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.
Israel Weapon Industries has issued a safety recall notice for IWI Carmel rifles within a certain serial number range.
Isreal Weapon Industries has issued a safety recall notice for the Carmel rifle. All Carmel owners should ensure that their rifle’s serial number doesn’t fall within the range specified by IWI as having firing pin blocker issues. If it does fall within that range, it should be sent to IWI where it will be fixed and returned for free.
The full recall notice from IWI can be read here:
OCTOBER 30, 2023
IWI US, Inc. (“IWI”) has determined that the Carmel Rifle has a safety issue with the firing pin blocker and is thereby subject to a Safety Warning and Recall Notice. IWI is issuing this mandatory recall to repair the safety issue in the specific Carmel rifles listed below. IWI will correct these recalled firearms at no cost to the customer, and this recall does not affect any other IWI products.
This safety recall notice affects 1,094 Carmel rifles shipped within the following serial number range. All Carmel rifle serial numbers within the below range are affected.
• Option 2: Call IWI US, Inc. Customer Service at (717) 695-2081 and have the rifle’s 8-digit serial number available.
2. Whether you choose option 1 or 2, IWI US, Inc. Customer Service will send you shipping instructions that include a pre-addressed shipping label.
3. Upon receipt of the shipping instructions, follow instructions found in the Owner’s Manual.
• Remove the magazine from the rifle.
• Clear the firearm of all ammunition.
4. Using the pre-addressed shipping label that was sent to you, ship the rifle to IWI US, Inc.
Once received by IWI US, Inc. the rifle will be repaired and returned to you within 4-6 weeks.
IWI US, Inc. apologizes for any inconvenience this has caused and will service any affected rifle in the most expedited manner possible.
If you have any questions about this recall, the rifle, or its disassembly or reassembly, please contact IWI US, Inc. Customer Service at (717) 695-2081.
Six experts share their advice regarding the everyday carry self-defense handgun.
Most who carry a handgun for self-defense have limited access to others who have a lot of experience doing it. You might know a gun guy from the range or the gun store, a buddy who fashions himself an “expert” … or maybe even a cop who can provide some guidance.
I don’t believe anyone has all the answers, but I do think there are some folks you can learn from.
Competence with a defensive handgun is a perishable skill. Staying tuned for conflict requires constant practice.
I’ve carried a handgun for personal protection most of my life, I was a soldier and I worked as a patrol officer and as a special agent. I’ve also had some fantastic firearms training, but more importantly, I’ve met some other folks with lots of experience that I learned from.
I asked six veteran practitioners of the defensive handgun for the three points of advice they’d give to someone looking for guidance for the everyday carry of a concealed handgun. Here’s what they had to offer.
Bill Wilson: Custom Firearms Manufacturer
Bill Wilson founded Wilson Combat, which has become the premier source for high-quality defensive handguns, and it’s also the largest custom firearms manufacturer in the world. Bill won fame as a gunsmith and as a competitive shooter, and he carries a handgun every day … and twice on Sunday.
His first piece of advice was to, simply enough, have a gun.
“If you are going to carry, you must carry every day. It’s not always comfortable or convenient, but if you are going to carry, you must always carry. I have my gun in my holster every morning before I put my socks and shoes on, and it doesn’t come out of the holster until I undress for bed at night.”
Bill also suggests that you carry a gun of sufficient power to stop the threat—which he believes starts at 9mm—and that you’re proficient with.
Bill Wilson believes the 9mm Luger cartridge is the minimum power level that should be considered for everyday carry self-defense handguns.
“I know small, lightweight guns are much easier to carry and conceal, but if you can’t make multiple well-placed hits at 10 yards within a reasonable time frame, you’re just creating a false sense of security,” he added.
Finally, Bill suggested this: “Train frequently with your chosen carry gun. If you can’t draw from concealment and place a hit into an 8-inch area, from 10 yards, within 2.5 seconds, shooting full-charge ammo, you probably shouldn’t carry a gun for self-protection.”
I for sure agree with the need for frequent training and for the continued increase in proficiency, but maybe not so much with Bill’s benchmark of performance. As a minimum, you must be safe, but as a cop I responded to more calls where just the presentation of a handgun made a bad guy stop doing bad things than I did to a scene where the bad guy was shot.
Jerry Dove: Gunsmith, Firearms Instructor
Jerry Dove is my personal gunsmith, and for a time was a top level IPSC competitor. He builds very nice guns, is a very good shot and, in addition to establishing and monitoring the defense plan for his church, Jerry regularly teaches permit qualifying concealed carry classes. Jerry is very practical when it comes to self-defense, and he likes to keep things simple.
His everyday carry advice is to get a top-quality gun, a good and comfortable holster and to train with your equipment consistently. Jerry also suggested—and this is very important—that you should know and understand the laws of the jurisdiction you’re carrying in. If you get sideways of the law, even if it’s unintentional, at best you might lose your right to carry concealed legally, and at worst you might start receiving your mail addressed to a certain prison cell.
Ken Campbell: Former LE, CEO of Gunsite Academy
Ken Campbell is a former street cop and sheriff, and he currently works as the chief executive officer at Gunsite Academy, the oldest and largest civilian firearms training academy in the world.
Ken suggests you keep your gun concealed: He told me he appreciates open carry, but he appreciates the element of surprise even more. He also believes you should have a good belt and holster. If your carry gear is not comfortable, you’ll be tugging and adjusting constantly, which makes concealment problematic.
Though open carry may be legal and have its place, Ken Campbell prefers concealed carry and the element of surprise that comes with it.
Ken thinks that you should practice with the gun, carry method and the ammunition you’ll actually carry on a daily basis.
When the chips are down, Ken does not believe you’ll rise to the occasion—he believes you’ll default to your level of training. That’s sounds like standard advice from someone who runs a firearms training school, but it’s a concept that also has merit with any physical activity: Your worst shot during practice might very well be your best shot during a gunfight.
Ken Hackathorn: Pro Firearms Trainer
As a professional firearms trainer, Ken Hackathorn has probably trained more shooters than you’ve fired rounds downrange. Because of that, he offers a unique perspective on the defensive handgun, a perspective based on his observation of thousands of people using one.
