B&T has just released the APC45 PRO-G, a new variant that can accept Glock 21 magazines making it much more accessible to the average shooter.
B&T’s pistol caliber carbines have a lot of attractive features. From the guns’ hydraulic buffer systems that reduce recoil to the wide array of compatible accessory options, many felt that the only drawback of the platform was its use of proprietary magazines. At over $100 a pop for 25-round models, most simply couldn’t afford to stack mags for the APC45 as deep as they would like, but that’s changing with the release of the APC45 PRO-G.
The APC45 PRO-G has all the same qualities as existing B&T PCC models, with the only difference being its new lower receiver. Now capable of feeding from much more common and less expensive Glock 21 magazines, APC45 PRO-G owners will be able to hoard mags much more affordably. The new lower is compatible with both OEM Glock 21 mags and aftermarket variants in a variety of different capacities, giving users more choices than what the three B&T .45 ACP magazines previously provided.
Jon Scott, Vice President of Sales for B&T USA, had this to say on the new APC45 PRO-G:
Our customers have been requesting a Glock lower receiver group option for this big-bore variant of our proven APC family of weapon systems…The time has come for us to provide this option to those seeking the option of the heavier weight 45ACP projectile with its increased terminal performance, intermediate barrier penetration and sheer energy on target, all in a size optimized for discrete deployment.
This is great news for those who were interested in a .45 ACP B&T PCC but were dissuaded by the cost and availability of their magazines.
Kimber came out of left field with the release of the R7 Mako CCW pistol, but can the company’s baby shark take a bite out of the competition?
With that earworm firmly planted in your swede, let’s take a look at a handgun …
Whereas stagger-stack nines are nothing new, this pistol is a rarity from Kimber. It’s a departure from their normal catalog of 1911s and hunting rifles, and while they have dabbled in the CCW world with the Solo and Evo, this is aimed squarely at the most popular market segment in the U.S. right now, namely the micro subcompact genre kicked off by the SIG P365.
Kimber’s previous attempts at a striker-fired, micro 9 were, shall we say, eventful. Last decade, the Solo was introduced as a premium carry gun, and visually it was a delight, with melted edges, a two-tone or silver finish, contoured night sights and, for the time, a decent trigger. Accurate, too. Unfortunately, it needed +P ammo to run reliably, but standard pressure rounds to avoid beating itself to death. We experienced this firsthand during a reliability test for a Solo accessory; after a case of Gold Dots, the gun’s locking lugs were so badly peened it had to be retired—pretty disappointing performance from what was supposed to be a premium product. Replaced in the lineup by the Evo SP, the new gun seemed to address the previous model’s shortcomings but with its predecessor’s bad rap hanging like a sword of Damocles, it’s not exactly lighting up the sales charts.
Kimber went to market with holster makers already spun up on the product, so finding something to put the pistol in shouldn’t be too difficult.
The R7 Mako is a clean-sheet design. If you sense a certain Teutonic aesthetic to its lines, it’s probably due to the influence of Willi Bubits whose creations can be found in the catalogs of Caracal, Steyr and Walther, and who brought the Mako’s initial concept to Kimber. So much for history, does it fill the intended role?
Hands On
For anyone familiar with the flashy Solo, the Mako looks like its homely sister. Sure, there’s been an attempt to mold in some contours to the glass-filled polymer frame, but it’s only slightly less ugly than a Hi-Point, albeit without the latter’s bulk and heft. The R7 Mako’s barrel locks up using an odd-looking square nub at the rear of the chamber, rather than the usual SIG/Petter shelf, making the slide a little taller than you’d expect and adding to the somewhat top-heavy appearance. Looks aside, the frame does a creditable job of handling the human/gun interface, with texturing across all gripping surfaces, a noticeable palm swell and that Wather-esque hump on the backstrap. While it may not have the world’s lowest bore axis, an undercut trigger guard gets your hand high enough to make recoil control manageable, and the pinky extension on its 13-round magazine allows for a full, three-finger grip, even with large hands. An 11-round, flush-fit mag is available for anyone requiring a minimum of grip length for concealment purposes, but it’s a pretty safe bet that most users will opt for more capacity.
Controls are full ambi and designed for the CCW role. The 13-round mag provides enough grip for even large hands.
The magazine release is flush with the frame’s surface rather than being fenced, and to allow the thumb to reach it, there’s a relieved area in the frame making inadvertent mag drops unlikely. Lefties are catered to with identical controls on both sides of the pistol. The slide release is let into a raised plastic ridge in the frame’s upper surface, so accidentally locking the slide to the rear is about as likely as dropping the mag when you didn’t mean to.
