The VX-6R goes for about $260, but based on reports I’ve received, the audio quality is excellent in both transmit and receive.
Yaesu has a wide range of accessories for the little radio, but I especially recommend the Handie Talkie Headset (HTH) from Heil Ham Radio (heilhamradio.com) that plugs into the top of the VX-6R and includes a push-to-talk (PTT) button on the cord. It’s an ideal bugout bag or hiking/survival backpack setup. yaesu.com.
ICOM IC-706MkIIG
Icom’s long discontinued 706MkIIG all-mode, all-band transceiver was perfect in a mobile (vehicle) setup. It made for an ideal communications center in an offroad truck or SUV.
Long discontinued, ICOM’s 706MkIIG is a small-form-factor, all-mode, all-band transceiver, and is something that operators lovingly call a “DC to Daylight” rig as it’s jam-packed with features. The ham radio, which you can still find on the used market for $600-$700, covers the single sideband (SSB), AM and FM modes.
This mobile powerhouse cranks 100w (SSB) and 50w/35w FM (2m/70cm) and includes a built-in preamp to pluck weak signals from the ionosphere. Digital Noise Reduction (DNR) filtering was way ahead of its time and incredibly effective at clearing up the signals on a noisy band.
FM repeater operation is a cinch with intuitive programming. One time, during a band opening on 6m (50.125 MHz), I worked a Virginia station with my 706 mounted in my vehicle from my driveway in Wisconsin. icomamerica.com.
Baofeng UV-5R
At around $20 on Amazon, the Baofeng UV-5R dual-band handheld transceiver might be the best value in ham radio.
Considered the reigning king of low-cost radios, many new ham radio operators with a Technician license start with the affordable Baofeng UV-5R. While I’ve never operated one myself, I have spoken to many operators on the air who were using one, and the audio is always excellent.
What makes this Chinese-made dual-band walkie-talkie so appealing is its price tag. At about $20 on Amazon, you get most of the features found on Japanese-made radios like Yaesu, Icom and Kenwood for a fraction of the cost.
Users recommend buying a separate programming cable to connect the UV-5R to a computer for simple and fast repeater station inputs. Note: The third generation of this radio is designated the BF-F8HP, which transmits at a maximum of 8 watts. baofengtech.com.
ICOM IC-7300
Icom found the sweet spot between price and features in its IC-7300 HF radio. It proved that ham radio operators were ready and willing to accept software-defined radios.
While you wouldn’t know it based on its popularity on the HF (high-frequency shortwave) bands, Icom considers its IC-7300 an entry-level HF transceiver.
And Icom knocked it out of the park with this puppy. It uses a direct sampling superheterodyne receiver, giving you a real-time spectrum scope that displays signal activity on the band.
The 7300’s ultra-sensitive circuitry also provides tight bandpass filtering to tease out weak signals adjacent to strong interference. You can find the IC-7300 on sale for about $1,100, a real value for a transceiver with such a rich feature set. icomamerica.com.
Yaesu FTDX101D/FTDX101MP
Yaesu’s 100w FTDX101D is a cutting-edge software-defined radio built for the home base station enthusiast.
That Yaesu’s 100w FTDX101D (the FTDX101MP is 200w) HF transceiver is the best ham radio in its class isn’t my opinion. Sherwood Engineering Incorporated named it the No. 1 Highest Performing Receiver following its notoriously rigorous tests, which are among the most trusted in the communications industry.
With a price tag of around $4,000, you expect the FTDX101D to be a hot-performing transceiver for contesting (radio sport) or carrying on with friends around the globe, and it is that. Yaesu saw the writing on the wall with Icom’s successful IC-7300 SDR radio—the 7300 was hard to ignore with nearly everyone you heard on the HF bands running one—so chose to drop its usual triple down-conversion superheterodyne circuitry in place of a newly designed direct sampling hybrid narrow-band software defined radio (SDR).
With dual receivers, the FTDX101D’s live spectrum scope can be displayed in multiple views, showing you enough of the band spectrum to efficiently hunt down and pounce on distance stations calling to make contacts. yaesu.com.
Kenwood TS-2000 HF/VHF/UHF
Kenwood’s TS-2000 was an entire ham radio station in one unit. It covered nearly all the modes and all bands available to licensed amateur radio operators.
While many audiophiles know Kenwood for its high-fidelity home and auto stereo systems, the company has long been among the most respected in the ham radio fraternity. Introduced in 2000 and now discontinued, the TS-2000 was considered one of Kenwood’s best transceivers.