“Carrying a sidearm is like wearing a seatbelt; if you don’t have it on, it won’t be any help when you need it,” insists Ken. He also said you should, “Pick a sidearm that you shoot well. Don’t select your sidearm on the basis of what the ‘cool kids’ use.” And finally, he echoed the consistent advice of practicing, but added that you should, “Always shoot for a specific point on the target, not at the whole target.”
I find no fault with Ken’s advice, especially the part about choosing a gun you shoot well. Sometimes, the “cool kids” get it right, and sometimes the cool kids are paid to preach the virtues of certain guns. Regardless of the accolades they may spew, you’re the one who must pay for the gun and carry the gun … and you’re the one who must shoot it to save your life.
Will McGuire: SWAT, Conservation Officer
I met Will McGuire several years ago while helping my local sheriff’s department with some tactical training. Will stood out because he was not only an excellent shot, but he was also tactically proficient. Will was a street cop and, until he switched over to service with the State’s Department of Natural Resources, a SWAT officer. His advice is worth heeding and his first suggestion was that when it comes to a carry gun, smaller is not always better, saying, “If you can hide it really well but shoot it poorly, it’s worth nothing.”
Will is also very fond of a weapon-mounted light. “A gun without a light is useless 50 percent of the time. If you can’t see and identify the target, you can’t engage it.” I think there’s some truth to that, especially in a home-defense setting, but I also think a weapon-mounted light extremely complicates carry. If you can pull it off comfortably, by all means do it. Otherwise, carry a high-intensity compact flashlight. Yeah, half of every day is dark, but it’s rarely a coal mine—got to have a light in the dark—and avoiding those type situations is not a bad idea.
Will’s last bit of advice was to consider a holster that keeps your weapon on your person, as opposed to in a glovebox or in a purse. He says, “The fight will rarely hold for you to find your gun.” This, too, is good advice but sometimes becomes problematic for those who will not alter their dress or their image in order to carry. As they say, life is always about choices, and ultimately you must live with the ones you make.
Sheriff Jim Wilson: West Texas Sheriff, Firearms Instructor
I’ve spent a lot of time with all these folks, I’ve trained with them, and I put a lot of stock in their opinions, but none more so than former West Texas Sheriff Jim Wilson. Jim has decades of experience, a tremendous amount of training and is an excellent firearms instructor himself. If the Sheriff is talking about handguns and personal protection, you should be listening.
Jim suggests you carry a gun that allows you to make head shots out to 25 yards, and vital-zone shots out to 50 yards. That might seem a bit excessive, but if you prepare for the worst, everything else is easy. He also believes you should carry a quality holster and carry it in a location that permits your draw with the support hand if necessary. This is wise as well because it’s foolish to think you may not be injured at the time you need to shoot to save your life.
And, lastly, Jim believes you should avoid the foolish carry rotation, suggesting you carry one gun, and carry it in one carry location, as much as possible. I think this is also sound advice that should only be disregarded when your situation requires ultra-deep concealment, or if there are some other extenuating circumstances.
Effective and undetectable everyday concealed carry requires a good holster and belt.
Final Thoughts
Relationships with guns are like relationships with women: They’re complicated and require constant tending. There’s a reason it’s unwise to have more than one woman, and the same applies to carry guns.
And always remember, as Ken suggested: You’ll not rise to the occasion, you’ll default to your training.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the 2023 EDC special issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
If you keep these four handgun loads stocked for your self-defense pistol, your sidearm can be a much more versatile tool.
When it comes to ammunition for defensive handguns, self-defense ammo is the most talked about. While the primary purpose of self-defense handguns is for protection against humans doing bad things, it’s not their only viable use.
There are actually four types of ammunition you should consider for a defensive handgun, and while all four might not be practical for you—today, based on your lifestyle and geographic location—at some point they might be. I’m a practical/general-purpose kind of guy, and I’m not interested in any handgun unless all four of these loads are available for it across the counter … or can at least be loaded by hand.
Every defensive handgun deserves a supply of these four loads to make it most suitable for general-purpose self-protection
Practice/Training Ammunition
If you’re serious about your defensive handgun, you’ll shoot more practice/training ammunition than any other type. The good news is that there’s a lot of good training ammunition to choose from. The mistake some folks make is trying to save too much money.
When I became the firearms instructor at my department, we were using re-manufactured ammunition for training. We saved some money, but we also blew up two pistols in the process. If you handload your own ammo, that’s great—as long as you do a good job. If you don’t handload, do yourself a favor and spend a few dollars extra for quality, factory-loaded ammunition.
The round-nose or truncated cone FMJ bullet is the standard for training and practice, but a relatively new offering from Federal, where the lead bullet is coated with a synthetic jacket, is a better option. Federal’s Syntech ammunition eliminates copper and lead fouling, increases barrel life and drastically reduces splash-back when shooting steel targets. I use a lot—and I mean a lot—of this stuff.
Federal Syntech ammunition is some of the best practice ammo available, especially if you routinely shoot steel targets.
Self-Defense Ammunition
There’s a litany of self-defense loads for every suitable self-defense handgun cartridge. Picking the right one might seem harder than finding a life partner, but the truth is that there are more good self-defense loads out there than there are bad. Also, many of these loads perform very similarly because most ammunition manufacturers are building their self-defense ammunition to conform to the FBI’s 12 to 18 inches of penetration requirements, with bullet upset of about 1.5 times the original bullet diameter.
Most Speer’s Gold Dot loads, Hornady Critical Duty loads, Remington’ Golden Saber loads, Winchester’s USA Defense loads, as well as a wide variety of ammunition loaded with Barnes XPB bullets, generally deliver FBI-level performance. I’d not feel under-gunned with any of these, but I am partial to Federal’s Personal Defense or Tactical HST loads. Regardless of the cartridge, these loads penetrate to between 12 and 16 inches, and the bullets will generally upset between 1.5 and 1.8 times the original diameter. This ammunition is also extremely reliable, and reliability is a primary concern with self-defense ammunition.
Predator Defense Ammunition
Some of us live or frequent locations where predatory animals can be found. I’m not talking about coyotes or badgers; I’m talking about larger critters that can present a serious threat to humans … like mountain lions and bears. You could potentially kill either with a good self-defense load, but your goal is not to kill but to stop them as fast as possible. This calls for a bullet that’ll penetrate very deep, no matter if big or heavy bone is encountered. You might have to shoot a bad bear in the head, and you want the bullet to penetrate the skull and keep going.
