Swampfox Warhawk 5-25×56 FFP Riflescope Review

April 7, 2023

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.

Swampfox Warhawk 5-25×56 FFP Specs:

Magnification: 5-25x
Tube Diameter: 34mm
Objective Lens Diameter: 56mm
Exit Pupil (mm): 7.1mm (5x)-2.2mm (25x)
Eye Relief (in.): 3.82-3.03″
FOV @ 100 Yards (ft): 24.4′ (5x)-4.6′ (25x)
Click Value: 0.25 MOA/0.1 MIL-10 MIL
Parallax Setting: 15 yards to infinity
Travel Per Rotation: 100 Clicks/25 MOA
Max Elevation Adjustment: 90 MOA
Max Windage Adjustment: 90 MOA
Lens Coating: Fully Multi-Coated/Anti-fog/Hydrophobic
Battery: Side-mounted CR2032 Battery
Reticle: Sharpshooter MOA/MIL
Focal Plane: First Focal Plane
Fast Focus Diopter: Yes, -2 to +2
Turret Style: Push/Pull Locking Turrets with Zero Reset
Length: 15.2 inches
Weight: 38.4 ounces
Waterproof Rating: IPX7
Impact Resistance: 1,000 G Forces

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On Safari With The Revolutionary Sig Sauer BDX System
Maven RS.1 2.5-15X44mm Review: Modern Hunting Glass
The Best Pistol Red Dots: A Buyer’s Guide

Giant Killers: .45-Caliber Rifle Cartridges

Philip Massaro

April 6, 2023

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.

45-caliber rifle cartridges feature spread — 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-45-70-45-caliber — 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.

45-70-vs-45-120-45-comparison — 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.

45-90-Winchester-Roosevelt — 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

458-Win-Mag — 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.

458-win-mag-vs-458-lott-comparison — 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.

458-Lott-45-caliber-rifle — *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

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.

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.

Big-Block Glock: The Guncrafter Industries .50 GI Conversion

Patrick Sweeney

April 5, 2023

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.

Guncrafter-Industries-50-GI-Glock-feature — 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.

Glock-front-sight — 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.

50-GI-comparison — 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.

Glock-mag-50 — 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.

50-GI-Bullets — 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.

50-GI-Cases — 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.

50-GI-Glock — 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.

Ned-Christiansen-Gunsmith — 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.

More On Glocks:

The .380 ACP Glock 28 Is Now Available Stateside

Adam Borisenko

April 4, 2023

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.

For more information, please visit glock.com and taloinc.com.

More On Glocks:

The 7.62×39 Upper Receiver Buyer’s Guide

Sam Hoober

April 4, 2023

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.

PSA-Lead-Star-762-Russian-AR-15 — 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.

Suppressed-762×39-AR-fixed — *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.

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.

MSRP: $320 ; palmettostatearmory.com

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.

MSRP: $925 ; rockriverarms.com

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.

MSRP: $969 ; brownells.com

Best CQB Upper: Maxim Defense MDX:508/510 U.R.G.

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.

MSRP: $1,395 ; maximdefense.com

Best For Hunting: PSA Gen 2 AR-47 16″ 7.62x39mm

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.

MSRP:$359.99 ; palmettostatearmory.com

More Non-Standard AR Caliber Info:

Why Buy A 6.5 Grendel?

Top .450 Bushmaster Upper Options

5 Affordable AR-10 Options

Best .224 Valkyrie Upper Options

Top .300 Blackout Upper Options

Best Affordable .308 Rifle Options For The Hunt

Elwood Shelton

April 3, 2023

Well made and reasonably priced, these .308 rifle options will keep you on the hunt for years to come.

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.

MSRP: $1,249, ruger.com

Savage 110 Hunter

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.

MSRP: $849, savagearms.com

Remington 700 SPS

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.

MSRP: $850, remington.com

Browning X-Bolt Hunter

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.

MSRP: $1,099.99, browning.com

Tikka T3x Hunter

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
Why Are We Still Talking About The .308 Vs .30-06?
Old Reliable: Reloading .30-06 Springfield Ammo
Is The 6.5 Creedmoor The New .308?
.30-06 Ammo: Turn The Warhorse Into A Thoroughbred
Reloading .308 Winchester

Zastava LK M70

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.

MSRP: $799, zastavaarmsusa.com

Howa 1500 Hogue

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.

MSRP: Starts At $579, howausa.com

Bergara B-14 Timber

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.

MSRP: $1,149, bergara.online/us/

CZ 600 Lux

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.

MSRP: $999, cz-usa.com

S&W MP10 Sport

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.

MSRP: $1,129, smith-wesson.com

Mauser M18

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

The Unfortunate Saga Of The Steyr GB

Mike Searson

March 31, 2023

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.

Steyr-GB-feature — 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.

Steyr-GB-left — 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.

Barnitzke-system-barrel — 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.

GB-stripped — 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.

GB-on-table — 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.

18-round-magazine-for-SGB — 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.

