Biofire has just announced what may be the world’s first practical, biometrically secured smart gun.
As long as the concept has been floating around, it’s no surprise that a company is finally bringing one to market. The company is Biofire, and the product appears to be the world’s first truly practical and commercially available smart gun. While smart guns from science fiction typically do things like auto-lock onto targets, here in reality, the new Biofire Smart Gun is simply protected by biometrics.
A biometrically secured firearm that can only be fired by certain approved individuals is impressive technology in itself, but it does open a can of worms considering that anti-gun groups have endorsed the concept in the past and states like New Jersey have introduced legislation attempting to restrict future sales of firearms not equipped with this tech. Gun Digest will be keeping an eye on the Biofire Smart Gun to see where this all goes. The company has, however, already released a statement declaring its opposition to mandates such as the New Jersey law and its support for private ownership and freedom of choice.
That all said, how does the Biofire Smart Gun actually work? It uses “capacitive fingerprint identification and 3D infrared facial recognition” to determine if the individual holding the firearm is approved to fire it. Biometric data is captured by the gun during user enrollment and stored only on the gun; biometric data is never directly exposed by or stored on the dock. Once the system detects either an approved user’s fingerprint or face (whichever comes first), it quickly unlocks and can be fired like a normal handgun.
The system is also protected by “solid state, encrypted electronic fire control technology” to prevent tampering and is the first handgun to utilize “fire-by-wire” technology typically only used on fighter jets and missiles. Further, Biofire claims that the system can work even if the user is wearing a face covering or gloves. The pistol itself is 9mm, striker-fired and feeds from 10- or 15-round magazines.
The standard variant of the Biofire Smart Gun is slated to begin shipping in Q2 of 2024 and will have an MSRP of $1,499. Preorders are currently open and the guns can be ordered in either left- or right-handed configurations and in several color combinations.
When it comes to feeding your AR-15, is green tip 5.56 ammo top-shelf, bottom of the barrel or somewhere in between?
Whether you know it as M855, SS109, or just green tip 5.56, this variety of 5.56x45mm NATO ammo is somewhat controversial. On the one hand, it’s been standard military issue for decades. On the other hand, “military issue” doesn’t mean that something is inherently the best at anything!
So, let's delve into the myths about 5.56 green tip, its origins, what it's actually good for and what to keep in mind while buying it.
The First 5.56mm NATO Cartridge
What we now call “green tip” 5.56mm NATO ammunition was originally developed by FN Herstal in the late 1970s. The idea was to create a standardized (STANAG) NATO cartridge that would work with service rifles like the M16 family, FAMAS, CETME-L and Steyr AUG, as well as FN's (then) upcoming Minimi light machine gun, which would soon be adopted by the U.S. as the M249.
The cartridge had to exhibit certain performance characteristics, including penetration potential at long range as well as stable flight. To accomplish this, FN added a 7-grain steel tip insert which moved the center of gravity a little further back and raised the total bullet weight from 55 grains to 62 grains.
The added steel tip was able to penetrate a mild steel plate (roughly similar to the thickness/metallurgy of a .135-inch thick USGI steel helmet from WWII) at 800 meters. It satisfied this and all other requirements and was adopted as the standard load for 5.56x45mm NATO.
FN's internal designation for the bullet core and design is/was SS109. The American military gave it its own designation, M855, and painted the tip green to distinguish it from other issued loads.
An improved version, M855A1, was eventually introduced with a revised jacket over a copper bullet with a steel penetrator made from a harder steel alloy. That, however, is a discussion for another day.
Lake City M855.
Is Green Tip5.56 Armor Piercing?
Green tip 5.56mm can pierce some armor, but it isn't made for that purpose. Yes, part of the original development cycle was piercing very light armor, but that alone does not armor-piercing ammunition make.
Bear in mind that one of the original tests of M193 (55-grain FMJ) was penetrating a USGI steel helmet at 500 yards, which it passed. Further, M193/XM193 has been repeatedly proven to penetrate AR500 steel plates while M855 has a track record of less reliably doing so.
M995 “black tip,” which is a 52-grain bullet with a tungsten core, is absolutely an armor-piercing round as it was designed to fill this role. When it comes to M855, it’s closer to the truth to say it can pierce certain kinds of armor, but A.) it isn't made to, and B.) there's some evidence it's not very good at it anyway.
M855 Vs. Other 5.56 Loads
Using ShootersCalculator, we cooked up some tables representative of each load in question. Here’s a 1,000-yard trajectory table for green tip M855, made using the average G1 BC of .304, a muzzle velocity of 3,062 fps and a 2.6-inch sight height to account for standard AR-15 irons. All tables were made presuming a 100-yard zero, a 10 mph 90-degree crosswind and zero corrections for atmosphere.
And here's the same table for M193, presuming muzzle velocity of 3,100 fps and a G1 ballistic coefficient of .243, which is standard for M193 ball.
As you can see, M855 stays supersonic for an additional 150 yards, has drifted 10 fewer inches and dropped about 7 fewer inches at 500 yards, all while retaining more energy than M193.
However, bear in mind that the fragmentation threshold for M855 and M193 is roughly 2,600 fps (below this velocity, both projectiles become unlikely to reliably fragment). M855 drops to that velocity in 150 yards, and M193 at 125 yards.
While M855 clearly has slightly longer legs than M193, there are more loads available than those two. Here’s a trajectory table for something a bit less common.
This is a trajectory table for Mk262, the Black Hills 77-grain Sierra Match King load issued by the military that has an advertised G1 BC of .373 and muzzle velocity of 2,863. Compared to M855, it stays supersonic for an additional 100 yards, but because the SMK bullet has a lower fragmentation threshold of around 1,900 fps, it actually extends the nominal effective range to just over 400 yards. Compared to M855’s nominal effective range of 150 yards, that’s quite impressive.
Point being, while M855 is marginally better than M193 on paper, it’s also not the best 5.56 load available. Whether you’re after maximum range or maximum effect on target, there are many better options than either of these surplus loads.
Green Tip5.56 For Defense
Frankly, green tip 5.56 is a lousy choice for self-defense.
Fragmentation and yawing (tumbling) on impact are ostensibly the big benefits of 5.56x45mm NATO’s terminal performance, but the steel penetrator changes the center of gravity of the bullet.
That leads to what's called “fleet yaw,” a phenomenon (discovered by Dr. Martin Fackler) wherein some projectiles from the same lot of ammunition will yaw and fragment, but not all will. The same lot of ammunition has been observed to perform flawlessly in one rifle, but terribly out of an identical rifle.
When green tip doesn't yaw or fragment, it's basically just ice-picking the target with a .224-caliber bullet.
Wound ballistics of M855 when it successfully fragments. Source: Dr. Martin Fackler.
Veterans of the Battle of Mogadishu reported similar findings. Some who served there were completely satisfied with 5.56 green tip while others reported having to hit a target several times before they were incapacitated.
Ballistic testing shows that 62-grain green tip 5.56 does not yaw as reliably or as soon in tissue when compared to M193, typically only doing so until it’s 7 or 8 inches deep. It also does so less reliably at shorter ranges and when traveling at the slower velocities produced by rifles with short barrels.
Other 5.56x45mm loads, such as bonded soft points and 77-grain OTM, have more reliable expansion or yawing at shorter ranges and at slower velocities. They're also superior when used for hitting targets through intermediate barriers.
So, green tip is lousy self-defense ammunition. It's also lousy for hunting, and guess what the recommended 5.56mm hunting loads are? 55- and 62-grain bonded soft points.
When it comes to range ammo, M855 has pros and cons. While it is generally pretty cheap and available, its use is also banned at many ranges. This is because the steel insert is hard on steel targets and poses a bigger risk of starting a fire.
If you want to use it to shoot your own steel targets on your own land, that's up to you, but if you primarily use public ranges then green tip isn't the best choice.
Not All Green Tip 5.56 Is Created Equal
Green tip 5.56 ammo can suffer from the same problem as AR-15 rifles and 1911 pistols. Anyone can make them…which means some people are going to cut corners to fill a demand rather than turn out a good product.
In other words, not all green tip 5.56 is created equal. Dozens of ammunition factories, ranging from Lake City to Winchester to IMI to PMC to cowboy outfits that you've never heard of all make their own M855 clone, and not all of them are necessarily good.
They also aren't all identical, even when they share the same name. Military ammunition is made to strict specifications that lay out every single technical detail, from the primer to the propellant to the projectile and all points in between. When buying a commercial copy of M855 rather than true military surplus, you have no guarantee that whoever made it did so correctly.
For instance, the powder for actual M855 is supposed to be WC 844/Hogdon H335. While H335 is hardly the rarest propellant in the world, it's certainly the case that you can approximate the velocity with a different and cheaper powder, but that's going to change the pressure curve (which matters in a gun that runs on gas!) and so on.
Does any ammunition manufacturer you know of specify what powder they use? What primer? Some advertise which bullet, but not much else.
Green tip 5.56 is also a popular load for remanufactured ammunition, and while plenty is of good quality, a lot of it isn't. That's why a lot of top shooting schools and instructors don't allow remanufactured ammo in their courses.
The “LC” stamp indicates that this M855 was manufactured at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant.
Point being, M855 is one of the most reproduced/cloned loadings in the world, and the further you get from the original the more problems may arise. You probably won't have too many issues with, say, Winchester white box M855 or PMC Bronze, but you might from someone else's. Manufacturers that primarily serve the military such as Lake City are the safest bet.
Due to its low price and high availability, green tip 5.56 remains a fine choice for training ammunition. Just be aware that the load possesses no mystical qualities and isn’t particularly better than any other variety of 5.56. If you’re looking for something to use for defense or hunting, there are many better options out there.
A review of some regal German engineering in the form of the Mauser M18 bolt-action rifle.
It was 1955, and I was a 12-year-old kid hunting deer in Minnesota’s heavy timber northwest angle with my dad. The years after World War II had the USA awash with surplus military rifles of every kind. As such, my rifle, as assigned by dad in those days, was a German Model 98 Mauser chambered in the German military standard 8mm. That was my first rifle, and on the hunt resulted in my first harvested whitetail.
During the years that followed, the Mauser brand in German surplus rifles, and also a few lookalikes in additional brand names, were a major part of my total experience when it came to learning the craft of using a rifle. Model 95s in 7mm, make-over rifles chambered in 30-06 and even .45-70 (large ring) took up their share of space in the old-school-style basement gun room. Even today, far too many years later, I still carry a blue-printed receiver Mark X Mauser that mounts to a custom barrel and is chambered in .224 Valkyrie. Old habits die hard.
With a call from one of my brand contacts in July of this year, I became quickly involved with the introduction of a totally new Mauser, German built and engineered from the buttstock up. With just a few words over an email introducing the basic rifle, I became hooked at once on another very famous, and to this day solid brand-named offering, in firearms.
What’s In A Name?
Mauser’s Model 18, which also carries the name “Sauana” attached to it, is a hunter’s rifle to the core. Upon its arrival for testing and overall evaluation, I noticed the design in its polymer synthetic stock to be very attractive to the hunter who covers a lot of ground and can’t deal with massive amounts of excess weight. While the rifle is also offered in a wood-stocked model, the synthetic design carried soft grip inlays as well as buttstock storage for some small items that fit the bill perfectly for the long-distance mountain hunter. Every single ounce counts when on the move.
Push-button storage locker buttstock. Small area for muzzle cap, extra ammo or other smaller items.
This rifle stock is adequate for the type of rifle that the M18 is, built for tough use with a lighter-weight handling. I found the barrel at 22 inches to be free floated to the receiver ring and lacking any advanced bedding systems, as you’ll soon see little in the way of a general-purpose hunting rifle out-shooting this new offering by Mauser.