This calls for a heavy-for-caliber bullet driven hard and fast, and one that’ll hold together and bust through anything encountered. The best bullet for this job is a hardcast bullet. Though they look like lead bullets, they’re only partially lead. They’ve been substantially strengthened with antimony and/or tin and can be seven times as hard has pure lead. A good hardcast bullet from most self-defense capable cartridges will penetrate as deep as 3 feet in 10 percent ordnance gelatin.
There are four good sources for hardcast handgun ammunition: Buffalo Bore’s Outdoorsman loads, DoubleTap’s Hardcast loads, Federal’s Solid Core loads and Underwood Ammunition’s Black Cherry Coated Hardcast. Pick the one that shoots the best and that’s the most reliable in your handgun.
Snake Defense Ammunition
I don’t go hunting snakes, nor do I have a desire to rid the world of them. But, if I find one near my home or writhing the curtilage of my house, garage, barn or outbuildings, I kill it. Not because I hate them, but because they’re dangerous to my family and our dogs. There’s definitely a place in this world for venomous snakes—that place is just not close to me. I have no interest in a centerfire handgun if I cannot load it with shotshells. They’re not commercially available for the .327 Federal Magnum, which is one of my favorite handgun cartridges, so I make my own.
Earlier this year I was hunting at a farm right along the Limpopo River in Africa. The farmer had a wife and two young boys, and just as we were heading out for the evening hunt, his wife alerted him that there was a snake in the tree beside the house. We discovered it was a boomslang, and the tree was in the yard right where his boys played. The farmer grabbed his 9mm pistol, shoved in a magazine loaded with CCI shotshells in it and handed it to me. One bang later and the incredibly deadly snake was dead.
CCI offers shotshells for most popular self-defense handgun cartridges. They actually offer two varieties. One is loaded with No. 4 shot and is called “Big 4.” It’ll work on snakes but it isn’t ideal. The other is loaded with smaller shot—a lot of it—and is simply listed as “SHOTSHELL.” If you have or expect to have snake issues, get a box and keep a magazine loaded with them handy. Best results are at between 4 and 10 yards, and this ammunition will not reliably cycle some pistols—you may have to manually rack the slide after each shot.
Four Loads
Regardless of the quantities you might need, any serious defensive handgunner will have these four loads at their disposal. You’re going to need a lot of practice/training ammunition; buy it by the case to save money. Unless you live in Tijuana or Chicago, for true self-defense ammunition you’ll probably only need about one box per year. A box of good hardcast ammo might last you a lifetime, but like with self-defense ammunition, I’d suggest routinely rotating it out; this gives you a chance to practice with it.
Remember, both of these loads are what you’ll be trusting to save your life. Unless you live along the Limpopo River in Africa, one box of shotshells should last a long time too, but at close range they also work well on rats and other vermin, so you might as well pick up a box or two each year as well.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the November 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Taurus has just released the Judge T.O.R.O., an optics-ready variant of the company’s .410/.45 LC revolver.
Taurus was the first kid on the block to offer factory optics-ready revolvers when it released the 605 and Defender 856 T.O.R.O. revolvers earlier this year, but the company has just announced four more to choose from. Called the Judge T.O.R.O., the four guns are all variants of Taurus’ line of Judge revolvers chambered for .410 bore/.45 Long Colt.
The four new Judge T.O.R.O. models are really just two, but each is offered with either a matte black or a stainless steel finish. The only other distinction between them is that the standard Judge T.O.R.O. accepts 2.5-inch .410 shotshells while the Judge T.O.R.O. Magnum can accept 3-inch shells. As T.O.R.O. models, all four variants are optics-ready and can mount red dots that feature a Holosun K-series or Shield RMSc footprint.
Caleb Giddings, General Manager of Marketing for Taurus USA said this about the new guns:
What’s better than a Judge? A Judge with a dot on it … The Judge is without a doubt our most popular revolver, and adding a red dot to it just enhances its capabilities.
The rest of the revolvers’ features are identical to those of their non-optics-ready counterparts. MSRP is $615.99 for the two black models and $679.99 for the stainless versions. They are available now.
We hit the range with a customized full-size PSA Dagger to see how it fares as a home defense pistol.
Glock’s motto may be “Glock Perfection”, but the extensive aftermarket of parts available reveals not everyone agrees. As good as the genuine Austrian-made guns may be in most respects, many shooters clearly have a personal preference for features that differ from the original design.
This is why when the patent expired on the Gen 3 Glock 17, it was a very good day for just about everyone besides Gaston Glock's wallet. Today, the market is teeming with handguns based on this design, and thanks to the excellence of the original, most of the clones are fundamentally good guns too. The only question then is which to choose based on respective features and prices.
When it finally came time to consider this myself (after years of being stuck in the metal-frame DA/SA camp), a genuine Glock was out of the question. Having shot more of them in recent years, the pistol had grown on me, but I just couldn’t get over the grip angle or the trigger shoe (a feature that just feels wrong on my finger). When browsing the various clones currently available, most featured a trigger shoe as well. One notable exception was the PSA Dagger.
Featuring a gradual, more traditional grip angle and a curved trigger, Palmetto State Armory’s take on the concept was appealing to me. With the goal in mind of upgrading my nightstand gun to something made in the 21st century, I asked them to send one over.
Solid, reliable and affordable polymer striker-fired pistol
PSA has several model variants and sizes available
Compatible with many OEM and aftermarket Glock components and accessories
Cons
Some users with very high round counts report some parts breakage earlier than what's seen on factory Glocks
While the author prefers the angle of the Dagger grip, he did not like how thin the rear end was
First Impressions
I should start by specifying the exact model of PSA Dagger I opted to review, as the company offers many different variations. As mentioned, the pistol's intended role was for home defense. In turn, I selected the PSA Dagger Full Size-S with an RMR optics-ready slide, Ameriglo lower-third co-witness iron sights and a threaded barrel. When concealability doesn’t matter, why not go bigger?
The standard PSA Dagger is actually considered a compact model as it’s based on the Glock 19. The Dagger Full Size-S is closer to a G19X or G45 given it retains its Glock 19-sized barrel and slide but has a Glock 17-sized frame.