GB-with-knife — 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.

Bianchi-M12-holster — 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.

More Classic Military Guns:

Why The Mauser C96 “Broomhandle” Still Looms Large
The Makarov And Other 9x18mm Pistols
Nagant Revolver: Unique Relic From Behind The Iron Curtain
M1917 Enfield: The Unofficial U.S. Service Rifle
Browning Automatic Rifle: The Gun That Changed the Infantry

First Look: Bond Arms Cyclops .45-70 Gov’t

Adam Borisenko

March 31, 2023

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.

For more on Bond Arms, please visit bondarms.com.

More On Pocket Guns:

The Doggone History Of Bicycle Guns
Classic Pocket Pistol: Colt 1903
The Ruger LCP MAX New Pocket Pistol
Eleven Options For Pocket Holsters
Pocket Shotguns And Hand Cannons

First Look: Girsan MC 14T Tip-Up Pistol

Adam Borisenko

March 30, 2023

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 21^st 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.

For more information, please visit eaacorp.com.

More Concealed Carry Pistols:

9 Best CCW Revolvers
Best Concealed Carry Pistols For Women
10 Best Single-Stack 9mm Pistols For Carry
Top 10 Micro 9mm Handguns
Best .380 Pistol Options For Deep Carry

The Best Reloading Kits: A Buyer’s Guide

Philip Massaro

March 29, 2023

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.

More On Reloading:

Tips For Reloading the .30-06 Springfield
Loving Your Luger: Reloading the 9mm Luger
Handloading: Tips For Reloading The 7mm Rem Mag
How To: Tips For Reloading the .223 Remington
Reloading Bench: The Inside On Reloading For The .30-30 Winchester

.22 Hornet: To Bee Or Not To Bee

Sam Hoober

March 29, 2023

Is .22 Hornet an obsolete cartridge? Or does it still have its sting?

The .22 Hornet is an older, somewhat languishing small game rifle cartridge that’s slowly heading towards going out with a whimper. However, it has a certain niche that has allowed it to hang on, and for very good reason.

Originally developed as a varmint cartridge, it excels at that role as well as small-game shooting and some other sporting uses.

Its virtues include inherently impressive accuracy, almost nonexistent recoil and enough potency to take bigger game than you might expect. Despite these qualities, it’s still not enough to vault the .22 Hornet to best-seller in today’s crowded marketplace.

So, what should you know about .22 Hornet? Let’s dive in…

22-Hornet-ammo-comparison — From left to right: .22 Short, .22 Long Rifle, .22 Magnum and .22 Hornet. Photo: Wikipedia.

What Is The .22 Hornet, Anyway?

The roots of .22 Hornet lay in .22 Harwood Hornet, a black powder wildcat cartridge devised by a late 19th-century gun writer named Reuben Harwood. Harwood necked .25-20 down to .22 caliber, and that lineage—a rimmed case with tapered neck—is still very visible.

In the 1920s, Townsend Whelen and G.L. Wotkyns began experimenting with hot-rodding the .22 Winchester Centerfire at the Springfield Armory. Their experimental cartridge had outstanding velocity for a small powder load, barely any recoil to speak of and excellent accuracy potential.

Winchester liked the idea so much it created a new centerfire rifle case and started cataloging the cartridge in 1930 (and named it .22 Hornet to honor Harwood) with the first commercial rifles appearing in 1932.

Right away, it was beloved by varmint and small game hunters and target shooters, though it was noted right away to be nearly useless on larger game.

The US Army and Air Force took note, issuing a number of survival rifles (such as the M4, M6 and AR-5/M1) chambered in .22 Hornet and issued with 35-grain ball or 45-grain soft-points for hunting small game. The issued boxes of the day were thusly labeled to ensure compliance with the Hague Convention.

22-Hornet-surplus-ammo-box — An old box of Winchester .22 Hornet soft-point rounds. Photo: Wikipedia.

Outside the US, it still sees some use in Australia and in Europe as a small game or target cartridge. In sporting use, it sees some action in metallic silhouette shooting, though not in overwhelming numbers.

.22 Hornet Ballistics: Practical Range And Trajectory

Conventionally, the best range for .22 Hornet is roughly 150 yards and in, but it could be taken out to 300 yards with the right load…and possibly a bit further with handloading.

Any .224-caliber projectile can be loaded, but 35- and 45-grain loads are the most common factory options. The typical factory velocity of a 35-grain .22 Hornet is close to 3,000 feet per second with around 730 foot-pounds of energy from a 24-inch barrel.

Here, for instance, is a trajectory table for Remington’s Premier AccuTip 35-grain loading. All tables were made using ShootersCalculator with a 100-yard zero, a 1.5-inch sight height, a 10 mph 90-degree crosswind and zero corrections for atmosphere.

AccuTip’s specifications (G1 of .109, velocity of 3,100 fps) are representative of most of the 35-grain loads. As you can see, it loses velocity quickly.