With a carry weight load of 8½ pounds—including a scope—the new Mauser 18 would be classed as a light porter and designed well away from the current trend in heavy chassis rifles and other long-range big-game offerings. Mounting the GemTech Dagger suppressor, the rifle’s weight comes up just under 10 pounds. Keep in mind that this rifle is offered as a medium cartridge system (.308/6.5 Creedmoor), as well as a heavy magnum version. Carry weight will vary with different chambering and add-on elements associated with sight system and sound suppression.
The stock drops down to a slim forend that mounts sling swivels and also houses a wide, generous box magazine design that makes use of an inline magazine. Just ahead of the magwell is a button that functions with total ease when dropping the box for loading.
Magazine flush with stock. Easy load in and out.
So many times this is where rifles fall short: The magazine itself allows a very smooth, easy cartridge drop straight down into it, and when installed again down into the magazine well, the fit is perfect and retains a solid lock. Nothing is worse than having a magazine drop into 6 inches of powder snow with a trophy buck looking straight down the barrel as you’re working the rifles action.
In exact terms of chambering for this rifle, Mauser is offering it in the following cartridges: (mini models) .222 Rem. and .223 Rem.; (medium models) .243 Win., 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5×55, .270 Win., .308 Win., .30-06 Springfield, 8×57 IS and 9.3×62; and (magnum models) 7mm Rem., and .300 Win. Mag. The total magazine capacity is five rounds for the medium-grade cartridges, and four rounds as applied to the magnum group.
In terms of barrel length, 22 inches meets the yardstick, and this is a nice length when applying a full-size suppressor, like my GemTech military-grade unit.
The Ever-Evolving Action
The rifle’s action is a major change from the old-school Mauser-style turn-bolts. This action makes use of a straight, clean 0.805 one-piece bolt tube that retains a rotating head, button extractor and three locking lugs. The bolt handle will produce a pivot turn when at full function of 60 degrees regarding an opening angle. I found this to be a very fast bolt design, and it didn’t require much, if any, forced lifting of the bolt when in the process of making shots off-hand or from benchrest positions during a second shot. The action was very smooth, and lockup was fast and solid regarding my selected 6.5 Creedmoor fodder. The bottom line is that I like this rifle a whole lot from a hunter’s perspective.
Red pin indicator showing rifle cocked. Bolt designed for short-stroke operation.
The controls on the rifle are field-dirt simple, with a thumb safety on the right side of the receiver housing that’s a push-forward firing-position design. I found the safety to be a bit noisy when operated with a single thumb push, but when using two fingers to guide the latch, all sound leaves the function.
Bolt assembly—clean one piece and button extractor ejection and three locking lugs.
The safety is a trigger-lug design and a direct link to the rifle’s firing mechanism. The safety has three-position full safe, ready and fire. Keeping the rifle in full safe position, being all the way to the rear, the action is locked, but the magazine can be removed. Using the second position, the action can be opened but the fire controls remain locked. With the safety lever full forward, the rifle is now operational. The system is outstanding for use in rifle scabbards when on horseback or packed into vehicles. In full safe, the bolt won’t open, which has been an issue in the past for many mounted hunters in Western states. When the rifle is cocked, a red pin indicator is protruding from the rear of the bolt. Upon firing or release of the cocked bolt, this red pin recedes back into the rear of the bolt face. These are a hunter’s dream features and will be well received by owners of this rifle.
Downrange
If lacking accuracy, I don’t care what a rifle offers in terms of handling and looks—and the heart of the hunting rifle is its accuracy. What can’t hit can’t function. This, however, isn’t the case regarding the Mauser M18. This rifle shoots. Even on the first day—after mounting a better grade 3-18x50mm Zeiss Conquest V6 over the standard Remington Model 700 bases by way of pair of six screw sniper-grade 30mm rings—it was time to see what made the new rifle tick.
Shooting for zero and bore sighting required two rounds sent to 50 yards. Right off, the rifle handled like a dream. (I own some much more expensive big-game rifles that don’t have the smooth feel and control of this rifle.)
After just returning from a 100-yard to one-mile shooting event in Wyoming, and because we handload by way of Federal and RSCB all of our long-range loads via the 6.5 Creedmoor chambered rifles, I elected to run my handloaded Berger 130-grain Match bullet loads for starters in the live-fire test phase regarding the Mauser M18.
A wide range of ammunition was tested in the M18. This rifle liked everything, but heavy bullets were a touch better in the super tight group department.
With a cold bore and green pipe to match, the rifle flat-out put bullets exactly where I wanted them. From the basic bore sighting round, one hit 3 inches high and 3 inches to the right of target center. It was sight correct and onto round two. Setting click adjustments by way of the ¼ MOA turret adjustments put the bullet spot-on with the second round fired.
Not caring to burn off my competition-grade handloads on a short range zero target, I moved at once to the 100-yard target to see what a three-shot group would look like. Keeping in mind that the barrel was green and the rifle was a light sporter, I was pleasantly surprised when the bullets impacted within a rough 1-inch group. What that told me was to get down and get serious on the next series of rounds downrange.
It needs to be noted here that in terms of testing for the M18’s accuracy, both the standard barrel and a suppressed run were applied to the overall test. The rifle would be hunted out on the Dakota Missouri breaks using a suppressed system, and it has been my experience that rifles can change points of impact when the suppressor is installed or removed. It should also be pointed out that those first runs returning MOA results, and a quick zero as well, were the results of a suppressed weapon.
Easy load magazine—no hard push, fast load under hunting conditions.
Getting out to the big 1,000-yard range and taking on steel from 200 through 500 yards proved interesting. Using a database DOPE developed as part of a previous hunt shooting 6.5 Creedmoor, the rifle slapped steel like a champion while shooting the handloaded 130-grainers. Suppressed, the rifle hissed moving air out beyond the barrel, and the bullet slammed steel with a loud crack. Selecting steel at variable ranges, as in a shot at 300 yards followed up with a second shot at 500 yards, made for some turret twisting, but I also began to develop a trust in the rifle’s performance.
The single-stage, 3-pound adjustable trigger was a dream to use. Set to a solid wall with no creep whatsoever, it was simple process: depress the crisp, 3-pound, let off the trigger and wait for the slap of a bullet on steel.
On hold for a good day lacking the normal South Dakota prairie wind, it was a week later that I again returned to the range for some serious group and long-range work with the M18. Targets included 100-yard group shooting, and coyote full-size silhouettes at 200 through 400 yards.
Bolt latch rear receiver. Rifle has clean lines.
Observed and measured was that the push-feed bolt-action Mauser trimmed of all the old-school long-extractor mountings, safety via a three-position design directly on the bolt rear face, and a long-lift bolt handle. The gun didn’t return anything over 1 MOA.
These results involved 10 different brands and bullet types throughout my accuracy range work. In fact, the Mauser M18 actually produced some groups with specific ammunition that would qualify it as “bench rest accurate.” Now I know that’s a mouth full to be sure, but facts indicate by bullets on paper the above to be absolutely true.
Bolt head with three locking lugs. Strong and part of an accuracy system close to benchrest results with most ammunition (6.5 Creedmoor).
Final Observations
During the testing of the Mauser M18, I was advised by some circles that the rifle bolt tends to bind upon closing with a live round chambered. I found this to be true, but only when questionable sizing of rifle cases were involved. In effect, the Mauser M18 is so closely machined regarding chamber tolerances that only a perfect turn metered cartridge will slip into the rifle’s chamber, lacking any felt contact with the chamber walls whatsoever.
While some won’t say much about a current issue, I’ll state—being a consultant for direct manufacturing companies in the ammunition industry—that with the dreaded COVID mess now behind us, we’re still left with poor supply chains, availability of materials and very different sources deviating from normal channels that have led to some inconsistencies among even major name-brand manufacturers. My point here is simply don’t be too quick to blame the gun.
The Mauser M18 is one nice turn-bolt big-game rifle.
When Black Hills Ammunition stepped forward and offered their new multipurpose 6.5 130-grain Creedmoor ammunition for testing, during its use I could close the bolt on the M18 with two fingers.
With the Mauser M18 generating almost perfect accuracy, built with top-end German design and engineering—and modestly priced—this rifle is about to see a whole lot of field time among American big-game hunters.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the January 2023 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Hi-Point has just announced a new variant of its Model 995 carbine chambered for 30 Super Carry.
In 2022, Federal Ammunition announced 30 Super Carry, also known as 30 SC. In a nutshell, the new cartridge was designed to offer similar ballistics to 9mm but in an overall smaller package, therefore allowing for larger magazine capacities in compact, concealed carry handguns. Despite this design goal, Hi-Point Firearms has just announced the Model 995 30 Super Carry carbine, the first commercially available rifle to be chambered for the cartridge.
The new Hi-Point Model 995 30 Super Carry.
Besides the new chambering, the Model 995 30 SC is identical to existing models in other calibers. It features a 16.5-inch barrel with a 1/2×28 threaded muzzle, an adjustable rear sight and a manual safety. It also has a skeletonized polymer stock as well as Picatinny rail on top of the receiver and beneath its handguard for attaching accessories. The 30 SC Model 995’s magazines are also like those of existing models given that they share a capacity of 10 rounds.
This image is of a 9mm Hi-Point Model 995, but the 30 Super Carry variant is virtually identical.
Since one of the cartridge’s biggest selling points is its potential to increase capacity, it’s somewhat surprising that Hi-Point opted to retain the same size magazine for the new 30 SC model. However, this choice likely has to do with the fact that all Hi-Point firearms are designed to accept single-stack magazines, so increasing the capacity for the 30 SC model would require a redesign of not only the magazine but of the carbine itself. Instead of focusing on capacity, Hi-Point is instead highlighting the benefits of sharing a common ammunition type between one’s rifle and handgun. If you’re a dedicated 30 SC user and are looking for a rifle to match your pistol, the Model 995 30 Super Carry is currently your only option.
The Model 995 30 Super Carry is not yet available, but Hi-Point will be displaying it at the 2023 NRA Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, IN. MSRP for the carbine will be $359.
Howa recently announced the Hera H7 series, bolt-action rifles featuring influence from both hunting and precision guns and available in two calibers.
The Japanese rifle manufacturer Howa has recently announced the Hera H7 bolt-action rifle series. The guns draw inspiration from both modern hunting rifles as well as tactical precision rifles, resulting in an interesting mix of features. What’s more, when selecting a Hera H7 model, one has a choice between two chambering options, three barrel profiles and three chassis colors.
The first choice to make when considering a Hera H7 is the caliber, as they are available in both .308 Winchester and 6.5 Creedmoor. Next is the barrel, which will either be 22 inches for the standard profile or 24 inches for heavy steel or carbon fiber profiles. Finally, depending on your aesthetic preferences, the stock portion of the Hera H7 chassis can be ordered in either black, tan or OD green. Regardless of the model selected, all come with a 5-round AICS-style magazine and a threaded barrel.
Speaking of the new chassis, Howa describes it as “a modern and easy-to-use stock system for the Howa (short action) system.” While the forend is made out of aluminum, the rest is made of fiberglass-reinforced polymer. It features an aluminum V-block as well and comes with two stock spacers and a polymer cheek rest. The chassis also has M-LOK mounting points throughout for accessories.
All Howa Hera H7 rifles are advertised as being capable of sub-MOA accuracy and come with a lifetime warranty. The MSRP for the standard barrel version is $839, MSRP for the heavy steel barrel model is $899 and MSRP is $1,299 for the carbon fiber barrel variant.
Capable yet affordable, in this review the author takes a closer look at the Swampfox Warhawk 5-25×56 FFP.