In the Dagger catalog, the Full Size-S is somewhere in the middle of the road of available options. Some fancier models feature window cuts on the slide, repositioned rear sights and different colors of barrels, slides and frames. Additionally, there are also plain models that don’t even have an optics cut.
The customized pistol still fits in the case with a total of four magazines (including one in the gun), but the muzzle can't fit in its dedicated pouch with a light installed.
PSA ships the Dagger in a soft carrying case, an addition I always appreciate. It has room to fit the gun, two spare 17-round mags and a pouch for a suppressor, an extended mag or anything else you can fit inside. My only minor complaint with the case is the pistol can’t be strapped in as intended after mounting a flashlight or optic, but it still works for transporting the gun.
First Stab At The PSA Dagger
I decided to leave the Dagger completely stock for my first range session, and I didn’t clean or lube it out of the box, just to see how it would perform.
The pistol ate through its first 100 rounds without any real issues, and I was already impressed with how it shot. The slide release was a bit stiff and the slide didn’t lock back a couple of times, but besides that, it performed flawlessly.
This gave me the confidence to keep going to see just how dry the PSA Dagger could really be run, but I decided to install some accessories before taking it back to the range.
Customizing The Dagger
Part of the appeal of Glock-like pistols and modern plastic fantastics, given the breadth of the aftermarket parts, is the ability to customize the guns. As someone who previously only owned handguns manufactured when accessory rails were not yet standard, this alone was an exciting prospect.
I used PSA’s included Allen wrench to remove the slide’s optic cover plate and replaced it with a Holosun EPS. The EPS comes with an RMR adaptor plate, making it possible to use it on PSA Daggers with an RMR cut slide. Next, I mounted a Holosun P.I.D. light on the Dagger’s rail.
All went on without a hitch.
Grip tape is often an easy solution when a gun's ergonomics don't quite mix with your own physiology.
The final modification before heading back to the range pertained to my first real complaint with the PSA Dagger—albeit a subjective one. While I enjoy the Dagger’s grip angle much more than that of the Glock, the profile of the back of the grip was too sharp for my taste. Thankfully, all it took to remedy this was a few wraps of grip tape to pad it up. After this, I found the pistol's handle much more comfortable.
The Second Stab
After tricking the Dagger out, I headed back to the range to keep shooting.
Keep in mind that I still hadn’t lubricated the pistol at this point, and I managed to put another 200 rounds through it at a pretty rapid pace before problems started to arise. My best guess is that the gun heated up enough to finally cook off whatever grease or lube was on it from the factory, so cycling began to grow sluggish and unreliable.
After a quick cleaning and lubing, the Dagger was back on the range and did another 200 rounds essentially flawlessly. Besides one double-feed with a hollow point, it was completely reliable.
I kept an eye on the trigger pin over the course of testing (something that early Daggers had a problem with), but it stayed put throughout 600 or so rounds.
That all said, the PSA Dagger has proven itself reliable. Like any gun, it just obviously appreciates a bit of lube now and then.
Ammo types used included CCI Blazer 115gr FMJ, Federal Train and Protect 115gr hollow points, Federal 115gr Syntech, Federal 124gr American Eagle FMJ, Federal 135gr Hydra Shok and Remington UMC 115gr FMJ. Shout out to Federal for providing most of the pistol's fodder. Magazines used included two Magpul 17-round mags (one came with the pistol), a Magpul 21-round mag and a Glock 17-round mag.
Most, but not all, of the ammo that was put through this Dagger.
When it comes to actual shootability, the PSA Dagger left me very impressed. To my chagrin, I shot it better and faster than the metal-framed DA/SA guns I usually train with. Combined with the good reliability and the ability to mount a light and optic, it’s a no-brainer the Dagger will become my new nightstand gun. I plan on offering to purchase it from PSA after this is published.
The ergonomics lend themselves very well to a modern, two-handed shooting grip. The large grip offers plenty of real estate for your fingers, the grip angle facilitates a very natural presentation and the scallop cut forward of the takedown lever is the perfect spot for your thumb for increased control. Hitting steel with the pistol was fast, easy and accurate.
The scallop cut was perfectly positioned for where the author places his thumb.
As for the trigger, I’m generally not too picky besides the shape. The curved and hinged design of the Dagger’s trigger is already a massive upgrade in my book over anything with a trigger shoe, even one that provides a lighter break. Other than that, the trigger felt adequate and typical of a striker-fired gun. It has a bit of travel before the wall, a relatively crisp break and a short reset. That’s all I need in a defensive pistol.
Combined, these features make for a very good shooter, and the MSRP of $370 makes that all the more impressive.
Some other good features worth mentioning are the gun’s aggressive forward and rear slide serrations that made racking a breeze, the cutout at the bottom of the frame that made stripping magazines easier and the included Ameriglo iron sights that cowitnessed perfectly with my optic.
It's hard to see since the front sight is covered by the dot, but the raised Ameriglo iron sights cowitness with the Holosun EPS.
The Dagger’s takedown lever and slide release lever felt about on par with a real Glock, but the magazine release felt worse. This is the only feature on the Dagger I like better on the Glock. The Dagger’s mag release isn’t horrible, but it was a bit too stiff for its small size. I think it would have been easier to manipulate with just a little more surface area.
Parting Shot
Given the PSA Dagger’s reliability, performance, features and price point, it’s hard to find anything to complain about that doesn’t boil down to subjective nitpicking. The reality is if you’re budget-minded but want a good, modern pistol, you can’t go wrong with the PSA Dagger.
There are similar Glock clones that would likely perform just as well, not to mention real Glocks, but you’ll almost certainly pay more if you want features like an optics-ready slide. With so many minor model variations to choose from, with choices of frame size, optics cut pattern, color and more, chances are high PSA has a Dagger that will appeal to you.
The .243 Winchester is an extremely versatile and capable hunting cartridge, so here are the six best .243 Winchester rifles to shoot it with.
Some believe that a .243 Winchester rifle is a mere youth hunting gun for whitetails and woodchucks, but as guns and ammunition have advanced over time, the setup has become a pretty decent do-everything gun. Today's .243 Winchester ammo is capable of so much more than just taking whitetails across a beanfield, although it remains a great choice for that too.