However, if you were to handload a Hornady 55-grain projectile (G1 BC of .243) to around 2,650 fps…the story changes.

That 55-grain handload would have no issues dispatching coyotes out to 300 yards and would even be serviceable for small-bodied whitetails or other smaller game animals at modest ranges, so long as one used a soft-point bullet rather than an FMJ.

So, the sad truth of .22 Hornet is that it suffers from a lack of optimization that frankly wouldn’t take much to achieve…but it’s also the case that there’s almost no point. Why bother when .223 Remington rifles are so much cheaper and more available?

What Is The .22 Hornet Good For?

Based on most factory load data, .22 Hornet is theoretically usable for deer at short ranges (inside 100 yards) where it is legal.

As mentioned, you can handload and get better results (to the point where it’s usable on small game at modest ranges), but .223 Remington is still going to be better and cheaper.

Its best use is as a small-game and varmint cartridge for squirrels (arboreal and terrestrial), raccoons, coyotes, prairie dogs, rabbits and other pests (or small, edible critters) almost anywhere except the open spaces of the western states.

.22 Hornet Wildcats: .22 K-Hornet And .22 Ackley Hornet?

A couple of wildcats using .22 Hornet as a parent case have emerged over the years, including .22 K-Hornet (developed by Lysle Kilbourn) and .22 Ackley Improved Hornet, both of which blow out the shoulder to hold more powder.

.22 K-Hornet and .22 Ackley Improved Hornet add up to (roughly) 200 fps of additional velocity, which isn’t trivial, and does modestly extend the effective range of .22 Hornet. The conversion is simple, as all that’s required is reaming the chamber, but the issue is ammunition.

Getting .22 Hornet factory ammunition is already difficult; .22 K-Hornet and .22 Ackley Improved Hornet are strictly for handloading, and factory brass is not the most common. Cases can, of course, be fire-formed, and these chamberings are known for having longer-lived brass than other wildcats.

Is The .22 Hornet Obsolete?

Frankly, its days are numbered. The niches it occupies are so small that there are hardly any new production guns chambered for it, and little ammunition made for it. It’s primarily a cartridge still shot by those who already own .22 Hornet firearms, not something most people today are seeking out.

To get the absolute best of it, you need to handload…but, again, .223 Remington does everything it does, does it better, and for much less money.

It is the case that .223/5.56 does have more recoil; .22 Hornet produces less than 2 foot-pounds of recoil, but .223 usually produces around 4 foot-pounds in a rifle of the same weight. There aren’t too many people who can’t handle 4 foot-pounds of recoil, so how much does that really matter?

Taurus-Raging-Hornet-fixed — *A now-discontinued Taurus Raging Hornet revolver chambered for .22 Hornet. Photo:* Wikipedia.

What is of much greater concern than the recoil is the current availability of .22 Hornet arms and ammunition. New-production firearms chambered for it are practically non-existent, so you’ll most likely have to go to the used market to find the one you want. Retailers that do have some available appear to have a limited selection of models and very little stock. Of the firearms that were made for the cartridge, most are hunting-style or survival rifles, but a few revolvers have been chambered for it as well.

Ammunition availability is a similar story. At the time of writing, AmmoSeek has less than a page of results for .22 Hornet, and of those listings, there are only four load varieties between the various retailers. The cheapest is still over $1.50 per round.

While it’s fair to say that the availability of .22 Hornet ammo is lacking, it is still obtainable. Presuming that you already have a firearm chambered for it, what are the best loads to buy?

The 6 Best .22 Hornet Loads

Winchester Super-X 46-Grain JHP

Winchester Super-X gives you an (relatively) affordable varmint and predator round, but more importantly, it’s currently the most available factory load. Beggars can’t be choosers after all, and if you want to shoot .22 Hornet, this will be the easiest to find in stock.

Bullet Weight: 46 grains
Projectile Ttype: Jacketed hollow point
Muzzle Velocity: 2,690 fps
Muzzle Energy: 739 foot-pounds
G1 BC: Unpublished
MSRP: ~$90 per box of 50

Sellier & Bellot 45-Grain Soft-Point

When in stock, S&B’s 45-grain soft-point load is one of the most affordable .22 Hornet loads available. S&B also offers a 45-grain ball load, but it’s (oddly enough) more expensive. If you wanted inexpensive range ammo, this is about as good as it gets.

Bullet Weight: 45 grains
Projectile Type: Jacketed soft-point
Muzzle Velocity: 2,346 fps
Muzzle Energy: 550 foot-pounds
G1 BC: 0.138
MSRP: ~$25 per box of 20

Explore the Best of the .22 Caliber

Best .22 LR Pistol – Stacking up the .22 Cal Pistol Options Today
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Hornady Varmint Express 35-Grain V-Max

A quality high-velocity load for prairie dogs and other small critters that can hit hard enough to put them down out to 300 yards. It’s also one of the most commonly available at the time of writing.