Swampfox Optics recently released its highly anticipated FFP line of riflescopes—the Warhawk. This line of optic has been in the works for literal years. “Warhawk was originally launched with a limited run in May 2020. Given limited material supply, and our unwillingness to sacrifice on glass quality, we immediately sold out and couldn’t relaunch until August 2022. We are just now completing our series by releasing the 2-10x,” commented Miles McKinney, operations director at Swampfox. This particular scope, the Warhawk 5-25×56 FFP, is the highest magnification range in the series.
With an MSRP of $689, you get a lot of scope for the money (on Amazon, at the time of writing you can get it delivered within a day for less than $600). While I wouldn’t call it a budget scope, as that brings up notions of cheaply made optics consisting of “Chinesium” metals and subpar glass. This one is what I would call a “cost conscious” scope. Its nearest competitor, to my mind, would be the Vortex Venom—another 5-25x FFP scope. However, this one comes with a standard illuminated reticle unlike the Vortex as well as more accessories in the box. And I’m not hating on Vortex, I run a 5-25x Strike Eagle on one of my long-range gas guns and love it, but for the same money (even slightly less) you get a lot of scope with the Warhawk.
Other scopes in the Warhawk series have various magnification ranges as well as other reticle options. The 2-10×44 and 3-15×44 are available with the Sharpshooter MOA reticle as well as the RECCE MIL reticle, the latter of which is kind of a fast-acquisition reticle set up. The Sharpshooter MIL reticle—which is the one I opted for—is only available in the 4-20×50 and 5-25×56 scopes. However, the Sharpshooter MOA reticle is available in all magnification ranges.
Now, let’s take a closer look at the Swampfox Warhawk 5-25x FFP.
Glass Quality
The glass itself is great for the price point. Is it the best glass? Certainly not. But for less than $700 MSRP, it’s plenty clear with a true-to-color view and little hazing as you get higher in magnification. The glass quality proved to be more than adequate for the type of shooting I used the Warhawk for—punching paper at 100 yards and smacking steel out to 600 yards—so it should be plenty for most other consumers as well. The main thing the folks at Swampfox said is that they did not want to compromise on the glass. When you compare this to something like the Vortex Venom, the glass and features are much better.
Overall, the 34mm tube lets in plenty of light and allows the shooter to see what they’re looking at, even in dusk or pre-dawn shooting conditions, and it’s clear when you dial in the diopter and parallax adjustments as needed. Like most modern-day scopes, it’s fully multi-coated, anti-fog and hydrophobic; I’ve shot it on cold days and unseasonably warm days with no fogging, hazing or other issues.
Reticle
The reticle is one of the sticking points for me on the Warhawk 5-25x FFP, as it’s a bit small and ill-defined on lower power. I found myself cranking up the magnification at shorter distances more than I usually would to get a MIL reading (yes, I shoot MIL dot, not MOA). Only the center of the reticle is illuminated rather than the whole thing, which I have mixed feelings about. While yes, I only need the contrast on the middle of the reticle, it can be a little distracting on lower magnification settings. The MIL grid (seen below) should be familiar to most, if not all shooters, and makes holdovers and ranging easy. They even include a little booklet to give new shooters a crash course in the wonders of milliradians.
Warhawk 5-25x FFP Features
Out of the box, it comes with a variety of goodies—sunshade, lens cloths, manual and 0.1-MIL tactical turrets that are much easier to zero than other scopes in this price range (ahem, Vortex). To adjust them, just unscrew the top with an included plastic tool or flathead screwdriver and line up the 0 with the hash mark. Boom, re-zeroed. No need to use another piece like a revstop insert. The eyepiece focus and adjustable parallax are on par with many other scopes on the market. While the glass isn’t in Strike Eagle 5-25x territory, that’s also several hundred dollars more. I think for a $600 scope, the Warhawk punches above its weight class.
It also includes a honeycomb glare reducer for the front of the scope, a nice addition for hunting or a tactical application that I didn't know it would come with. What’s more, it has a 1-meter submersion rating, something that will definitely be appreciated on a hunting rifle setup. Another small detail that I welcomed is that the scope came with flip caps instead of a bikini cover (which I always lose).
Turrets And Controls
The turrets are quick and intuitive tactical turrets, but they do feel a bit less crisp than some other manufacturers I’ve used. They click in and out easily, but there is a bit of “plasticiness” when you adjust. The magnification is hard to work at first, but if you install one of the included throw levers, it mitigates that and breaks in over time.
The parallax is spot on, where targets at known ranges come into clear view when you dial in the distance, and long shots appear clear when you start dialing it to infinity. The illumination knobs have 12 settings, and one little feature I really enjoy is that in between each power setting the reticle turns off. This means that you don’t need to fully rotate it back to the space between 0 and 12 every time. Just one click in either direction and she’s off.
Mounting The Warhawk
Probably one of the most impressive things was Swampfox’s cantilever mount system. I threw this on an AR-15 with an 18-inch barrel for precision work, and it’s held zero and hasn’t moved. Even after a precision rifle match or two where my gun got banged around, I’m still shooting 0.5-MOA with match-grade 77-grain rounds. They also have rings that you can utilize for mounting the scope on a bolt gun if that tickles your fancy.
Loose Rounds
Overall, for the money, and for those of you that like me were just dipping your foot into the long-range competitive shooting game, you could do worse than the Swampfox Warhawk 5-25x. It gives you plenty of optionality and scope for the money. Is it something you’ll outgrow? Eventually. But you also won’t have buyer’s remorse for spending a mortgage payment on that Nightforce you never use.
While it’s not the best glass, nor the crispest adjusting scope, it has plenty of features for a casual precision shooter or an entry-level scope for a budding long-range shooter. And hell, I’d use this for hunting since it’s pretty solidly built and has a 50,000-round warranty, very similar to Vortex’s VIP. If you’re looking at scopes from Vortex, Primary Arms, and similar manufacturers, you should give the Warhawk a look as well.
When it comes to big game hunting, there are few better tools for the job than .45-caliber rifle cartridges.
We were preparing for our first Cape buffalo safari—a seven-day jaunt to the famous Selous Reserve of southern Tanzania—busily working up handloads for the rifles. The game plan was that I’d be using my Winchester Model 70 in .416 Remington Magnum, and my father would be borrowing my .375 H&H Magnum.
As I pulled up to Ol’ Grumpy Pants’ house, where we have a very convenient 100-yard shooting range, he informed me he’d made a decision. “I’m borrowing a Winchester in .458 Win. Mag.; the components and dies are in the basement. Let me know when you’ve got it grouping.”
So began my trials and tribulations with the .458 Winchester Magnum, the first of a number of .45-caliber stopping rifle cartridges that would cross my path during the next 15 years.
Prior to this, my experience had been limited to the .45-70 Government, as my dad had purchased a centennial Model 1886 Browning when I was young, and I’d helped him develop a beefy handload for a bison hunt in South Dakota in ’03. That rifle, with its curved steel butt plate culminating in two lovely sharp points, was unforgettable from the bench, as the velocities broke 1,800 fps and then 1,900 fps with 400-grain bullets.
But every journey begins somewhere, and my experience with .45-caliber rifles has certainly grown over the years. Let’s take a look at the vast lineup of cartridges that deliver the .458-inch-diameter bullets, their history and applications.
Hunters have long relied on .45-caliber cartridges to stop dangerous game animals.Photo: Massaro Media Group.
The .45-70 Government
As American as apple pie, the .45-70 Government represents the first American .45-caliber rifle cartridge. Developed in 1873 for use in the famous “Trapdoor” Springfield rifle, the .45-70-405 (as named by the U.S. Army) would use a .458-inch-diameter bullet of 405 grains, over a 70-grain charge of black powder. This cartridge would replace the .50-70 Government, and despite the fact that its trajectory pales in comparison to many modern cartridges, it remains a favorite for many hunters and shooters.
With a case measuring 2.105 inches, a rim diameter of .608 inch and a body diameter of .505 inch, the rimmed case gave good extraction from the single-loaders and the later lever rifles chambered for it. The original loads—using pure lead bullets—would obtain a muzzle velocity of roughly 1,350 fps with all the power needed to hunt any of the game animals on the North American continent, albeit longer shots would pose an issue due to the extreme arc of the .45-70’s trajectory.
Hornady’s LEVERevolution ammo gives the classic .45-70 Government a face-lift; the Heym Model 26B o/u double rifle made a great choice in the woods. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
In older firearms, pressures need to be kept low, in deference to the metallurgy of the era. In modern firearms, the pressures and performance can be ramped up. Hornady’s LEVERevolution load uses a 325-grain FTX (Flex Tip eXpanding) bullet with its flexible polymer tip that allows the use of a spitzer bullet in a tubular magazine at a muzzle velocity of 2,050 fps, allowing a 200-yard zero to be employed and generating over 3,000 ft-lb of muzzle energy. Federal’s HammerDown line uses a bonded-core 300-grain soft-point at 1,850 fps, optimized for lever-action rifles by offering the best blend of expansion and penetration.
The .45-70 Government (left) has the same rim and body diameter as the longer .45-120 (right) and uses the same projectiles. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
In the years following the release of the .45-70—which didn’t take long at all to make its way to the hunting field—there were variants with longer cases, such as the .45-90 Sharps (2.40-inch case), .45-100 (2.60-inch case), .45-110 (2⅞-inch case) and the .45-120 (3¼-inch case), all designed for the exploding buffalo market. The largest of the lot, the .45-120, didn’t hit the market until roughly 1880 when the game was pretty much over.
The .577/450 Martini Henry
Developed in the early 1870s—almost simultaneously with the .45-70 Government—the .577-450 was adopted as the standard issue for Her Majesty’s Army throughout the British Empire. Based on the .577 Snider, the Martini Henry featured a brass foil-wrapped case, which was easily dented and damaged. While not a true “stopping” cartridge, the .577-450 Martini Henry did play an important role in British military history—look up the Battle of Rorke’s Drift and the 1963 movie Zulu. The Martini Henry would drive a 480-grain bullet to a muzzle velocity of 1,350 fps.
The .450 3¼-inch Nitro Express
John Rigby’s 1898 release of the .450 Nitro Express set the benchmark for a dangerous game-stopping cartridge, arriving at a formula that’d be relied upon by both professional hunters and traveling sportsmen alike. The straight-walled, rimmed case was based on the earlier .450 Black Powder Express—which also used a 3¼-inch case and a .458-inch-diameter bullet—but used the new smokeless propellant.
The .450 NE used a 480-grain bullet, both soft-point and solid, at an advertised muzzle velocity of 2,150 fps for just under 5,000 ft-lb of muzzle energy—though we rather routinely discover that the ballistic values of that era were slightly exaggerated. Hunters found that the .458-inch-diameter bullets at that particular weight offered a wonderful blend of striking power and acceptable recoil, especially when compared to the .577 NE, 8- and 4-bore rifles. Famous hunters like Philip Percival, Denys Finch Hatton and John “Pondoro” Taylor relied on the .450 Nitro Express.
There were variants made shortly after the .450 NE saw the light of day, including Eley’s .450 No. 2, a bottleneck cartridge with a larger body and rim diameter and a 3½-inch case, and Holland & Holland’s .500/450, a bottleneck cartridge with a 3¼-inch case, made most famous in the hands of Theodore Roosevelt on his 1909 to 1910 safari. Both of these cartridges used a 480-grain bullet at 2,175 fps. Today, they’re both a rarity yet remain perfectly effective.