So, let’s talk about what the best .243 Winchester rifles are and what to look for when selecting one for your own hunting needs.
What’s The Best Use For A .243 Winchester Rifle?
The first and best use-case for .243 Winchester is a hunting cartridge for light-skinned game. It has long been prized as a youth cartridge given the gentle recoil which is typically less than 10 foot-pounds with most loads and rifles.
.243 Winchester has its roots in a number of wildcats, including Fred Huntington's .243 Rockchucker and Field and Stream shooting editor Warren Page's .240 Page Pouper and .240 Super Pouper. All seat a .243 (6mm) caliber projectile on a larger case, with the result being a light bullet at a warm velocity (100-grain bullets at about 3,000 feet per second are typical) with gentle recoil. Winchester used .308 Winchester as the parent case when it cooked up its spin on the concept.
From its inception, the .243 Winchester was hailed as an excellent varmint and light-skinned game cartridge, though it was also found to be exceptionally accurate and as such found a niche in benchrest shooting.
It's worth noting that Page was a major influence on benchrest shooting as a sport, and High Power national championships have been won as recently as 2017 with a .243 Winchester rifle.
Early factory loads were 80- and 100-grain soft points, but now can be as light as 55 grains or as heavy as 105 grains. The old soft point bullets are fine for light-skinned game at moderate ranges, but modern monometal high-BC bullets are fully capable of taking larger game including elk, moose, caribou and black bear.
With modern bullet technology, bullet weight is not as important any more. This massive gemsbok was taken with a single shot from a .243 Winchester using an 85-grain Nosler Partition.
You would be forgiven for thinking that .243 Winchester was best reserved for modest distances for hunting, but modern high-BC loads are a lot more capable than you'd think. Here's a ballistic trajectory table for Federal's 95-grain Berger Hybrid load (G1 BC of .434). The table was built using Shooter's Calculator with a 1.5-inch sight height, a 10 mph 90-degree crosswind, zero corrections for atmosphere and a 100-yard zero.
As you can see, it's still supersonic at 1,000 yards and still has more energy at 500 yards than a .357 Magnum does at the muzzle. Ergo, it's safe to say that it would be effective on whitetails to at least that distance if not beyond, as well as on sheep, mountain goats and similar game.
So, while the classic .243 Winchester is still great for prairie dogs and whitetails, it's capable of a lot more than that with the correct ammo and in the hands of a practiced marksman.
.243 Winchester Rifle Barrels
The most typical configuration of a .243 Winchester rifle is probably a 22-inch barrel with a 1:10 twist, although a 1:12 twist is not unheard of. Some are offered with a 1:9 or 1:9.25 twist, and match rifle barrels can be found with a 1:8 5C (1-in-8 twist with canted lands) as well.
The most common barrel lengths are 20, 22, and 24 inches, though some opine that .243 rifles should have 26-inch barrels to achieve optimal velocities. Some NRA High Power shooters are known to use barrels as long as 32 inches.
You can find data online that shows the velocity loss per inch of barrel for .243 Winchester, and it suggests that the sweet spot is between 20 and 24 inches. The decrease in velocity only starts to become significant when going below 20 inches of barrel length.
Since velocity matters when it comes to terminal performance and trajectory, the optimal barrel length would be 22 to 24 inches for most shooters’ needs, but 20 inches still delivers acceptable performance if you need your rifle to be more compact.
As for the rifle’s twist rate, a 1:10 twist is the most common; it's just fast enough to stabilize heavy-for-caliber projectiles but just slow enough for lighter ones too. If you intend to shoot heavier, higher-BC projectiles (such as the 105 grain) look for a barrel with a faster twist such as 1:9 or 1:9.25.
Other Considerations For A .243 Winchester Rifle
Depending on what you plan on using it for, there are other features to pay attention to when selecting a rifle chambered for .243 Winchester. There are scads of generic bolt-action rifles in this caliber given its popularity, but there are a great deal of more specialized rifles too.
Nearly any aesthetic you desire can be obtained. Rugged, utilitarian rifles made of synthetic and stainless steel to rifles with modern carbon fiber-wrapped barrels in camo patterns to classics in walnut and blued steel.
If you want peak modularity, look at either an AR-10 or a common bolt-action platform. That gives you the ability to customize the stock and/or furniture, swap components, and so on. If you know you plan on using a suppressor with the setup, be sure to purchase a model with a threaded barrel too.
Obviously, lightweight and compact rifles make the best field rifles. Compact models in this caliber are plentiful, perfect for younger shooters or backcountry hunters looking for a light, handy hunting rifle.
The 6 Best .243 Winchester Rifles:
The Classic: Winchester Model 70 Featherweight
In a lot of ways, Winchester got it right the first time. The Model 70 Featherweight is still light by today's standard at 6.75 pounds. If you want a functional classic, the Rifleman's Rifle is about as good as it gets.
Today's Model 70 uses the same controlled-round feed Mauser-style action, just made with modern CNC machines and bedded in a walnut stock with fleur-de-lis checkering and Winchester's adjustable Marksman trigger. The barrel length is 22 inches with a 1:10 twist.
MSRP is $1,279, but street prices are closer to $1,100.
The Compact: Browning X-Bolt Micro Midas
There are several compact and youth rifles in .243 Winchester, but the Browning X-Bolt Micro Midas is the sleeper among them and well worth looking at.
The Midas Micro has a wood stock and features a 20-inch barrel with a 1:10 twist, but the stunning part is that it only weighs 6 pounds, 1 ounce for a walnut and steel rifle. Add Browning's Feather trigger and 60-degree bolt…that's a lot of bang for the buck given its $999 MSRP.
Best Value: Savage AXIS II
The Savage AXIS II is a fantastic point of entry for this cartridge, sporting outstanding features for a low price point. It has an AXIS II adjustable stock, Savage’s excellent AccuTrigger and a 22-inch barrel with a 1:9.25 twist.
Unloaded and sans optic, the AXIS II Compact weighs under 7 pounds, making it a good choice for a lightweight rifle as well. With an MSRP of $479, it's very attainable, and for only $50 more you can get one that ships with a Bushnell Banner 3-9x40mm scope.