Bullet Weight: 35 grains
Projectile Type: Tipped boattail hollow point
Muzzle Velocity: 3,100 fps
Muzzle Energy: 747 foot-pounds
G1 BC: 0.109
MSRP: $30 to $50 per box of 25

Prvi Partizan 45-Grain Soft-Point

Another inexpensive do-it-all load, Prvi Partizan’s 45-grain soft-point load is almost identical to S&B’s, but it comes in boxes of 50 instead of 20.

Bullet Weight: 45 grains
Projectile Type: Jacketed soft-point
Muzzle Velocity: 2,427 fps
Muzzle Energy: 589 foot-pounds
G1 BC: Unpublished
MSRP: ~$40 per box of 50

Federal Premium Green Hollow Point 30-Grain Speer TNT

Featuring a projectile with a thin copper jacket around a compressed metal core, this is a high-velocity varmint load for jurisdictions (or if you’re just conscientious about these things) where hunting ammo must be lead-free.

Bullet weight: 30 grains
Projectile type: Lead-free copper-jacketed hollow point
Muzzle velocity: 3,150 fps
Muzzle energy: 661 foot-pounds
G1 BC: 0.091
MSRP: ~$75 per box of 50

Nosler Custom 40-Grain Ballistic Tip

If you wanted a .22 Hornet load with longer legs, Nosler Custom’s 40-grain BT load is the best candidate. However, it is expensive and hard to find, so it’s not the best choice for everyday shooting.

Bullet weight: 40 grains
Projectile type: Tipped boattail hollow point
Muzzle velocity: 2,850 feet per second
Muzzle energy: 721 foot-pounds
G1 BC: 0.221
MSRP: ~$110 per box of 50

Raise Your Ammo IQ:

Ruger-Made Marlin Model 336 Classic Lever-Action Rifle Now Available

Adam Borisenko

March 29, 2023

The Marlin Model 336 Classic lever-action rifle in .30-30 Winchester is available once again, only now made by Ruger.

Ever since Ruger acquired Marlin, the company has been releasing updated versions of old Marlin lever-action rifle models. Until now, the focus has been on the .45-70 Gov’t models, but .30-30 Winchester is now on the table once again thanks to the recent release of the Marlin Model 336 Classic.

The new Marlin Model 336 Classic features a steel alloy receiver, a 20.25-inch cold hammer-forged barrel and a six-round magazine tube. All metal parts are richly blued, and the forend and stock are made of checkered American black walnut. Just like the original Marlin model, the new Ruger-made version features a gold trigger as well.

Other noteworthy features of the Model 336 include its adjustable semi-buckhorn sights, its standard-size lever loop and its soft rubber recoil pad. The rifle also has a push-button, cross-bolt manual safety, a polished bolt for smooth cycling and swing swivel studs on the forend and stock.

Ruger President and CEO Chris Killoy said this about the new lever-action:

The legendary Model 336 helped to build Marlin Firearms into the iconic American brand that it is today…We have worked for many months on every detail to ensure that Ruger’s reintroduction of this iconic rifle lives up to its stellar reputation…Our focus continues to be on quality…We remain committed to making firearms that are rugged, reliable and can proudly be handed down for many generations. The Model 336 is no exception.

Availability is currently limited but the Ruger-made Marlin Model 336 Classic is shipping now. MSRP is $1,239.

For more information, please visit ruger.com and marlinfirearms.com.

Raise Your Lever-Gun IQ:

The Henry .45-70 Gov’t
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Elevation Evaluation: Holdover Reticles Vs. Dialing

Philip Massaro

March 28, 2023

When it comes to solving ballistic problems quickly, which is better, using holdover reticles or dialing your scope?

Long-range shooting has certainly grown in popularity over the past decade, and as shots get longer, the gear gets more specialized. Just a quarter-century ago, the 1,000-yard shot seemed all but impossible to the average shooter, with tales of snipers like Carlos Hathcock causing most guys to cock an eyebrow and listen, rather than talk. But as the first quarter of the 21st century draws to a close, 1,000 yards isn’t as faraway as it used to be.

While attending some shooting schools, I’ve seen folks who’ve never fired a rifle past 100 yards make the 1,000-yard shot routinely after two days of proper training. While the gear—rifle, optics and ammunition—is better than it has ever been, the technique needs to be on point. Ballistic calculators can provide precise information regarding trajectory, wind deflection, spin drift, aerodynamic jump and even the Coriolis effect, but you’ll need a means of applying that data.

The modern riflescope is more than just a magnified image with a single point of aim; it has become a highly sophisticated aiming device, capable of taking both trajectory and wind deflection into account.

Elevation-Evaluation-Holdover-Reticles-Vs-Dialing-feature — Modern riflescopes offer a number of different yet effective aiming solutions. *Photo: Massaro Media Group.*

But not all riflescopes are created the same, and for those shooters who need to make some sort of adjustment for their bullet’s trajectory, there are few options available, including sophisticated holdover reticles, precise elevation and windage turrets and, quite often, a combination of both. All the information in the world won’t help you if you can’t put it into action, so let’s look at the differences between dialing for windage and elevation and using a reticle to make those adjustments.