President Theodore Roosevelt’s Winchester Model 1886, chambered in .45-90. Despite the receiver markings, there’s no proof it ever saw Africa. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
The insurrections in the British colonies of India and Sudan in the early 20th century caused the ban of all .45-caliber ammunition into those colonies in order to prevent the insurrectionists from obtaining projectiles for the .577/450 Martini Henry rifles they’d obtained. This led to the immediate development of cartridges of similar performance level but differing diameter, including the .470 NE, .475 NE, .475 No. 2 Jeffery’s, .476 NE and more. All use a bullet between 480 and 500 grains, and a muzzle velocity of 2,150 fps or thereabout, to replicate the .450 NE’s performance.
In the post-World War II era, supplies of sporting ammunition began to severely dwindle, although sportsmen began to travel abroad once again. Many of those beautiful double rifles sat in the rack with little or no ammunition to feed them, as Kynoch (the main supplier of British ammunition) began to cease production.
The .458 Winchester Magnum
Winchester offered a belted variant of the formula established by the .450 NE for use in a bolt-action rifle when they released the .458 Winchester Magnum in 1956. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
To fill that void left by Kynoch, Winchester set their engineers to work on developing an American cartridge that’d be available, affordable and effective. They began with the belted .375 H&H case, shortened it to 2.500 inches in order to fit in a long-action receiver, and took out the taper in order to hold a .458-inch-diameter bullet.
In 1956, the release of the .458 Winchester Magnum came, advertised to drive a 510-grain bullet to a muzzle velocity of 2,150 fps, to mimic the field performance of the .450 NE and .470 NE; the only issue was that the cartridge never met those values. The short case had a lack of powder capacity, and there were many instances of severely reduced velocities, extremely poor penetration, and caked-up powder charges; the early reputation of the cartridge wasn’t exactly fantastic.
The .458 Win. Mag. (left) has been criticized for its case capacity; the slightly longer .458 Lott (right) helps solve that problem. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
The modern iteration of the .458 Winchester Magnum has benefited from advancements in powder and the reduction in bullet weight from 510 to 500 grains, with factory ammo giving advertised velocities between 1,950 and 2,140 fps. Today’s .458 is an effective and reliable cartridge.
Because of the early issues with the .458 Win. Mag., there were several wildcat versions of the .458, using a longer case for additional powder capacity. There was the .450 Watts Magnum, using a .375 H&H-length straight-walled case at 2.850 inches, and the .450 Ackley Magnum at the same length but with the slightest shoulder introduced into the body.
But the success story of all the belted offspring of the .458 Winchester Magnum is the .458 Lott. Jack Lott had a bad experience with a wounded buffalo in Mozambique when using a .458 Winchester Magnum and set out to build a better mousetrap. Using the H&H belted case trimmed to 2.800 inches with no shoulder, the .458 Lott would give a velocity boost in comparison to the .458 Winchester Magnum. Factory loads have a 500-grain bullet leaving the muzzle at 2,300 fps for 5,872 ft-lb of energy at the muzzle.
A good controlled-round-feed rifle chambered in .458 Lott is a reliable choice for stopping any game animal on any continent.Photo: Massaro Media Group.
The .460 Weatherby Magnum
When Roy Weatherby reached for a new level of performance with his 1953 release of the .378 Weatherby Magnum (a case loosely based on a .416 Rigby but with a belt), I’m not sure that he immediately envisioned that case holding .458-inch-diameter slugs. Yet, just six years later, his .460 Weatherby Magnum would hit the market, assumedly in response to Winchester’s release of their .458 Magnum.
There was a wildcat version from a Montana gunsmith named John Buhmiller—he called it the .45 Weatherby—but Roy himself produced the cartridge commercially. Pushing a 500-grain bullet to 2,600 fps, the .460 Weatherby will generate over 7,500 ft-lb in modern ammunition and rifles. This does come at a price: The recoil of the .460 Weatherby has been described as hellacious and soul-crushing. The .460 has a long case, measuring 2.913 inches, and the overall length of 3.65 inches requires the use of a magnum-length action. Weatherby offer the pair of Hornady soft-point and solid bullets at 500 grains, and the lead-free Barnes TSX at 450 grains, the latter having a higher muzzle velocity of 2,700 fps.
The .460 Guns & Ammo
This is a bit of an oddball, which had a brief following in the 1970s and ’80s. Tom Siatos used the .404 Jeffery case, increased the shoulder angle to 15 degrees to improve headspacing while maintaining smooth feeding and necked the cartridge up to hold .458-inch-diameter bullets. With a muzzle velocity of 2,350 fps or so, it’s a bit hotter than the .458 Lott. However, it doesn’t have the case-stretching issues associated with belted cartridges, and like its parent cartridge, feeds wonderfully for a box magazine. Famed Botswana Professional Hunter Johan Calitz still enjoys his .460 G&A.
The .450 Rigby
Based on the .416 Rigby necked up to hold .458-inch-diameter bullets, Paul Robert’s .450 Rigby offers some serious stopping power. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
John Rigby & Co. have long been involved in dangerous game rifles and cartridges, with the .416 Rigby and .450 Nitro Express to their credit. In the early 1990s, Paul Roberts was at the helm of Rigby and, while on an elephant hunt, decided that their lineup needed a cartridge for a repeating rifle with more bullet weight and frontal diameter than the .416 Rigby offered. The solution was both simple and logical: neck up the .416 Rigby to use .458-inch-diameter bullets.
The .450 Rigby is a heavy-hitter, with factory loads delivering a 500-grain bullet at a muzzle velocity between 2,350 fps and 2,500 fps, depending on the brand, and Norma’s African PH ammo line offering a 550-grain Woodleigh Weldcore and FMJ solid at a muzzle velocity of 2,100 fps. Sharing the same 45-degree shoulder and rimless design of the .416 Rigby, the .450 Rigby offers a bit more muzzle energy and bullet weight, making it a better choice as a stopping rifle.
The .450 Marlin
The turn of the 21st century saw Marlin and Hornady pair up to develop a modernized version of the hot-rodded .45-70 loads on the market, designed for use in modern firearms with strong actions. While the .45-70 can be loaded to velocities far exceeding the capabilities of the Trapdoor rifles of the late 19th century, the .450 Marlin gives that level of performance without the possibility of using the wrong ammo in an older rifle.
Based on the .458×2-inch American cartridge—a shortened .458 Winchester Magnum case—the .450 Marlin wears a different belt than the traditional H&H to prevent it from being accidentally chambered in a .300 Winchester Magnum or 7mm Remington Magnum rifle, the results of which could be catastrophic. Hornady offers a 325-grain FTX bullet in their LEVERevolution line at a muzzle velocity of 2,225 fps for just over 3,500 ft-lb of energy, making an impressive lever gun, perfect for game with teeth and/or claws in thick cover, as well as larger game species inside of 300 yards.
The .458 SOCOM
For those who appreciate the AR platform, the .458 SOCOM is the cartridge that’ll offer a whole bunch of stopping power with rapid backup shots. Based on the .50 Action Express cartridge, the .458 SOCOM uses a rebated rim (measuring 0.473 inch, the same as the .308 Winchester family to fit the bolt face of the AR-10 rifle) and a case with minimal body taper and a very slight shoulder.
The .458 SOCOM is a big thumper designed for use in the AR-10 platform. Photo: Massaro Media Group.
Pushing 300-grain bullet at a muzzle velocity of 1,900 fps, the .458 SOCOM turns a handy rifle into a big game stopper and has proven to be wonderfully accurate, as well as mild on the shoulder. For a projectile, I really like the 300-grain Barnes TTSX, as it has the integrity to handle the impact velocity of close shots, yet will open reliably at moderate ranges. If you want to turn your AR-10 into a rifle fully capable of handling the nastiest boar in the thick stuff, look to the .458 SOCOM to solve that issue.
Pick Your .45-Caliber Poison
While you’ll notice the majority of cartridges designed for the thick-skinned African game species center around the 500-grain bullets—and I’ll condone that choice based on the Sectional Density alone—and the American cartridges like the .45-70 and .450 Marlin use lighter projectiles, the frontal diameter alone of the .45s is an impressive factor in choosing a cartridge for game which can hurt you.
I’m also going to be completely honest and admit I’ve long been a proponent of cartridges in the lower .40s—including the .404 Jeffery and .416 Remington Magnum—for their blend of penetration, trajectory and energy values, but will admit that the .45-caliber bullets are better in the stopping department. There’s a reason that the .450 Nitro Express set the benchmark for dangerous game cartridges: a 458-inch-diameter bullet weighing between 480 and 510 grains at a muzzle velocity in the neighborhood of 2,100 to 2,300 fps just plain works, irrespective of species.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the May 2022 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
If you want your Glock to have momentum en masse, look no further than the Guncrafter Industries .50 GI conversion.
Quick question: which do you favor—kinetic energy or momentum? If you favor KE, then a 9mm +P+ with 115-grain JHPs is your measure, your option. But if you favor momentum, then something chambered in .45 is what you want. Like a .45 ACP with a 230-grain bullet at 850 fps, or a .45 Colt with a 255 grainer at 750 fps. We’re talking the equivalent of high-compression small engines versus big-block V-8s. (We won’t speak of alcohol-burning race engines at 12,000 rpm.)
But what if you want even more momentum?
How about we halve the 9mm+P+ velocity and more than double the 9mm weight? Or even exceed the .45 weight? A 300-grain JHP at 700 fps should be just the ticket. How do you get that? Here comes Guncrafter Industries to the rescue with the .50 GI.
The Guncrafter .50 GI conversion upper on a Glock G21 lower.
Massive Momentum
The .50 GI is all of that in a self-loading pistol. In this case, a Glock that left the factory in .45 ACP but somewhere along the way to me lost its .45 identity and now sports a .50 GI conversion upper.
As conversions go, this is dead-simple. Unload your .45 Glock, this being a G21. Remove the complete upper assembly and set it aside. Pick up the .50 GI upper and run it onto the frame just as you would if you were reassembling your .45. You’re done. In my case, as I mentioned, there’s no .45 upper so it’s a simple assembly job.
Oh, and in case you were wondering: Yes, it’ll work on your G20 in 10mm. Plus, the G40 and G41.
Guncrafter simply made a barrel and slide that’d accommodate the .50 GI, then added the standard Glock internals and provided a recoil spring to handle the extra slide mass and momentum generated by the .50 GI. Everything works just as you’d expect. And if you feel the need for some other kind of sights, they’re standard Glock dimensions, so swap to your heart’s content.
Now you see the benefits of proper engineering and planning. The Guncrafter slide is set up to take regular Glock sights, so you can swap in whatever ones you want or favor.
The .50 GI case uses the same rim diameter as that of the .45 ACP, so you could simply drop in or fit a .50 GI barrel to your G21 should you wish. Guncrafter makes conversion barrels for those who want to go that route. Your choices are a 4.6-inch barrel, a 5.3-inch barrel threaded 5/8-24 … and a 6-inch barrel if what you want is a bit more velocity. The case is larger in diameter to hold the .500-inch diameter bullet, while the full-up length of the .50 GI cartridge is the same as that of the .45 ACP, so converting Glocks is easy.
The .50 GI loaded round has the same length limitations as the .45 ACP, since it goes into the same magazine. This is a flat-nose 300-grain FMJ and, at 700 fps, knocks down steel and brooms pins with brio.
Just as an aside, converting 1911s isn’t so easy. The single-stack magazine simply can’t hold the .50 GI; there isn’t room side-to-side. So, to get a .50 GI 1911, you’ll have to get a custom 1911 from Guncrafter. I’ve tested those in the past, and you’re in for a treat if you spring for one. But this is about the Glock.