The AR: Rock River Arms Predator HP BT-3
While it would seem an AR-10/308 rifle in .243 Winchester is a slam dunk, there are few factory AR-style rifles chambered for the cartridge. One of the few is the Rock River Arms Predator HP. While a .243 AR it is, a field rifle it is not given its weight of 9.2 pounds.
The rifle’s 20-inch barrel is made of stainless steel, fluted, features a 1:10 twist and has a rifle-length gas system. The receiver set is RRA’s BT-3 billet lower and flat-top upper, and the package ships with a fully-railed M-LOK handguard. The rifle is available with or without a muzzle brake and it utilizes SR25/DPMS-pattern magazines. MSRP starts at $2,070.
The Modern Hunter: Christensen Arms Ridgeline FFT
Christensen Arms makes some of the finest, most technologically advanced hunting rifles available. The Ridgeline FFT has the company’s carbon fiber stock and carbon fiber-wrapped barrel, resulting in a lightweight, accurate rifle for the demanding backcountry hunter.
It features a sporter style stock with multiple camo pattern options available, with a CF-wrapped hand-lapped 20-inch 1:10 twist barrel and a removable muzzle brake. Christensen's action is based on the Remington 700, so scope mounting is no sweat.
The Ridgeline FFT weighs in at 5.3 pounds and comes with Christensen Arms' sub-MOA guarantee. MSRP is $2,399.
Tactical Bolt-Action: Tikka T3x Super Varmint
One of the most forward-looking .243 Winchester rifles that's worth considering is the Tikka T3x Super Varmint.
It features a stock with an adjustable cheekpiece, a two-stage trigger and a box magazine with a 5+1 capacity. You have your choice of a 20-inch compact model or one with a 23.7-inch barrel, but both have a 1:8 twist. This makes the Tikka an excellent choice for a hunting rifle with heavy-for-caliber high-BC bullets or for an entry-level competition rifle.
Street prices are in the $1,600 to $1,700 range, but the feature list helps justify the price tag.
Why old-school projectiles remain a valuable resource to reloaders in the 21st century.
I truly enjoy shooting and hunting with the latest bullet technology, and I’ve written many times that we’re in the Golden Age of projectile development. Monometal copper bullets, hybrid ogive designs and bonded cores are all great … but they aren’t always necessary. Sometimes, an older, classic design fits the bill perfectly—and might even be desirable.
The classics are “classics” for a reason. They’ve proven themselves for generations, and so long as the application is suitable, they function just fine. Of course, some of the simpler designs showed their limits and resulted in the recommended cartridge and caliber minimums we’ve all become familiar with. However, when you stay within the parameters of the projectile’s design, you can see the merits of that particular bullet.
“If it’s good enough for the military, it’s good enough for me.” The classic FMJ handgun bullet is a great choice for affordable, high-volume shooting. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
The Ol’ Cup-And-Core
The cup-and-core bullet design—for both rifles and handguns—hearkens back to the 1880s yet remains a perfectly viable choice for both hunting and defensive work. It’s a simple concept, with a lead core wrapped in a copper jacket, usually with a bit of exposed lead at the meplat to initiate expansion for the hunting bullets, or perhaps completely encapsulated in the case of the full metal jacket, military-style rifle.
In the rifle world, the Remington Core-Lokt is a great example of a bullet still in use today, and it still works great when used at reasonable velocities on suitable game species. In cartridges like the .30-30 Winchester, .257 Roberts, 7mm Mauser and .30-06 Springfield—where velocities are reasonable—a cup-and-core design will suit just fine, especially if of proper sectional density. The light-for-caliber rifle bullets tend to be frangible, especially if pushed too fast.
From the reloading perspective, I like this bullet style for cartridges that have minimal case capacity. The lead core keeps the bullet length down, and many of the older designs have a shorter ogive; this combination allows for more room in the case, and less bullet outside the case mouth. The .308 Winchester, .300 Winchester Magnum (I do prefer bullets with thicker jackets for this application), .350 Remington Magnum, and .260 Remington will all be easier to load with the shorter cup-and-core projectiles. The Sierra GameKing and ProHunter, Speer Hot-Cor, Hornady InterLock and aforementioned Core-Lokt are all hell on deer and similarly sized game … and wonderfully affordable.
I also like the cup-and-core bullet design for fueling obscure cartridges. As just one example, to feed my .318 Westley Richards—which uses a .330-inch-diameter bullet—I bought a Lee Classic Bullet Sizing Kit, sized for .329-inch-diameter bullets. With a liberal application of Imperial Sizing Die Wax and some heaving and shoving on the Redding Ultra Mag reloading press, I can swage Hornady’s .338-inch-diameter 250-grain Interlock cup and core bullets down to 0.330 inch. There seems to be 0.001 inch of spring-back, as the resultant bullets measure 0.330 inch on two different sets of calipers. All this lets me keep the old cartridge alive.
One of the biggest complaints about cup-and-core rifle bullets is jacket/core separation. Upon impact, the jacket peels away from the core, resulting in poor penetration. This is a common phenomenon among boat-tail bullets, especially at higher velocities. This condition is also what prompted John Nosler to build a better mousetrap; his .300 H&H Magnum was a bit too fast for the bullets of the 1940s, and blew up on a moose’s shoulder. If you run a magnum cartridge, I suggest a thick jacket and plenty of bullet weight.
While there have been numerous technological advances in bullet technology, a good flat base cup-and-core bullet—like the Sierra ProHunter shown here—can certainly get the job done. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
Jacketed Hollow-Points
On the handgun front, the old-school bullets can be an effective, highly affordable and clean choice. The jacketed hollow-point has long been relied upon for defensive work and will give great penetration without breaking the bank. Hornady’s XTP and XTP Mag and Sierra’s Sportsmaster are still great choices and can serve for target work, defensive needs and as a hunting bullet. They have a good cannelure, or crimping groove, and they’ll withstand magnum velocities.
For those who prefer to avoid lead vapors, the tried-and-true FMJ, TMJ or encapsulated bullet makes a great choice. You'll need to be a bit more careful with the crimp—I prefer a good taper crimp for the autoloading cartridges—as you can bulge the case or damage the bullet when using a roll crimp without a cannelure.