Learning to Stretch

If your rifle’s barrel were held perfectly level—perpendicular to the effects of gravity—the projectile would immediately begin to drop down upon leaving the barrel, away from the line of sight. In order for our projectile to hit a distant target, the barrel must be elevated at the muzzle. I’ve had people swear until they were blue in the face that bullets rise once fired; this is not the case, unless the barrel is elevated.

The bullet will begin dropping, until at some certain distance it will come down across the line of sight again; that distance is referred to as “zero” and can change depending on your needs. Most popular zero distances are 100, 200 and 250 yards. Hunters will tend to use a longer zero—to minimize the need for holdover—while target shooters will tend to prefer a 100-yard zero, making scope adjustments for every shot past that distance.

Tikka-Holdovers-Vs-dialing — The author’s Tikka T3X Lite, in 7mm-08 Remington, wears a Leupold VX-3HD 3.5-10x40mm. Though it has a simple duplex reticle, it can easily be dialed for elevation adjustments—though a turret marked in yardage would be even better. *Photo: Massaro Media Group.*

Whichever zero distance you choose, if you hunt or shoot outside of that distance, you’ll need some means of compensating for the drop of your bullet. Once upon a time, a shooter would have a homemade dope chart, based upon real-world experiences—and unless it was a target scenario in which the distance to the target was known, the distance was estimated. In the hunting world, there were reticles that had marks used much like the stadia hairs in a surveying transit, where a game animal would be bracketed between those hairs to help estimate distance.

In those pre-rangefinder days, I remember spending minutes deliberating—and sometimes arguing—with a guide or professional hunter about how far away the animal was to use the proper amount of holdover. Thank goodness for the availability of modern rangefinders.

If—due to those excellent rangefinders—we can accurately observe the distance to the target, a good ballistic chart will provide the information necessary to hit the target at that distance. However, correlating the prescribed amount of holdover to the adjustments on your riflescope can be a daunting task, unless you choose a system that makes the most sense for you. I can hear folks already, “Just get closer and don’t worry about it.” Well, there are times when getting inside of 250 yards on a Coues deer, bull elk or mountain goat simply isn’t feasible. In the hunting world, I surely want to get as close as possible, but switch over to the target world, and farther is fun.

elevation-evaluation-scope-reticle-holdover — Swarovski’s BRX-1 reticle gives 0.5-mil increments between the dots and lower crosshairs, as well as additional hash marks for making wind adjustments. It’s designed to be used at maximum magnification in a second-focal plane scope. *Photo: Massaro Media Group.*

Long-Range Lingo

Looking at common ballistic charts, you’ll find trajectory adjustments marked in inches, MOA (minutes of angle) or in mils (milliradians). All are simply measuring systems to get that bullet where it needs to be.

Inches might be the easiest to comprehend, but that measurement is just the distance that the arc subtends, while the other two measurements are of the actual angle itself. Minutes of angle is exactly what you studied in geometry class, with a minute being an arc, 1/60th of a degree. There are 360 degrees in a circle, 60 minutes in a degree and 60 seconds in a minute.

Milliradians are 1/1000th of a radian, with a radian being an arc where the radius is equal to the arc length. There are 2xπ radians in a circle; if you divide one of those radians into 1,000 pieces, you’ve got a milliradian. Where 1 MOA subtends just over 1 inch at 100 yards (actually 1.047 inches), 1 milliradian subtends 3.6 inches. Many popular riflescopes will have adjustments in ¼ MOA or 0.1 mil, with the MOA scopes having the finer adjustment value.

Whichever way you measure it, with many of the most popular cartridges, there’ll be a need for holdover outside of 250 yards unless you’re really stretching the zero. Adjusting the elevation turret—or “dialing”—to compensate for trajectory and even windage is becoming increasingly popular, even among older hunters who traditionally don’t want anything to move.

Elevation-Evaluation-dialing-scope — A zero-stop indicator—the Leupold silver button—can quickly tell you whether your scope is set back to zero. *Photo: Massaro Media Group.*

There are scopes offering up to three revolutions on the elevation turret, depending on the size of the scope tube and the amount of elevation available in the scope. If I’m going to commit to dialing for elevation, I want a turret with big, bold markings. And I’m a big fan of the scopes with zero-stop turrets, so I can make absolutely sure I return to my 100-yard zero after each shot or shot opportunity.

For example, you might be all set up and in position for that 420-yard shot on a big muley buck … only to have him duck into cover. Pulling up stakes, you might bump another deer at 150 yards, only to shoot clear over his back because you’re still dialed to 420. This happens more often than folks would care to admit.