The TS-2000 could transmit from 160m through 70cm (and the TS-2000X model or optional UT-20 unit would allow 10 watts on the 1.2 GHz or 23cm band). One feature that users always appreciated was that it could transmit a full 100w on FM (50w on 70cm).
Combine that power with Kenwood’s legendary broadcast-quality audio, and you have a solid communications tool for hobby or emergency communications.
You can still find good-condition TS-2000s on the used market for $1,200–$2,000. kenwood.com.
Yaesu FT-818ND Portable
Now discontinued but still immensely popular, the Yaesu FT-818ND transmits 6w on the HF/VHF/UHF bands in SSB, FM and AM modes.
Another discontinued radio that is well worth a look on the used market is Yaesu’s FT-817/FT-818ND Portable. Known as a “QRP” rig (QRP is radio code-speak for low power), the FT-818ND kicks out a full 6w on HF/VHF/UHF bands in SSB, FM and AM modes (AM max. power is 2w.)
This small radio measures just 6.5×5.31×1.5 inches and weighs 2.6 pounds. With mountaintop operators working special contests like Summits on the Air (SOTA) and Parks on the Air (POTA), the FT-818ND can do it all.
The QRP radio has many aftermarket parts, including protective “wings” to ruggedize it further and protect it from drops. With a simple wire dipole antenna, a ham operator can work the world on multiple bands and modes, and many use portable solar panels for a completely offgrid communications station.
Baffled by Yaesu’s discontinuation of such a popular radio, ham radio operators everywhere eagerly await its replacement. yaesu.com.
Elecraft KX2
Perhaps best known for its best-in-class receiver and digital noise reduction (DNR) capabilities, the KX2 is extremely popular with CW operators who love its ultra-tight notch filtering to decipher morse code signals in a crowded band.
American company Elecraft began making small-sized, high-end homebrew kits for the portable comm ops community. The smallest of these (which you can now order assembled from the factory for an additional cost) is the KX2.
Weighing just 13 ounces and small enough to fit in any pack, the KX2 is a specialist radio for remote operations way off the grid in the backcountry. The 10w transceiver features a low 135 mA current draw to prolong battery life.
The KX2 covers the 10-80m ham bands in the HF portion of the spectrum and can transmit SSB voice, CW (Morse code) and data modes like Winlink e-mail when integrated with a laptop or tablet.
Perhaps most famous for its best-in-class receiver and digital noise reduction (DNR) capabilities, the KX2 is extremely popular with CW operators who love its ultra-tight notch filtering to decipher Morse signals in a crowded band. elecraft.com.
Lab 599 TX-500
Lab 599’s TX-500 is a small, low-power SDR transceiver (10w) with a weather-sealed chassis, making it perfect for offgrid emergency comms.
Like the Elecraft KX2 and Yaesu 818ND, Lab 599’s TX-500 is a small, low-power transceiver (10w), quickly becoming the leading candidate for best ham radio in the portable category. However, the TX-500 uses SDR circuitry.
The TX-500 is built like a brick, sized at 8.1×3.5×0.8 inches and weighing just 19.4 ounces. It betters the KX2’s current draw at 110 mA in receive and transmits from 160m–6m in the amateur HF bands.
Operators appreciate its live spectrum scope to see activity on the band, and the chassis is weatherproofed, making it ideal for portable and hilltop operations.
The TX-500 operates all modes—SSB, CW, digital, AM, FM—and has general receive coverage from 0.5-56.0 MHz. Users give high ratings to the transceiver’s digital noise reduction and filtering. The street price new is around $1,150. lab599.com.
LNR Precision Mtr4b V2.3 Mountain Topper
The Mtr4b V2.3 Mountain Topper from LNR Precision is a CW-only 5w transceiver that is ideal for portable communications in the backcountry.
The Mtr4b V2.3 Mountain Topper from LNR Precision is an even more compact ham radio. This little QRP rig measures a scant 5.15x3x1.075 inches and weighs 7.95 ounces.
The Mountain Topper line are 5w transceivers that operate CW (again, that’s Morse code) only. The CW mode is ideal for portable operations because of its narrow bandwidth and ability to communicate long distances on low power, even when poor atmospheric propagation conditions exist.
The Mtr4b V2.3 Mountain Topper operates four bands (20m, 30m, 40m and 80m) and there is no external speaker, so you use headphones to hear signals. It features an internal CW keyer, or you can attach your own Morse keyer. The receiver current draw is a mere 27 mA and can run on a 9V battery (or other small external power source). At $369, there’s no excuse why you can’t communicate worldwide from anywhere. lnrprecision.com.
Looking to go armed, but are stuck in the weeds as to what to arm yourself with? Here are 20 excellent concealed carry gun options that will keep you on the defensive.