Since the G21 uses a double-stack magazine, fitting the .50 GI into a mag is easy. They just hold fewer rounds, but hey, that’s the not-very-great price you pay for a bigger bullet, right? Oh, and a minor detail, but one you should pay attention to: Mark your mags. If you have a Glock in .45 ACP that you’re putting your .50 GI onto, then you have Glock 45 magazines. Be sure and mark your 50 mags so you can tell them apart, because it isn’t easy otherwise.
The dedicated .50 GI Glock magazines are modified by Guncrafter, because a wider-diameter case needs a different feed lip spacing and geometry than a smaller one does (were that not the case, every magazine would be the same). Now, theoretically, you could take .45 Glock mags yourself and cut them to match the feed lips of a .50 GI mag. You have to be either extremely bored or really, really incorrectly cheap to do that. I mean, you’re going to use a thousand-dollar milling machine (the cheapest to be had) to machine $25 Glock mags, rather than buying ready-to-go modified-to-.50 GI magazines for $60? Even if you don’t screw up any mags learning how to do the cut (and you will, I have no doubt), you wouldn’t break even until you had machined your 29th magazine. And in talking with the owner of Guncrafter, Alex Zimmerman, I found out it’s more than just passing an end mill cutter over the feed lips. Nope, don’t be fooled, buying is a much better bargain.
While the Glock .50 GI conversion uses a Glock frame, the magazines are modified to properly feed .50 GI cartridges. The modified magazines hold nine rounds of .50 GI, compared to the 13 of the .45 ACP mags.
Feeding Momentum
Loading ammo, on the other hand, is easy. The .50 GI runs at much the same pressure as the .45 ACP, which means your brass will last … well, a very long time. The resizing force needed is minimal. The cases and bullets are large and easy to handle, and you’ll only lose cases by not finding them at the range or being ham-handed in loading and crushing one.
The process is the same as any other handgun cartridge, but those of you with progressive presses will find one small roadblock: the rebated rim. The rim is smaller in diameter than the case. This makes it possible to fit it to a .45 slide. If you’re in the habit of using an automatic case feeder to get empties into your press, you aren’t going to be able to do that here.
This is a problem with any rebated-rim cartridge, not just the .50 GI, and it’s a simple problem and situation: The rebated rim falls into the case mouth of the case underneath it in the feed tube and, as a result, can’t be shuttled out by the mechanism. So, you’ll have to feed the empties in by hand. It’s not a big deal, and you probably won’t be loading 5-gallon buckets of .50 GI.
The options for bullets aren’t as great as some cartridges, but you do have choices. And once you find what you (and your pistol) like, how many choices do you need?
Bullet weights that can be used range from 255 grains on the light end to 350 grains on the heavy end. Velocities are in the moderate range but, again, we’re after momentum here. A 300-grain bullet at a “mere” 700 fps generates a 210 power factor, and that’s more than a lot of .45 ACP+P loads generate.
The low operating pressure gives you more “head” room, should you want to pump up the ballistics some. It’s possible, with the proper powders and a willingness to endure recoil, to push bullets faster than you might think. The 275-grainers can be run up just over 900 fps, the 300s to the mid-800s, 325-grain bullets up to 800 fps and 350-grain bullets to 750 fps. Those range from a power factor of 255 up to 262. If you mean to thump, then those are real thumpers. As far as momentum goes, the brisk .50 GI loads are equal to a mild .44 Magnum, and that’s out of an auto-loading pistol that doesn’t have a sharp bark.
TANSTAAFL
The late sci-fi author Robert Heinlein made famous the acronym TANSTAAFL: “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” So, what’s the cost of the .50 GI? Aside from the conversion barrel or conversion upper?
First, there’s the brass. It’s available only from Guncrafter. As a proprietary case, Guncrafter controls who makes it for them—and makes sure only them. It can’t be made from some other case, and even if it could be, the cost of doing so would be greater than buying GI brass. At the moment, .50 GI brass from Guncrafter is $60 per hundred new empties. That’s twice what other high-performance brass would run you. Unless you’re in the habit of using your .50 GI pistol in “lost brass” matches (one where you aren’t allowed to pick up your fired cases), the initial cost really isn’t much since they’ll last through dozens of loadings.
This loading die set came from Hornady, but there are others. With low-pressure cases and tungsten-carbide sizing dies, loading is easy work.
Your bullet options will be limited, but not as much as the brass purchase. Guncrafter offers bullets as well as cases. A quick search shows a handful of other bullet providers. What you need are cast, coated, plated or jacketed bullets of .500-inch diameter, and ones short enough to fit in the case and under the cartridge-overall-length of the .45 ACP and .50 GI. This precludes some of the offerings for the various other .50 handgun cartridges.
You’re simply not going to be able to use the heavyweights you might load into a .500 S&W magnum into a .50 GI case. The weight range of usable bullets in the .50 GI is going to be 255 grains up to 350 grains. As with the brass, once you have a supply of bullets and brass, settled on a particular bullet and the powder charge to run your .50 GI, it’s like any other firearm. You get what you need, when you need it and load up as you want to shoot.
The caliber of this beast is quite clearly more than a mere .45 ACP.
Once you have the components and settled on a load, it isn’t like you’re going through the fuss of loading for benchrest. Nor do you have the R&D arcana of trying to craft .38-40 cowboy loads that actually work. Loading the .50 GI is simple.
Since the case has a .45 ACP rim, the shell-holder or press shell plate for a .45 will work. And dies? Mine are from Hornady when they made a run back a while ago. There are others who make dies, like Lee (available from Guncrafter), and since the case is straight-walled, you can opt for a tungsten carbide sizer, keeping things simple and speedy.
One place the .50 GI excels is in pin shooting. A 300-grain or heavier bullet, at 210 PF or more, brooms pins off with efficiency and speed. Be nice to the brass rats and, when they pick up brass, you’ll get your .50 GI empties back. If you want a thumper, but not one that’s also suitable as a backup to your Jurassic Park long-gun (and with recoil to match), then you need a .50 GI.
Pistolsmith Ned Christiansen with his .50 GI (correct, not a Glock) and the epic muzzle brake he built for it. Note that while there’s an empty in the air, the slide is closed and he’s back on target.
My friend and fabulous 1911 pistolsmith Ned Christiansen runs a set of .50 GI pistols on pins. One of them has a truly epic muzzle brake on it—not because he has to have it to deal with the recoil of the .50 GI (it isn’t much more than others). When you’re trying to win and stay the best, you don’t leave anything to chance.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the May 2022 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
We’re not trying to rub it in that you missed out on the 2022 VIP bags at CANCON in Georgia, but you might feel pretty disappointed that you missed out once you read what was in them.
The good news is that we’re holding TWO CANCON events in 2023! The first one is April 29-30 (VIP access on the 28th also!) in Phoenix, Arizona.
And we’re coming back to Richmond Hill in Georgia, November 10-11 (VIPs get in a day early as well!), so there is really no excuse for you to miss out on some VIP bag goodness this year.
WHAT'S IN THE BAG
You’ll have to come down to Arizona to find out what is in that VIP bag, but we can take a tour through the 2022 CANCON VIP bag to give you an idea of the kind of high-end swag we put together.
Viktos XL Slingbag
Blue Force Gear Sling
Otis Ripcord Cleaning Cord
Caldwell DeadShot Shooting Bags
SilencerCo Silencer (Ya, a FREE silencer)
Subscription to Recoil and Offgrid magazines
Mission First Tactical Extreme Duty Magazines 556
Mission First Tactical Coozie
Maxim Defense Hate Brake
Maxim Defense Arm Brace Stock
Primary Weapon Systems Gift Certificate
JK Armamant Stickers and Hats
And that’s not all! We also snuck in a box of Global Ordnance Ammo and a Key Bar Carabiner.
Total VIP Bag Value? Over $1,600.
Will 2023’s VIP bags be better than last year's? I think they are, but you’ll have to stop by CANCON to find out!
Coming to CANCON but not a VIP? Take a chance at winning a VIP bag! All CANCON attendees can enter to win a VIP Bag, all you have to do is:
The much-desired Glock 28 in .380 ACP is finally available in the U.S. thanks to domestic manufacturing.
It goes without saying that Glocks are the most popular handgun in the world, and Americans have been enjoying the pistol in almost all of its different flavors since the first were imported in 1986. Almost, because there were at least a couple of models that were off-limits here thanks to the 1968 Gun Control Act. That law established certain “sporting purposes” criteria that all future imported handguns would be required to meet, and the .380 ACP Glock 28 just couldn’t make the cut. The scarcity of this otherwise relatively common pistol only increased its desirability in the U.S. While Austrian-made models will continue to be extremely rare here, thanks to newly established domestic production in Smyrna, GA, the Glock 28 is finally available on the American market.
Facilitated by TALO Distributors, Inc., the new Glock 28 is now available through dealers affiliated with its network such as Lipsey’s. Regarding the physical details of the handgun itself, it is reportedly identical to the original Austrian-made version besides the markings on its frame and slide. In short, that means it’s a .380 ACP pistol with a 3.43-inch barrel, a weight of 20.64 ounces (unloaded) and a standard capacity of 10+1 rounds with flush-fitting mags.
Compared to the Glock 42, the other small .380 ACP Glock that’s been available in the U.S. since its release, the Glock 28 is a bit thicker and heavier due to its double-stack magazine. Despite this, the G28 is also appreciably smaller, making it an even better candidate for deep concealment or as a backup gun. The larger capacity helps in this department as well.
Production and availability of the new Glock 28 are currently described as limited, but they are shipping to dealers now. The MSRP has not been published, but online listings currently have it priced at around $500.
There are plenty of good reasons to want one, so here are the best 7.62×39 upper receiver options for your AR-15.
It may seem like sacrilege, but when it comes to alternative chamberings for the AR-15, a 7.62×39 upper actually makes a lot of sense in many cases. In fact, it arguably makes even more sense than .300 Blackout when not running a suppressor.
So, let's go over why you might want one, what to look for, and then the best 7.62×39 upper options on the market.
A PSA/Lead Star Arms complete 7.62×39 AR-15.
Why A 7.62×39 Upper?
In years past, the primary draw of getting a 7.62×39 upper to go with your existing AR-15 lower was the price of ammunition. It wasn’t long ago when the cheapest 5.56 NATO ammo was still appreciably more expensive than 7.62×39, so an upper that allowed you to plink with the cheaper stuff made a lot of sense. These days, that is often no longer the case, as the two cartridges now typically have similar costs with 7.62×39 often being the more expensive of the two.
Without an economic incentive, why would anyone today still choose to buy a 7.62×39 upper? The answer mostly lies in the cartridge’s ballistic properties.
The most apparent of those qualities is that the cartridge is less sensitive to shorter barrel lengths and suppression than 5.56 NATO. If shooting with a short barrel or a can, you will see much better performance with 7.62×39. These days, .300 Blackout is very popular for many of the same reasons, even being better than 7.62×39 when it comes to shooting subsonic loads suppressed. However, .300 BLK is still substantially more expensive than 7.62×39, making it a better choice only for those who are committed to shooting with a suppressor.
A suppressed 7.62×39 AR.
In and of itself, 7.62x39mm is not terribly remarkable in any particular aspect of terminal ballistics. However, what's notable about it is that it has broadly comparable velocity, energy and trajectory to .30-30 Winchester…which, of course, is one of the most popular and most successful short-to-mid-range hunting cartridges of all time.
An AR-based hunting rifle for whitetail or hogs, a 7.62×39 upper would be a good choice and certainly cheaper to shoot than .300 Blackout or 6.8 SPC.
Also, since a different magazine is required for the Russian cartridge, there's no way you're going to mix anything up. Due to the interchangeable mags, some folks have tried loading .300 BLK into a 5.56 chamber with catastrophic results.