You’ll need a chart to correlate the trajectory of your chosen load to the amount of holdover, and the routine goes like this: range your target (steel plate, game animal, etc.) to establish the distance, raise the elevation turret the proper amount of MOA or mils for that distance, and squeeze the trigger. Practice is paramount when it comes to dialing, as there will be some sort of interruption of sight picture between identifying the target, ranging the distance, dialing the prescribed amount of holdover and then getting on the target.

elevation-evaluation-aiming-scope — Swarovski’s Z5 3.5-18x scope has a capped turret but offers an easy-to-use holdover reticle. *Photo: Massaro Media Group.*

A holdover reticle—one that has some sort of graduations for establishing the proper amount of holdover on the reticle—is another means of accurately correcting for trajectory. You’ll find all sorts of different reticles, from the simplest with 1-MOA or ½-mil graduations on the main hairs, to very complex designs with more precise graduations for both trajectory and for wind drift.

First-focal-plane scopes, which have a reticle that gets bigger or smaller according to changes in magnification, can work at any magnification range. Second-focal-plane scopes, in which the reticle appears to be the same size, will only give the proper values at a prescribed magnification range—and that’s usually at maximum. Using a reticle for holdover can be simple and accurate if you’re a hunter who rarely exceeds 400 or 500 yards, but it can get a bit complex when using it exclusively for true long-range target shooting.

Elevation-Evaluation-Leupold-Mark-5 — Serious target scopes—like the Leupold Mark 5 shown here—can offer three full rotations on the elevation dial. *Photo: Massaro Media Group.*

Making Up Your Mind

When comparing and contrasting dialing and holdover, it’s important to note that both have their place in today’s shooting environment. I can see why some shooters who rarely need to adjust for trajectory would want the simpler reticle and lack of exposed turrets. I can also see why a shooter would want the flexibility of a scope that can accurately be dialed for a precise amount of holdover, especially with a rifle that might be asked to cover both hunting and target scenarios. Or perhaps you might opt for both, having an exposed target turret with a zero stop and yet a graduated reticle for quick (and often smaller) changes.

At a recent long-range shoot in Barksdale, Texas—at FTW Ranch’s SAAM course—we were using a magnum cartridge with a very good B.C., topped with a Swarovski 3.5-28x scope. This scope had an exposed turret and the BRX-1 reticle in tube. At 1,800 yards, we definitely maxed out the 7 mils of turret elevation, and at full 28x magnification, we needed more than what the holdover reticle could give us. Cutting the magnification down to 14x, we doubled the values of what the reticle would subtend, and that gave us enough to tackle the steel plate at more than a mile.

Elevation-Evaluation-Holdover-Reticles-Vs-Dialing-range — One of the instructors at the SAAM Shooting School in Barksdale, Texas, helping to make scope adjustments for distant shots. *Photo: Massaro Media Group.*

On my hunting rifles, I generally prefer a simple reticle on a scope that has a top end of somewhere between 9x and 18x, depending on application. I did find that Swarovski’s top end of 28x was a bit too much for my liking, in spite of the excellent glass, and I’d have opted for something in the 15x-18x range, even for the long-range application.

I can understand if you want that level of magnification on a target rifle, but trying to use the holdover reticle at 28x, on a target (deer, elk or steel plate) can be a challenge. If you opt for a first-focal-plane reticle, which can offer a simple crosshair at lower magnification, yet a detailed holdover reticle at higher magnifications, I shall not argue. The values that reticle will subtend—once memorized by the shooter—will not change. If you’re serious about having the utmost flexibility in a reticle, for both trajectory and wind deflection, a first focal plane reticle might be the best choice for you.

Holdover-Vs-Dialing-illuminated-reticle — Leupold’s Illuminated TMOA reticle offers 1-MOA hashmarks on the thinner part of the crosshairs, changing to 5-MOA on the thicker sections. It’s a simple but effective means of holdover, especially for hunters who tend to stay inside of 500 yards. *Photo: Massaro Media Group.*

On a long-range rifle, I’ve gravitated toward a scope that allows me to dial for longer shots—yet have some form of graduated crosshair for wind adjustments; I don’t like dialing for wind at all. In fact, I absolutely adore the Leupold CDS system. You provide those excellent folks in Oregon with the pertinent data for your chosen load—including bullet weight, ballistic coefficient and muzzle velocity—and they’ll prepare a dial turret marked in yardage. This eliminates the mathematical conversion from distance to arc, and allows the shooter to range the target, dial that number and concern his or herself with whatever wind issues are at hand.

Elevation-Evaluation-Holdover-Reticles-Vs-Dialing-turret — For their CDS system, Leupold can make you a custom turret, specifically calibrated and marked for your particular load. The author has found this to work wonderfully. *Photo: Massaro Media Group.*

I’ve used this turret both at the bench and in the field, and it works wonderfully. Couple that dial with Leupold’s TMOA reticle (that gives me 1-MOA graduations on the horizontal and vertical hairs), and I’ve got a system I feel comfortable taking anywhere. This setup is in a Leupold VX-6HD 3-18x44mm, atop my Browning X-Bolt in 6.8 Western, and is wonderfully convenient for so many hunting situations.