Another point to keep in mind when it comes to handgun bullets: some are plated instead of jacketed. Make sure you use the proper load data for the specific type of bullet you’re loading, as confusing the two can lead to pressure issues, and no one needs that.
The author used a Lee Classic Bullet Sizing Die to swage Hornady 250-grain .338-inch-diameter bullets down to .330 inch for use in the .318 Westley Richards. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
Lead Is Timeless
Lead projectiles are as old as cartridges themselves and can make a great option for the reloader to create cheap and effective ammunition, in both rifle and handgun cartridges. You can buy cast lead bullets or grab a mold and cast your own; I like a bit of antimony to keep things a bit cleaner in the barrel. Some of the lead projectiles are wrapped in a polymer coating—like Federal’s Syntech—to minimize fouling as well as lead vapor in an enclosed environment.
Using a cast lead bullet for practice is perfect means for becoming proficient with your handgun. If you want to put time in with your .454 Casull, without the associated pounding, load up some 255-grain cast lead loads at .45 Colt specs and head to the range. Cheap wadcutters are great for the EDC wheelguns; my S&W Model 36 happily digests all the cast wadcutters I can feed it, making practice much less expensive. If you want to try to minimize lead fouling, and even out velocities a bit, a gas check is a great idea.
While there are plenty of applications for a premium bullet—from thick-skinned animals to targets measured in miles—there’s still plenty of space for a classic design. With the price of ammunition and components constantly on the rise, perhaps it’s high time to take another look at the more affordable choices for our reloading.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the November 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Sig Sauer is expanding the CROSS bolt-action rifle line with the CROSS Magnum, initially available in .300 Win. Mag.
The CROSS bolt-action rifle family from Sig Sauer was previously only available chambered for .308 Winchester, 6.5mm Creedmoor and .277 Fury, but the company is now adding .300 Winchester Magnum to the mix with the announcement of the CROSS Magnum. While the new magnum rifle is initially launching with only the .300 Win. Mag. chambering, more caliber options are expected to be introduced soon.
The Cross Magnum features a 24-inch 5R barrel that’s stainless steel, has a medium contour and is user-changeable. Covering the barrel is a free-floated, full-length ARCA rail with M-LOK slots for attaching accessories. Other notable details include the rifle’s two-stage match trigger, its PRS-style pistol grip and its precision stock which is both foldable and adjustable. The rifle ships with one 6-round AICS-pattern magazine and has an anodized coyote finish.
Tom Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President of Commercial Sales at Sig Sauer said this about the new bolt-action rifle:
The development of the CROSS Magnum pushes the boundaries of innovation for a bolt-action platform and delivers on precision, power, and performance … Starting with the receiver design, the CROSS Magnum allows for easy barrel changes while keeping your scope and pic-rail mounted, adds a new folding hinge for easier, intuitive folding, better stock-retention and a stronger lock-up, includes a full-length ARCA and M-LOK rail for maximum tripod and bipod usability and adjustment in the field, while the integrated radial compensator design reduces the felt recoil of the magnum caliber by forty-five percent. The CROSS Magnum is feature-rich, performance built, and ready for the hunt.
Neither an MSRP nor a release date for the CROSS Magnum have been announced as of this writing.
When it comes to your rifle’s optic, how do you determine the right level of scope magnification for your needs?
There has been a longstanding discussion regarding which optics are best for certain tasks. You hear it all the time in colorful anecdotes such as “one power for every hundred yards is all you need,” “4X is plenty for deer,” “that’s too much scope for that caliber,” “my grandpa did that with iron sights” … and the list runs on.
These days, we’re pairing guns and scopes that traditionally haven’t held hands (like a magnified riflescope on a lever gun). How is one to decide what constitutes the right scope for the job considering that, by technological merit, all the old arguments are largely bunk?
The .45 Colt is a short-range cartridge in a rifle. The custom Henry here has a 1-4X Leupold scout scope, which is more than enough for this cartridge and gun combination.
Optic Advances
Much of the gun world is based on individual need. As a result, we see a wide and diverse range of options that fit virtually any range of budget or desired criteria. The nature of optics is rapidly changing, and what we consider to be state-of-the-art today will likely be a bargain-bin special 20 years from now.
The development of firearms has peaked in all critical ways, despite some manufacturers trying to reinvent the wheel at every possible turn. This isn’t to say we can’t still make excellent things out of interesting materials, but the base concept of virtually all firearms we know today comes from the era around the Industrial Revolution.
Yes, fully automatic firearms were around concurrent to the Wild West and the basis for modern cartridges and firearms was firmly established by 1900, and it could be said that we essentially arrived as early as the 1880s. Cartridges like the 7.62x54R were designed in the late 1880s and are still being used heavily around the world today, including by both sides in the current Russo-Ukrainian War.
My point: The guns we use now are established concepts—even “new” designs are usually variants of something that has already been around for some time.
Optics, on the other hand, have had a much longer road and have been on a trajectory similar to that of electronics, and they’re so good today that it’s truly mind-blowing.
A Brownells BRN180 with 1.5X ACOG. While it might seem like this is red-dot territory, the little ACOG actually has a functional bullet drop compensator and is just as rugged as its 4X big brother. It’s a very fast, light setup.
The Perfect Match Or Overkill?
Yet, for as advanced as these optics are, no doubt they’ll be exceeded in just a couple years’ time by the same companies that make them. The thing about many of these scopes is that they’re big … and big is a problem if you’re trying to do any type of shooting that’s non-stationary. Weight is a consideration here, not just physical size. We have the notion that big scopes are for long range, but I want to challenge that.
The Leupold Mark 5, 5-25X, is a large but light scope, and I love it atop a .450 Bushmaster. You may be wondering why I would have a huge, 35mm long-range scope on top of a short-range, suppressed bolt action, but the answer is simple. I hunt agricultural areas, and I need a rifle that could fire both supersonic and subsonic ammo, while addressing the legal need for a straight wall case.
For this, I needed a scope I could quickly and easily dial in my subsonic zeros off my supersonic main zero, which wasn’t a task for just any scope. I also needed a large tube and objective for the best possible light collection in the shadowy areas I hunt. This rifle was built for a purpose, and it did what I asked of it. Had it not been for that scope with its fast return to zero abilities, I would’ve been holding out in space hoping for the best with subsonic loads.