The Basics Of A Good 7.62×39 Upper
There are a few basic must-haves for any 7.62×39 upper that you're planning to use with an AR-15. Beyond anything else, the most important of these is the bolt carrier group.
This is because one of the most common issues people experience with 7.62×39 upper ARs is with feeding, typically caused by either an incorrect extractor or bolt assembly.
The solution? Get the complete upper; you need a 7.62mm BCG. Don't buy just the bolt head, don't trust Bubba The GunSmif, just purchase an upper that comes with an entire 7.62x39mm bolt carrier group.
A PSA 7.62×39 BCG.
Another must-have is an improved firing pin. This is because 7.62x39mm ammunition is known for having hard primers, sometimes resulting in light strikes. To prevent this, make sure to add an extended or enhanced firing pin to your setup to ensure reliable strikes. A lot of manufacturers include them now, but not all, so check before purchasing.
Also of note, while essentially all standard AR lowers are compatible with 7.62×39 uppers, the same can’t be said about magazines. Due to the shape of the 7.62x39mm cartridge, standard AR-15 magazines aren't compatible the way they are with .300 Blackout. You'll need to purchase dedicated 7.62×39 AR magazines that are compatible with standard AR-15 magazine wells.
Best Barrel Lengths For 7.62×39 Uppers
Once you have the basics of what you need to get an upper that will actually run, it’s time to think about the other details of your prospective build.
As mentioned, 7.62x39mm runs great out of shorter barrels. Compared to smaller, lighter calibers, it suffers less when it comes to velocity loss per fewer inches of barrel. Obviously, chronograph readings differ, but some people have found as little as 300 fps of difference between an 8-inch 7.62x39mm barrel and a 16-inch.
Several people have put forward arguments about the best-abbreviated barrel length is for this caliber. While 8 inches is a little extreme, somewhere between 10 and 12.5 inches is a happy medium.
However, also be aware that the shorter the gas system, the more violent the cycling. Therefore, be ready to tune the gun. The same is also true if you intend on using the gun as a suppressor host.
The 5 Best 7.62×39 Uppers
Best Entry Level: Palmetto State Armory PSA PA47 16″ Mid-Length Upper
The PSA PA47 16-inch Mid-Length is a great entry-level 7.62×39 upper. It won't break the bank and it has a lot of good features for the price.
It has a 16-inch CMV government profile barrel (1:10 twist) with an A2 flash hider and a mid-length gas system. It has a classic M16A2-style handguard and FSB, but it's a flat-top receiver so you can add whatever optic you'd like. The BCG includes an extended firing pin and a 7.62mm bolt head with a mil-spec carrier.
They're compatible with any AR-15 lower (not all PSA 7.62x39mm uppers are!) so you just need to supply some 7.62×39 AR magazines and a sighting system.
Best Modern Upper: Rock River Arms Coyote Carbine Upper Half
Rock River Arms' Coyote Carbine upper in 7.62×39 is a modern AR upper receiver, with a flat/Picatinny rail top, an M-LOK handguard and some little touches throughout that justify its higher price.
The barrel is a 16-inch chrome-lined barrel (1:10 twist) with an HBAR profile, carbine-length gas system and Smith Vortex flash hider. The bolt carrier group is also chromed, which will make the rifle more resilient. The upper also ships with a C-Products 28-round magazine.
It's compatible with standard AR-15 lowers, so drop it in, plug and play. Add magazines, an optic and any other accessories as desired. MSRP is a bit stiff, but this upper comes with more premium features than most.
Best Upper For Suppressed SBR: Brownells BRN-180S Gen2 10.5”
Technically, this isn't an AR-15 upper, as the BRN-180 is more like an AR-18 upper. However, it’s included on this list because it was designed to drop into any standard AR-15 lower receiver.
The BRN-180S is a side-charging, piston-driven rifle system with the AR-18's dual guide rod and recoil spring assembly, which is captive with a built-in buffer. It has a 10.5-inch 4150 steel barrel with a nitride finish and a 3-prong flash suppressor on 5/8×24-inch threads, so adding a can would be easy. The receiver has Picatinny rail on top and M-LOK slots at 3, 6, and 9 o'clock on the handguard.
Yes, it's a piston upper, but that also means it's easily tuned to cycle suppressed without the headache of an adjustable gas block or having to buy extra springs or buffers.
Maxim Defense MDX: U.R.G uppers are designed for CQB use, so these would be a great choice for a home defense AR with a short barrel. Maxim manufactures its firearms for hard use, so if you intended to put a lot of training in with your upper, this would be a top model to get.
One standout feature is Maxim's HATEBRAKE, a flash suppressor/muzzle brake/muzzle booster that acts as a regulator for the gas system, ensuring reliable cycling. The HATEBRAKE fits inside the handguard, so it doesn't add to the overall length. The upper also includes a Radian charging handle, M-LOK handguards (with QD socket) and a handstop/barrier stop pre-installed.
The MDX:508 U.R.G. has an 8.5-inch barrel and the MDX:510 U.R.G. has a 10.3-inch barrel. Both models come with an adjustable gas block and can be ordered with either a black, grey or FDE finish.
Palmetto State Armory's PSA Gen 2 AR-47 16″ 7.62×39 upper is one of the better choices for a hunting rifle in this caliber. It's a modern AR-style upper with a lightweight M-LOK handguard, with a midweight (lighter than HBAR/A2) barrel profile, which matters if you're going to be carrying it in the field.
The barrel is 4150 with a nitride finish, with a 1:10 twist rate, an A2 flash hider and a carbine-length gas system. The upper receiver is a flat-top with a 13.5-inch handguard. The BCG includes an extended firing pin and a Toolcraft-enhanced extractor.
Palmetto recommends purchasing a PA-10 buffer spring and heavy buffer for the best function. What makes this a good choice for a hunting rifle is the slimmer profile and lighter weight, as almost all 7.62×39 uppers have a heavier barrel profile. Also take note that while this PSA AR-47 upper was designed to interface with mil-spec AR lowers, the company’s similar KS-47 line of uppers are only compatible with PSA’s KS-47 lowers. Be sure you’re buying the correct one if you intend to use it with a standard AR lower.
When it comes to North American game, is there any cartridge with more flexibility than the .308 Winchester? OK, it’s kissing-cousin the .30-06 Springfield is right up there, but we’re splitting hairs. From predators to bull moose and everything in between, the tried-and-true .30-caliber gets the job done accurately and reliably. Which is why there is no shortage of .308 rifles tailored for taking game on the market.
From top-shelf to bargain basement, nearly every manufacturer has an option chambered for the cartridge. Which, if you happen to have a yen for a .308 hunting iron, is a blessing and a curse. A blessing, because if you aren’t choosey you can simply saunter down to your local gun retailer and buy one that fits your budget. Even the ultra-cheap blue-light specials aren’t bad, by and large. However, it’s a curse, because if you’re a bit more selective—especially if you have tight purse strings—it takes research to find the exact .308 rifle to fill your heart’s desires.
We’re catering to the second type of rifleman in this .308 rifle buyer’s guide. The bloke who doesn’t have a king’s ransom to drop on a gun, but wants a hunting rifle that will last a lifetime (maybe more), shoots lights out and has—dare we say it—a touch of class. Tough, yes. Impossible, no.
Searching out these some what rare rifles, we set out the following parameters:
Well made—as we said, it should last a lifetime.
Accurate—it’s got to be an MOA shooter or dang close.
Production—it’s currently made.
Less than $1,250—unfortunately, as prices rise across the board, what is considered “affordable” does as well. That said, plenty of these rifles can still be bought for less than $1,000, even if their MSRPs are listed as higher.
Not the easiest categories to fill out, but we believe we’ve rounded up some prime candidates.
Best .308 Rifle Options For Hunting
Ruger Hawkeye Compact
The first of two rifles with Mauser-style extractors—rare in this tier of firearms. Yes, push-feeds have more than proven themselves hunters, but in rugged terrain, with a trophy on the line, we don’t blame those who desire the insurance of controlled feed. Amazingly, given its walnut stock, the Hawkeye Compact is among the lightest .308 rifles in the guide, tipping the scales at mountain rifle 5.7 pounds. Certainly, its 16.50-inch barrel is to thank for this. And while the abbreviated bore trims down the .30-caliber’s ballistic potential somewhat, the rifle still delivers at ethical hunting ranges. Other notables, cold hammer-forged barrel, 4-round internal box magazine and excellent Ruger L6 trigger, which breaks around 3.5 pounds.
Long ago, Savage Arms proved a tack-driving rifle is within reach of every shooter. It still does today with the superbly executed Model 10 Trophy Hunter. The .308 rifle (among other short-action cartridges) boasts a rock-solid action and barrel, both machined from forged bar stock. The material not only allows extremely tight tolerances, but also outfits hunters with a gun as rugged as the terrain they hunt. The Model 10 boasts a few extras most find attractive, chief among them Savage’s fully-adjustable AccuTrigger and detachable box magazine. Also, a nice stick of walnut with very positive checkering adds to the gun's functionality and aesthetics. For the price, the Model 10 over-delivers.
So, we did say we were shooting for a touch of class. Admittedly, the SPS misses this mark wider than any other 700. However, it’s still a beauty where it counts. The Model 700 action set the standard for strong and reliable push-feed actions, becoming foundation of a majority of precision shooting rigs today. The shortcoming of this .308 rifle is mainly its looks, wearing a none-to-attractive synthetic stock with rubberized grips. And while it might not provide a platform for hair-splitting accuracy, the stock is solid enough to keep you on target in the field. In .308, the rifle is outfitted with a 24-inch barrel and weighs in at a very manageable 7.5 pounds.
Browning offers a more affordable line, the A-Bolt. But with X-Bolt options such as the Hunter more than economically priced, it’s difficult to see why you’d compromise. Browning takes no chances with the rifle’s accuracy potential, with all X-Bolt barrels button-rifled, air gauged, hand chambered and lapped in the company’s proprietary process. Add in the barreled action is expertly epoxy bedded into a Grade I walnut stock, well, you have a top-shelf .308 rifle. It’s a fast shooter too, with a terse 60-degree bolt throw that doesn’t interfere with the scope. A few of the 22-inch barreled rifle’s other assets include a 4-round center-fed rotary magazine and Browning’s three-lever Feather Trigger.
Tikka remains an underappreciated commodity in the U.S. market, but its stock has risen in the past decades. Mainly thanks to precision shooters who want to save a buck. But hunters would do well to get the Finnish gunmaker on their radar. Out of the box, few rifles match the T3x Hunter’s performance—from well thought out ergonomics to perhaps one of the best production triggers on the market. Accuracy, however, is what steals the show. The T3x action is to thank, with plenty of material to stiffen it up and a two-lug bolt to ensure a strong lockup. Did we mention a Sako-style extractor—not quite as robust as a Mauser, nonetheless reliable. Space precludes detailing too much more on this .308 rifle, but safe to say few are disappointed taking a Tikka on the hunt.
MSRP: Not published, but average street price is $949, tikka.fi/en-us
Learn More About The .30-Caliber:
.30-06 Rifle: Going Long In .30-Caliber Semi-Autos
Don’t Believe The Hype: The .308 Winchester Is Still Going Strong
Disclosure, I’m biased for Zastava. I hunt a vintage Interarms import made by the Serbian company (the Mark X) and still marvel at what it offers. The M70 is pretty much the same rifle, which is essentially a Mauser ‘98. Perhaps the most affordable controlled-feed rifle on the market, hunters aren’t compromising with Zastava. Certainly, it’s a little rougher around the edges than one from Mauser proper. But it still proves a class act. One of the more interesting aspects of this .308 rifle is its trigger options. There’s three: single-stage, single double-set, and two trigger double-set. The latter two offer nearly a hair-trigger break, helping improve the rifle’s accuracy potential.