Elevation-Evaluation-Leupold-scope — The author’s 6.8 Western rifle has a custom Leupold turret, calibrated (perfectly) for the 175-grain Browning load. *Photo: Massaro Media Group.*

There are many good scopes on the market. Brand and model are as personal a choice as is the make and model of the rifle, but the concept of so many of them are the same. Try and find the system that makes the most sense for you and devote your energy to practicing with that rig; I’m sure you’ll quickly see the results on the target board.

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the November 2022 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.

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Double-Dipping: Best Binary Trigger Buyer’s Guide

Sam Hoober

March 27, 2023

Looking for an easy and legal way to increase your weapon’s fire rate? A binary trigger may be what you want. Here are some of the best.

Compared to a standard trigger, a binary trigger will (literally) give you more bang for your buck. How? Binary triggers have an extra step in the trigger mechanism that drops the hammer not only when the trigger is pulled, but also when it’s released. This means that every time your booger hook actuates a binary bang switch, twice as many bullets are sent down range.

Some consider them gimmicks, some take them seriously. Regardless, many people like them. If you were to become interested…what would be a good one to buy? Should you even bother?

Let’s go over what binary triggers are, why they’re perfectly legal (for now!), what redeeming features they might have, and finally four binary triggers that are actually worth buying.

Fostech-AK-binary-trigger — A 9mm AK equipped with a Fostech AK binary trigger. Photo: Fostech.

What’s A Binary Trigger?

The first binary triggers were developed, released and popularized by Franklin Armory, and the company still dominates the market today.

How a normal trigger mechanism works is that the hammer is caught by the disconnector and the sear lever, holding it in place until the trigger is pulled. You pull the trigger, the hammer drops, and a pew happens. For the next shot, the trigger must be released to reset the sear so the cycle can repeat.

A binary trigger adds a second sear into the equation, catching the hammer again after the first shot and holding it before the trigger is released. As you release the trigger, the second sear lever disengages, the hammer falls, and the cycle repeats.

This is the general principle behind how all binary triggers operate, but of course there are some differences in form between triggers designed for different weapons. Some kinds only allow for firing in binary mode once installed, but others come with a selector and can be toggled between binary and standard modes.

Are Binary Triggers Legal?

According to federal law, binary triggers are completely legal and are not restricted NFA items. That said, do not construe any of the following as legal advice (I am not a lawyer). Do look into your local laws before trying to buy one. As we’ll get to later, binary triggers are prohibited in some states.

The definition of a machine gun, per the NFA and the BATFE, is:

Any weapon which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot, automatically one shot without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger.

Because binary triggers reset the hammer before the trigger is released, but do not drop the hammer until it is released, it distinguishes each function as a separate action. The key part is, because only one bullet is fired per function of the trigger, it does not meet the ATF’s definition of a machine gun.

As a result, the ATF currently considers most binary trigger designs as in compliance with federal regulation. Other triggers with different designs but similar results are not, however. For example, Rare Breed is currently embroiled in a legal battle with the ATF over its Forced Reset Trigger.

It bears mentioning that forced reset triggers are mechanically distinct from binary triggers, so it’s not quite apples to apples. However, both devices increase a gun’s practical fire rate, and it goes to show that just like bump stocks, lightning links and similar devices, the ATF will come for them if it feels like it can get away with it.

Further, despite being federally legal, a number of states explicitly or implicitly prohibit binary triggers. Residents of CA, CT, DC, FL, HI, IA, MD, NJ, NY, RI, and WA may be prohibited from possessing or selling one, so take care to research your state’s laws carefully and thoroughly before buying one.

Are Binary Triggers Actually Worth Buying?

So, let’s get it out of the way: is a binary trigger a mere range toy or is there any sort of practical advantage to having one?

On paper, a binary trigger lets you shoot fast double taps. If you can press the trigger very quickly, it might be able to give you a faster rate of fire than you would have with a standard trigger. Some may even argue that it gets you as close to full-auto as possible without having to get a tax stamp.

In the real world, it’s mostly a gimmick for mag dumping into the berm, but there’s nothing wrong with that if it makes you happy and you’re honest about it.

Binary triggers aren’t allowed in most shooting sports, they aren’t allowed by some ranges and they won’t help your splits nearly as much as good training, hard work and practice will.

Jerry Miculek tried running a Fostech binary trigger against a standard one in a mag-dump race, and he was able to empty his magazine about two seconds faster in binary fire mode than with a standard trigger. An improvement, sure, but spread between 30 rounds, two seconds isn’t much. Granted, most of us are not Jerry Miculek, but even if binary triggers provided a greater advantage, that is A. achievable by other means and B. rarely the difference between life and death.

It should also be noted these triggers are incredibly expensive. You aren’t getting out the door for less than $300 in most instances.

Is there a situation where a binary trigger will be the difference between saving your life and getting killed in the streets? Not really, no. If you want to shoot a rifle more effectively in a defensive situation, optics are a better use of those dollars. Training from a good instructor is better still.