Two shorty hunters, one in 6.5 Creedmoor and the other in .450 Bushmaster. Each of these guns has a scope in the 3-15X power range, and each will bring home the bacon.
I’ve been directly mocked for placing a “scope that belongs on a .300 Win. Mag.” on a .450 Bushmaster. Who says a 200-yard cartridge needs only 4X? Where is that law of the field written? I don’t agree that a 5-25X is overkill.
To date, I’ve recorded that I made 90 percent of my deer kills with a rifle with the scope set between 6X and 10X, of course 8X being the operative average. I surveyed as many hunters as I could in preparation for this article, and I was not surprised to find most people consider 4X the bare minimum … and about 10X as all that’s truly useful.
So, you could say that I have a great deal of unused magnification in that scope, but I don’t see it that way: Unused capability is still capability, and I don’t see a reason to deliberately handicap myself on the idea that I could be using that extra magnification somewhere else.
That said, last year I did find a single problem involving magnification, but it wasn’t what I’d call a “failure” by end result. Using the described .450 Bushmaster, a hunting buddy and I stalked a herd to within 200 yards over rolling terrain. I set up prone, found a choice big-bodied deer but had to use my magnification to determine if it was a legal shot based on antlers.
The deer’s head was just inside the tree line, body in the field. Satisfied that it was a good shooter, I turned to the other hunter, and he took that as me being ready. He fired and got his. After an explicit utterance, I found “my” deer again but was still at 25X. It stood long enough for me to get lined up, but I lost my chance. I redeemed myself only 20 minutes later, but on 8X. It goes to show that, while beneficial for making a legally required identification of a deer, too much magnification can be a liability in the moment—but not an overall a problem.
A Brownell’s 1-6X LPVO on a subsonic .450 Bushmaster build. This is a great combo for subsonic hunting, but a 10x isn’t out of the question at 100 yards.
Is There A Right Answer?
Playing devil’s advocate, I’d have probably been fine with scope magnification up to 10X for making shots in the field. For decades, the old 3-9X range was standard, with the fixed 10X being something of a military guy thing—also where we get the old “one power for every hundred yards” saying on 10X military scopes at a thousand yards. The classic 3-9X range was considerably good for what it offered for much of shooting history—until the bigger scopes with more features started to come around. Separation on power, range, magnification and scope size began to emerge.
The idea that you need to match the capabilities of a scope to a rifle is largely based on your intended situation, and there’s no true right answer. For much of recent history, deer hunting was accomplished by simple 3X or 4X optics, yet there are few hunters who use the most successful 4X optic in history: the ACOG.
Two very accurate 16-inch 5.56 AR builds. The top has a 4X ACOG. The rifle below has a 1-8X Trijicon CREDO. These guns both shoot ½-inch MOA with Black Hills 77-grain match ammo, but the latter rifle is able to more precisely use its accuracy. The ACOG carbine is much faster to deploy and offers speed as well as lighter weight.
In the current day and age of the AR, and the rise of the platform for small and large game hunting, you’d think the venerable ACOG would be the choice. It never really took off as a hunting optic and is now a second choice to the current generation of variable power optics in the 1-6X, 1-8X and 2-10X range of magnification. Yet, in this same time period where modern semi-auto rifles are equipped with scopes that mirror the old 3-9X classic magnification range, we see bolt actions being fitted with large and larger optics.
What’s even more interesting is that these new-generation optics tend to be somewhat large and heavy for how light the AR and other semi-auto platforms are. I like my AR as light as possible while still being effective. I’ve built some heavy guns to support their intended roles as long-range rifles, such as the .224 Valkyrie build in the June issue of GDTM. That rifle was about as heavy as I like for a medium range rifle. Much of that bulk was evenly distributed, but it was just plain burdensome to lug around.
The original intent Stoner had when he made these guns in the 1950s was to make them light … as in the “lite” in ArmaLite. I have a classic Brownells Retro build, and it’s such an impressively light gun that it has become my favorite AR of all time. Yes, it’s a 20-inch pencil barrel. Yes, it has a carry handle and, yes, it has plain iron sights—but man it’s nice to carry, and it’s incredibly fast on target to 400 yards.
LBS And LPVOs
The AR rifles of today are seemingly getting heavier. I try to keep my builds light, but plenty of guys I know are lugging 10-pound carbines around at classes and competitions. Weight adds up fast when you start adding accessories, and as the old adage goes, pounds are pain.
LPVO optics are all the rage today. They’re great scopes but can be heavy and can make a light gun unwieldy.
These modern optics in the LPVO (low power variable optic—I have no idea who decides on these senseless abbreviations) class are getting bulkier and heavier as time has passed, and the mounts they use are getting more and more elaborate. I was extremely excited to get a loaner Trijicon VCOG, but I have to say that it was clunky and heavy compared to my TA31 ACOG. The center of gravity was so high that I couldn’t get used to it. I really like the Trijicon Credo 1-8X, which isn’t that much smaller, but it feels much lighter by comparison. I have that scope on my subsonic-only suppressed .450 Bushmaster AR carbine for the 2023 deer season, and I’m eager to put it to use.
The LPVO situation is a trend that exists almost exclusively in carbine territory. I get why people like them, but so few of the people adding them to their guns are actually using them in field conditions … and I think much of that has to do with perception. Case in point: I do 99 percent of my rifle shooting off of a tripod, and the weight of the gun only matters so long as I am carrying it. Once in position, I clip it in and just sit back and relax.
Q’s The Fix in 6.5 Creedmoor is a light rifle for packing that offers decent accuracy. Being a bolt action makes it legal for hunting in many areas that the equally compact and accurate Brownells BRN180 isn’t. Given the choice of the two, I’d skip The Fix because it’s just not a comfortable gun to shoot and is awkwardly laid out for the powerful 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge.
Wrapping Up
Don’t be fooled by the idea you need more or less scope magnification than you can realistically use. If you’re hunting pigs at 100 yards, you shouldn’t be fooled into doing so with a big scope just because you’re using a .300 Win. Mag. Put a red dot on there and utilize the power of the cartridge and speed of the dot in tandem. Put yourself at an advantage and the bullets will do the rest. There is no right answer—just your circumstances and how you choose to address them.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the November 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
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