Howa’s one of those companies that’s been around for a spell that everyone just discovered. The Japanese barreled-action maker’s stock has risen, in particular, thanks to the precision shooting world. Though, the irons are dang good hunters too. The Hogue model is among the most affordable .308 rifles from the company. In addition to the precision Howa 1500 action and cold hammer-forged barrel, the iron comes outfitted in Hogue’s comfortable and rugged Overmolded stock. A real enhancement for an hunting gun, thanks to its grippy rubber coating. It’s an accuracy enhancer too, pillar bedded and free-floating the barrel. Tack on Howa’s two-stage HACT trigger and you certainly have a rifle that can put meat on the table.
Despite flirting with the buyer’s guide’s ceiling, it’s difficult not to consider the Bergara B-14 a value in every sense of the word. Even a bargain, considering what the Spanish-American company brings to the table. And that is perhaps one of the best barrels on the market. Extremely uniform and held to minuscule tolerances, the 20-inch button-rifled fire tube is engineered to print cloverleaves. Matched with the B-14 action, pillar bedded and epoxied in the inlet, the .308 rifle might be a hunter, but it has a precision rig’s heart. It’s a looker too, with a nice piece of walnut for the stock—Monte Carlo, by the way. Interestingly, the standard Timber comes with an internal 4-round box magazine, but this can be upgraded to a removable box magazine if you so desire.
In 2021, CZ-USA announced that the famed CZ 527 and 557 series of bolt-action rifles would be discontinued and replaced by the company's new CZ 600 series. The most traditional and affordable model of which is the CZ 600 Lux.
To give it a classic hunting rifle look, the 600 Lux features an oil-finished and checkered Bavarian-style walnut stock, but several modern innovations have been implemented to provide more modern functionality as well. This includes a 60-degree bolt throw for fast and smooth cycling, an oversized wooden bolt knob and a 2-position safety that is incredibly quiet. It also features a fiber optic front sight, is ready to accept Remington 700-pattern scope bases and in .308 Winchester, it feeds from a 5-round detachable box mag. If that isn't enough to impress you, then also consider that each rifle also comes with a sub-MOA accuracy guarantee and a threaded muzzle that's ready to accept suppressors. The CZ 600 Lux is the complete package.
OK, we’re bending a few rules on this last rifle. It costs a bit more than our limit and doesn’t reek of the traditional definition of class. So what? The MP10 Sport is about as affordable, well made and reliable AR-10 hunter as you can find. Boasting a 16-inch barrel (with 5R rifling), the Sport excels as a nimble brush gun, but it’s no slouch at reaching out with the medium contour offering excellent harmonics. Ambidextrous controls makes it lefty-friendly, not always the case with hunters or all ARs. And a mid-length gas system does its part in taming down some of the 8-pound .308 rifle’s recoil. Fairly barebones from there—A2 flash hider, 6-position stock, polymer handguard, Picatinny optics rail—the AR is nonetheless a performer.
Wait! A Mauser on an affordable .308 rifle list? Sounds crazy, given even the vintage war-weathered irons run a pretty penny nowadays. But with the introduction of the M18 a few years back, the iconic German manufacturer put out among one of the best budget hunters on the market today. Don’t walk into the M18 expecting a stripped-down version of the company’s M98; despite being a Mauser creation the rifle is sans the definitive oversized claw extractor. Instead, it’s the popular and cost-effective detachable-magazine feed, three-lug fat bolt. It’s smooth and reliable, and mates up airtight with the M18’s semi-open action. Married to the hammer-forged 20-inch barrel, the system is arguably one of the most accurate hunting irons out there—much more than is needed to put meat on the table. The stock is what you’d expect, synthetic, but not the type of plastic that looks like it was fished from the recycling bin. And overall it's stiff, making for a solid platform for repeatable accuracy. Though little things, such as the plastic trigger guard, leave something to desire, overall you get more than your money’s worth with the M18.
MSRP: Not published, but average street price is $949, mauser.com
Sometimes even good guns get lost in the shuffle, and this is the unfortunate saga of how it happened to the Steyr GB.
Every now and then, a pistol design comes around that should take the shooting world by storm. Sometimes these designs suffer from poor marketing, poor timing or are simply a little too “ahead of their time.” Many times, it’s all of the above. Such was the case with the Steyr GB, an Austrian-designed pistol that could’ve and should’ve made a lasting impression … but, unfortunately, it was consigned to the “also ran” gun rack of history.
This was a very accurate fixed barrel system that used a unique gas system involving a port slightly ahead of the chamber—and supported an 18-round magazine. It truly was the first of its kind with regard to the latter when it was unveiled in the 1980s, even if you ignore the engineering marvels that made this a work of art in the realm of pistolcraft.
How could such an interesting design have gotten lost in the shuffle? Its unique story is a tragedy, as some experts feel this could’ve been an influential and award-winning design if it hadn’t run into a slew of unfortunate events.
The crinkle finish of the frame, coupled with the high-polished blue slide, is a design that screams “it came from the ’80s!”
Steyr GB History
At the end of World War II, the Austrian military issued three basic handguns to its troops: the Browning Hi-Power, the Colt M1911 and the Walther P38. These handguns were in good supply and condition. And, despite popular opinion, an issued handgun isn’t exactly a high-priority piece of gear for combat troops.
Nonetheless, if there’s one thing any military seeks, it’s uniformity and conformity. By the 1960s, the search was on for a new pistol for the Austrian armed forces. Steyr-Daimler-Puch was the most famous small arms manufacturer in Austria, and they set their engineers to the task of developing a full-sized duty pistol in 9mm for the Austrian military.
The Steyr GB is a classic design for many reasons. It’s hard to believe that it lost out to the Beretta M9.
Although a rather conventional-looking pistol, the GB was loaded with innovative features not found in any other handgun up to that point in time. It was a delayed-blowback operated, double-action pistol with a fixed barrel that utilized a Barnitzke system, which uses gas pressure from the fired cartridge and feeds it through a small port in the barrel in front of the chamber to slow down the rearward motion of the slide while firing. Additionally, it offered an 18-round double-stack magazine, polygonal rifling, reduced number of moving parts and no external safety … aside from a decocking lever.
The Steyr GB’s action is based on the Barnitzke System, where gas pressure from the fired cartridge moves through this small port in the barrel just ahead of the chamber to slow down the rearward motion of the slide.
The GB was first fielded by the Austrian military in 1972, and it seemed to be very popular with troops who shot it. Unfortunately, Steyr and the Austrian military couldn’t come to terms in regard to a sale, so the pistol wasn’t adopted. Rather than release the pistol for commercial sales, Steyr decided to put it on ice for almost a decade.
Interestingly, the GB was referred to as the Pistole 18 Schuss—or Pi 18—during development, referring to its 18-round magazine capacity. Upon its commercial release in the 1980s, this was changed to GB from the term gas bremse, meaning “gas brake.”
Before we get to the 1980s and the Steyr GB, we need to look at what happened with regard to the Pi 18 in the mid to late 1970s.
Enter the Rogak
In 1974, one of Steyr’s U.S. distributors, Les Rogak, received a design document on Steyr’s Pi 18. The exact story differs depending upon who you talk to about it. Some claim a disgruntled engineer at Steyr sent a design based on a very early pistol. Some claim that Steyr sent them as a press release sort of arrangement in case the pistol were to go into production and then made commercially available.
Regardless of how he got the schematics, Rogak apparently took it upon himself to set up a factory to produce the Pi 18 under the slightly simpler name of the L.E.S. P18. As an added (yet dubious) bonus, these pistols would be constructed of stainless steel.
The Steyr GB is one of the most idiot-proof firearms to take down and put back together. A minimum number of moving parts is the reason here.
Unfortunately, the project was doomed from the start. For one thing, use of the Barnitake System requires especially close fittings and tolerances. Apparently, this was applied very hit-and-miss to the Rogak … so much so that many of these pistols have reliability issues, and the extractor has been known to rip the heads off the cases because of this.
One popular firearms magazine at the time referred to the Rogak as the “Original Jammamatic.” Other aesthetic shortcuts, such as the use of Philips head screws to secure the pistol’s grips, were pointed out.
When Steyr caught wind of this, they issued a cease-and-desist order followed by a lawsuit. The association was damaging to the Steyr brand, and a U.S. Military trial was approaching the horizon for a new pistol for the U.S. Armed Forces.
By the time the case made it to court in 1981, L.E.S. had shuttered its factory, and the Rogak P18 was a thing of the past—but not before between 1,000 and 1,500 pistols were made between 1975 and 1980.
Now The Steyr GB
Reeling from the Rogak debacle, Steyr made a few minor changes to the Pi 18, including adding a crinkle-type finish, similar to that used on Sterling sub-machineguns, to the frame and a high-luster blue to the flats of the slide.
In spite of a few smudges in the bluing, the lettering on the slide still bears a white inlay, and the Steyr logo is set in red.
The pistol didn’t win the contract for the U.S. service pistol, that instead going to Beretta. It also failed to win any other European military handgun contracts. Most of those went to the even more radical “other Austrian handgun” from a then unknown Austrian shower curtain ring and bayonet manufacturer, Gaston Glock, who utilized a high-impact polymer frame that really did change the world of handguns.
A handful of international special forces and intelligence agencies bought small quantities of the Steyr GB, but nothing of any substantial quantity. Steyr discontinued the pistol in 1988 after manufacturing between 15,000 and 20,000 in total.
Shooting the Steyr GB
As a longtime fan and collector of everything Steyr, I happened upon a GB model in my local Cabela’s. It came with no box or manual, but it did include two 18-round magazines, and it was priced so low that even if I had no interest in Steyr’s firearms at all, it would’ve still been a steal.
An 18-round factory 9mm magazine was unheard of when the Steyr GB was developed in 1968; even upon its release 20 years later, it was still ahead of that curve by at least one round.
The reason for the low price of this pistol had a lot to do with it being confused with the L.E.S. P18. Old gun shop lore confused the two pistols after all the bad press the American knockoff had received. After all, who wants to buy an inaccurate and unreliable pistol?
We hit the range with a few boxes of Aguila 124-grain FMJ ammunition. Loading the 18-round magazines is mostly easy, but those last two rounds offer a bit of resistance. The trigger in single-action mode is about 2¾ pounds with a bit of take-up. Double-action is about 6 pounds.
Typical five-shot group size at 50 feet averages about 1.34 inches, with the smallest of these being 0.74 inch. Not counting custom 1911s, this was one of the more accurate semi-autos I’ve ever fired, ranking up there with the SIG P210 or the Heckler & Koch P7M8.
The Steyr GB may be an old design, but it’s not completely out of place with a Heretic Knives Sleight push dagger.
There were no failures to feed, fire, eject or extract of any kind. Between the fixed barrel, weight of an all-steel pistol and all black almost target-style sights, this is a pistol that can easily be shot all day long.
As with any pistol that has been out of production for more than 30 years—and wasn’t ever imported in great quantities—spare parts are extremely hard to come by. Even spare magazines will set you back close to $200 each, if not more.
There are very few holsters for this pistol unless you go the custom route. The Bianchi M12 military holster works well, but this is obviously not a good choice for concealed carry.
One of the problems with out-of-production firearms can be the lack of accessories 30 years later. However, the GB fits nicely in a Bianchi M12 field holster. Things that could’ve been …
Final Thoughts
The Steyr GB represents a well-executed pistol design on many fronts, particularly considering the time period during which it was designed. It’s probably too heavy by today’s standards, but its accuracy and reliability can’t be denied. Pistols like this are a true gem if you can find one at a good price.