While certainly fun, these “upgrades” don’t bring much to the party in terms of real-world benefits. Like bump stocks, binary triggers are range toys and should be treated as such. Again, there’s nothing wrong with that, just don’t mistake them for practical upgrades or as a substitute for training.

Before You Buy A Binary Trigger

If you’re considering buying a binary trigger, it’s important that you know that you will likely have to modify your rifle slightly. For AR-pattern rifles, you will need a full auto bolt carrier group (the good news is that most of them come with one anyway) and an H2 buffer. For AK-pattern rifles, you may need to upgrade your recoil spring.

The Top 4 Binary Triggers

Franklin Armory BFSIII 22-C1

Franklin-Armory-10-22-trigger — Franklin Armory BFSIII 22-C1.

If you want a binary trigger for cheap fun at the range, this is the one to get. The BFSIII 22-C1 is made for the Ruger 10-22, and it drops into most (though not necessarily all) Ruger 10-22 rifles.

The BFSIII 22-C1 is a three-position trigger, with the first position being safe, the second being semi-auto and the third position being for binary operation. If you’re going to use it as a range toy, you might as well put it in what is probably the ultimate fun gun. The BFSIII is also available for the Ruger PC.

MSRP is $299.99, but street prices can be as low as $250 in some cases.

Fostech Echo AK Trigger

Fostech-AK-trigger — Fostech AK Trigger.

The Fostech Echo is a competing design against Franklin Armory’s AK binary trigger, achieving the same effect but with a slightly more complicated design. However, the company has also established itself as a manufacturer of high-quality parts, so you’ll get what you pay for.

The Echo AK trigger drops into most Kalashnikov rifles from most manufacturers, and although it was designed for use with stamped receivers it can work with milled receiver AKs with some fitting and patient installation.

MSRP is $547.99, but street prices are often just below $500.

Franklin Armory BFSIII AR-S1

Franklin-Armory-AR-trigger — Franklin Armory BFSIII AR-S1.

The Franklin Armory BFSIII AR-S1 is a modern, flat-face AR binary trigger for those who prefer a flat blade instead of the traditional curved trigger blade. Believe it or not, you can get Glock knuckle from shooting ARs too (dragging on the trigger guard) and flat triggers help prevent this.

The BFSIII AR-S1 comes with a three-position selector and drops into nearly any AR variant of any caliber without issue. The third position is binary mode, with the first two positions being the expected safe and semi.

MSRP is $429.99, but it can be found for less than $400.

Fostech Echo Sport Trigger

Fostech-AR-trigger — Fostech Echo Sport.

The Fostech Echo Sport is an AR binary trigger that’s a little more economical given its slightly more affordable MSRP. It’s still more expensive than some Geissele triggers, but then again, most binary triggers are.

The Fostech Echo Sport has a simplified mechanism compared to the standard Echo, with a dual disconnector/sear assembly and included three-position safety selector assembly as well.

MSRP is $329.99, but street prices are usually under $300.

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First Look: GPO Spectra 6X 4.5-27x50i SFP

Adam Borisenko

March 27, 2023

German Precision Optics has just announced the Spectra 6X 4.5-27x50i SFP, and the company is calling it the ultimate long-range hunting riflescope.

German Precision Optics, or GPO, has just announced the Spectra 6X 4.5-27x50i SFP. The company is calling it the ultimate long-range hunting riflescope and claims that it is at least on par with, if not better than, similar scopes that have a much higher price tag.

The Spectra 6X 4.5-27x50i SFP features a 50mm objective lens with a GPObright coating to ensure maximum light transmission. Built on an aluminum, nitrogen-filled 30mm tube, the scope features a 4.5-27X variable magnification range and an illuminated MOA reticle on the second focal plane. These features allow the scope to be used to accurately engage everything from the smallest North American game up to elk. The illuminated reticle also shuts itself off after three hours of inactivity and alerts users when battery life drops below 15 percent.

Michael Jensen, owner and CEO of GPO USA, said this about the new scope:

It has every bell and whistle the most discerning shooter and hunter desires in a second focal plane design. And while the quality and features meet or exceed that of more expensive brands, it’s offered at a very affordable price.

Other noteworthy features of the Spectra 6X 4.5-27x50i SFP include its reliable, zero-stop locking adjustment turrets that provide +/-30 MOA at 100 yards (.25-MOA click adjustments at 100-yards), its hydrophobic lens coatings and its removable magnification throw lever. Each Spectra 6X 4.5-27x50i SFP comes with a battery, a lens cloth and a see-through scope cover. MSRP is $1,249.99 and it will be available in the spring of this year.

For more on German Precision Optics, please visit gpo-usa.com.

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GUN DIGESTWE KNOW GUNS SO YOU KNOW GUNS

Capable yet affordable, in this review the author takes a closer look at the Swampfox Warhawk 5-25×56 FFP.

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When it comes to solving ballistic problems quickly, which is better, using holdover reticles or dialing your scope?

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