It might be nice to see Steyr resurrect the design, but that’s probably a tall order for a company that takes very little input from their end users or the American market in general. They still manufacture magazines with a profile suitable for holding 13 or 14 rounds of ammo, although blocked at 10 rounds, in spite of that draconian law expiring almost two decades ago.
Still, a slightly upgraded version with true target sights, or at least an optic-mounting plate, could be something to dream about.
This pistol went from an oddity that filled a void in a collection of Steyrs to quickly becoming a favorite range companion. If you happen upon one at a fair price and it has a few magazines, it’s not one to pass up as a collector … or a shooter.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the October 2022 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
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Looking for a little gun with a big bite? The new Bond Arms Cyclops chambered for .45-70 Gov’t might be just for you.
Bond Arms is well-known for its derringer-style handguns, but the newest model released by the company may be worth a look even if they’re not usually your cup of tea. That’s because this little single-shot pistol is chambered for .45-70 Gov’t.
First announced at SHOT Show 2023, there was plenty of buzz about the Bond Arms Cyclops amongst those in attendance simply because of how novel the concept is. The company already pushed the limits of firepower-to-gun ratio with its 2-shot .357 Magnum designs, but a .45-70 Gov’t derringer almost sounds like a joke. To accommodate all that power, the concession of the Cyclops is that it’s a single-shot firearm. Despite still being very small, it also may be a bit bigger than you’d normally expect of Bond Arms' guns. It has a barrel length of 4.25 inches, an overall length of 6.75 inches and a weight of 28 ounces.
Other features of the Bond Arms Cyclops include its extended B6 resin grips to provide a more pleasant shooting experience, its unique cyclops-themed markings and its single-action trigger with a 7-pound pull. While the Cyclops isn’t compatible with any existing Bond Arms pistol components like some of the company’s other designs are, it will be compatible with future big-bore barrel offerings. Bond Arms plans on releasing barrels for .44 Magnum, .454 Casull and .50 AE that should be compatible with the Cyclops .45-70 Gov’t frame.
The Bond Arms Cyclops is available now and has an MSRP of $699.
EAA has just announced the Girsan MC 14T, a new .380 ACP pistol import with a tip-up barrel design.
The European American Armory Corporation, or EAA, has just announced an exciting new Turkish pistol import. Called the Girsan MC 14T, it’s chambered for .380 ACP and looks to be inspired primarily by the Beretta Model 86. The defining feature that makes it reminiscent of the Model 86 specifically, and what differentiates it from other Beretta Cheetah Series clones, is the inclusion of a tip-up barrel.
While clearly influenced by the Beretta Model 86, the Girsan MC 14T is not a direct clone and has plenty of features that set it apart and arguably improve upon the original design. Firstly, while the Model 86 featured a single-stack 8-round magazine, the MC 14T instead has a double-stack 13-round mag similar to other .380 ACP Beretta Cheetah models. Other features such as its accessory rail, checkered composite grips and ambidextrous manual thumb safety help bring Girsan’s new pistol into the 21st century. The rest of the MC 14T should be pretty familiar to anyone who’s handled a Beretta Cheetah variant before, including its DA/SA trigger and fixed iron sights.
The tip-up barrel feature is primarily being marketed toward those who have difficulties operating the slide on traditional semi-auto handguns. Other companies have attempted to address this issue in the past with slides that were easier to manipulate, but for those who don’t want to mess with a slide at all, the MC 14T could be a very attractive option. To load a round into the chamber, all one has to do is press the lever on the right side of the frame down to release the barrel, pop a cartridge in, and snap the barrel closed.
The Girsan MC 14T will begin shipping in April, will have six color finish options and will have an MSRP of $498.
Looking to roll your own ammo on the cheap? Here are the best reloading kits you can buy to get started.
Don’t want to jinx anything, but it seems that components are slowly becoming available again. Ammunition is appearing on shelves—though I doubt shelves will ever be full again in my lifetime. And I’m seeing bullets and powder available for sale and for order and—believe it or not—I’ve seen some primers for sale. Yes, everything is priced at a premium, and yes, people are going to gobble up those components, but sooner or later supply will meet demand.
And, due to the fact that we’re in the midst of the greatest ammunition drought in living memory, I feel pretty confident there’ll be an influx of new reloaders in the near future. Whether that new reloader is you or whether you’re considering a purchase for the prospective reloader in your life, buying all the tools necessary to go from zero to reloader can be daunting.
I started with minimalistic gear, acquired piecemeal between my father and me, over the course of a year or so. We both shot .308 Winchesters at the time, and once we’d covered the bases, we began to cook up a deer hunting load. We had a Lee press, RCBS scale, Lyman dies, a nondescript plastic dial caliper, R.E. Wilson chamfer/deburring tool, just a hodgepodge of stuff, but it worked well.
And for those of you who are just getting into reloading, I’ll answer the oft-asked question: Yes, you can mix and match brands of gear. RCBS dies will work with a Hornady shellholder in a Redding press, and so on and so forth.
But setting out to outfit yourself from scratch can be confusing, especially when you overlook certain crucial pieces of gear. For this reason, several reloading gear companies offer complete reloading kits, giving the new reloader all he or she would need with the exception of the components themselves, dies and shellholders. I picked five popular reloading kits, ranging in street prices from $180 to $600, to illustrate some differences in content, quality and value.
The 5 Best Reloading Kits:
Lee Challenger Kit
Starting at the most affordable—the Lee Challenger Kit with a street price of $180—you get an aluminum O-frame press, the Lee Safety balance beam scale and the Lee Perfect Powder Measure, in addition to the powder funnel, priming tools, primer pocket cleaner, chamfer/deburring tool and case trimmer. Lee has earned the reputation of providing excellent value, and many of their designs are aimed at budget-minded customers. While some of their tools may lack the bells and whistles of other companies, I do know you can make good ammunition with Lee tools.
Included In Kit:
Lee Breech Lock Challenger Single Stage Press
1 Breech Lock Quick Change Die Bushing
Lee Auto Prime XR
Lee Auto Prime Shellholders (2,4 and 19)
Value Quick Trim Case Trimmer
Lee Cutter and Lock Stud
Lee Perfect Powder Measure
Lee Chamfer Tool
Lee Primer Pocket Cleaner
Lee Safety Powder Scale
Lee Powder funnel
2 Ounces Tube Lee Resizing Case Lube
Redding Big Boss II Pro Pak
Hailing from my home state of New York, Redding Reloading offers their Big Boss II Pro Pak reloading kit. Redding is known for its precision tools, as well as some very innovative designs. With a street price of $400, this reloading kit is a good value, though certain tools will need to be added afterward. You get the Big Boss II O-frame press—this is a beefy design, with a spent primer tube and steel linkage—as well as the Model No. 2 balance beam scale, powder trickler, case lube and pad, chamfer/deburring tool, Model 18 case prep kit (a screwdriver handle-type tool with removable screw-in attachments) and a copy of the Hodgdon Annual Reloading Manual, but there’s no case trimmer or powder thrower, so you’ll have to grab those tools on your own.
Still, for Redding tools, this is a great value. Having had the pleasure of using Redding’s tools for over a decade, they’re among my favorites. As far as value goes, you get what you pay for, and Redding’s tools are worth the price.
Included In Kit:
Big Boss II Reloading Press
Model 2 Powder and Bullet Scale
Powder Trickler
Pad Style Case Lube Kit
Deburring Tool
Model 18 Case Preparation Kit
Powder Funnel
Hodgdon Annual Reloading Manual
Hornady Lock-N-Load Classic Kit
Hornady’s Lock-N-Load Classic reloading kit comes with a price tag of $420 and gives the shooter their rock-solid O-frame press complete with the Lock-N-Load bushing system—allowing for quick die changes—Hornady’s compact digital scale, Lock-N-Load Powder Measure, three Lock-N-Load bushings, hand primer, powder trickler and funnel, chamfer/deburring tool and the Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading, OneShot aerosol case lube and a case block.
This kit doesn’t have a case trimmer either, so you’ll need to grab one of those elsewhere. I might say a balance beam scale is a better choice for the beginner—as gravity never wears out—but the recent digital scale designs have been so good that it might no longer matter.
Included In Kit:
Lock-N-Load Classic
Reloading Handbook
Lock-N-Load Powder Measure
Digital Scale
3 Lock-N-Load Die Bushings
Primer Catcher
Positive Priming System
Handheld Priming Tool
Universal Reloading Block
Chamfer & Deburr Tool
Powder Trickler
Powder Funnel
One Shot Case Lube
RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme Kit
The RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme Kit comes in at $500 and offers quite a bit to the new reloader. The Rock Chucker IV O-frame press heads the list, and the M500 balance beam scale will measure powder, cases, bullets and more, up to 500 grains. The Uniflow-III powder measure will dispense accurate, reliable and repeatable powder charges, and RCBS includes their sister company Speer’s Reloading Manual in the package. A hex key set is included, to properly adjust a number of different reloading tools, as well as a powder funnel, case block, powder funnel, chamfer/deburring tool, hand priming tool and accessory handle with a couple of case brushes for cleaning case necks.
Again, we’re missing a case trimmer—seems to be a common scheme— but this is certainly a kit that’ll last a lifetime. The Rock Chucker IV has a threaded bushing which can be removed, changing the threaded die hole from 7/8:14 thread (for common dies) to the huge 1¼:12 pitch, and you can buy a replacement bushing to fit the 1:14 thread for the larger die bodies needed for the big safari cartridges like the .500 Jeffery and .505 Gibbs.
Included In Kit:
Rock Chucker Supreme Press
.17-.60 Debur Tool
Two Accessory Handles with two case neck brushes
M500 Mechanical Scale
Uniflow-III Powder Measure
Hand Priming Tool
Universal Case Loading Block
Hex Key Set
Case Lube Kit
Powder Funnel
Speer Reloading Manual
Lyman Ultimate Reloading System
Lastly, with a street price of $600, the Lyman Ultimate Reloading System gives perhaps the most complete system of all, with all sorts of flexibility. Lyman includes their eight-turret Brass Smith turret press, Gen 6 digital powder dispenser and scale, Universal trimmer, the excellent EZEE-Prime hand priming tool, the Pro 1200 Turbo Tumbler for polishing your cases, a case prep multi-tool, inertia bullet puller (everyone needs an eraser for their mistakes), case lube, a plastic loading block and the excellent Lyman Reloading Manual. Hell, Lyman even throws a stainless steel dial caliper in the mix, for accurate measuring of both case and cartridge length.
Included In Kit:
Brass Smith Reloading press
Gen 6 Powder System
Universal Trimmer
Pro 1200 Turbo Tumbler
50th Edition Lyman Reloading Handbook
Universal Loading Block
Case Prep Multi Tool
Bench Wrench
E-ZEE Prime Hand Priming Tool
Quick Slick Case Lube
Magnum Inertia Bullet Puller
Stainless Steel Calipers
A Place To Start
So, there truly is a kit for all customers, and depending on the level of investment you want to make, you can buy a simple kit or a more complex kit. Invariably, you’ll end up changing, upgrading or simply adding different tools along the reloading journey, depending on the cartridges you intend to load for and the applications for which those cartridges will be used.
But, if you’re new to the entire world of reloading, any of these choices will certainly get you on your way. Let’s all hope the components become readily available again really soon so we can get back to the benches—both reloading and shooting benches, that is.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the 2022 CCW special issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Looking to go armed, but are stuck in the weeds as to what to arm yourself with? Here are 20 excellent concealed carry gun options that will keep you on the defensive.