The R7 Mako’s slide has another interesting quirk, aside from its unusual lockup—there’s a separate breech face pinned into the area rear of the undersized ejection port, which makes manufacture easier. Should .40 S&W make a comeback return to its former glory, rather than just being an annoying way to screw up a progressive reloading press (thanks, XD shooters for mixing .40 and 9mm brass), then you could potentially swap in a new breech face and barrel and be on your merry way. But that scenario’s as likely as Biden’s second term. Those wanting to add a weapon-mounted light to their carry piece will be disappointed, at least until the aftermarket catches up, as there’s no Picatinny rail out front. Choosing a proprietary rail will always ruffle feathers, but the alternative of having a tiny, svelte handgun with a mini cheese grater sticking out past the slide profile will piss off just as many potential customers.
Initially, we suspected the Kimber’s slide was a MIM part, as tool marks were almost completely absent. But after receiving assurances from the manufacturer that it starts out as bar stock, we’ll chalk it up to some of the best machining we’ve seen in a while. Kudos to the engineers and production guys for that one. Up top, there’s a cut for an RMSc pattern mini red dot, and our test gun came equipped with a Crimson Trace unit. It is, however, protected from gas, oil and unburnt powder residue by the Mako’s undersized ejection port.
Available as either optics-ready or optics-installed, the R7 Mako sighting options are either excellent or OK, depending on your tastes. Note the Walther-ish hump on backstrap.
Iron sights are just what the market ordered, with a big, red dot up front and a U-notch rear, both of which are tritium-illuminated and supplied by TruGlo. The rear sight features a slightly undercut front face to aid with one-handed manipulations, and it’s set as far back on the slide as possible in order to maximize sight radius. If you don’t like the sights it ships with, then finding replacements shouldn’t be too difficult, as the manufacturer made the smart choice of not going with a proprietary footprint, instead using the same slide cuts as the world’s most often replaced, useless plastic sight-like protuberances. Looking at you, Glock.
The Mako’s trigger is one of the gun’s best features and leaves the groundbreaking P365 in the dust. Breaking at 5.5 pounds with a short, tactile reset, it’s one of the few triggers on a polymer handgun that isn’t made from the same material as the frame, instead being carved from aluminum. A nice touch is that the gas pedal safety in the trigger’s face sets perfectly flush when depressed, increasing the amount of surface area in contact with your digit, reducing the perceived pull and making solid hits at extended ranges much easier. Teamed with a red dot, the combination of sights and trigger allows the user to really stretch the gun’s capabilities way past what would normally be considered CCW distances.
Rounds Downrange
Wrangling up a few of the Kimber’s competitors, we loaded up steel, paper, shot timer, and a slack handful of ammo brands and types before heading to the range. First impressions were uniformly good, with the R7 Mako’s extra couple of ounces in comparison to the P365, Hellcat and Max 9 soaking up a bit more recoil. Sure, it’s a Micro 9 so it’s going to be snappy, but there was a slight but noticeable difference between its siblings which could just as easily be attributed to the nicely contoured and grippy frame. Whether this would ever be perceived by the shooter in a situation where the gun gets used for real is definitely an angels/pin argument, but it’s there nonetheless.
The author firing the Mako with a mounted optic at the range.
Accuracy was in line with the rest of the pack, and we had no trouble hitting two-third size IPSC torsos beyond 50 yards and keeping shots within the head box at 25. Every type of factory ammo we put through the gun functioned flawlessly, whether it was NATO-spec 124-grain ball, old Remington 115-grain range fodder or different flavors of hollow-points. It wasn’t until we got into handloads that the R7 choked. Loads that were put together to barely make minor power factor for local matches refused to go into battery, despite running well in the other guns. It seems that in this test sample at least, the Kimber product has a chamber with a short throat, so if you want to load rounds slightly longer than usual to reduce pressure. Be aware that the R7 is even tighter than CZ in this respect.
Field stripping reveals the curious barrel nub that acts to lock up the action.
The Mako’s entry into a market segment that’s quickly filling up with worthy carry guns is welcomed, as competition drives innovation. Kimber has learned from the mistakes of others and has delivered a handgun that checks every box in terms of feature set, at a price comparable to the models it’ll share counter space with. Great sights, trigger, capacity and optics-ready right out of the box—what’s not to like? And don’t worry, the holster will cover up the homely aesthetics. Everyone’s a 10 with the lights out…
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the CCW 2022 special issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Springfield Armory has just announced the Hellcat Pro, a new Hellcat variant that features an increased capacity and optics-ready slide.
The Springfield Hellcat has been one of the most popular concealed carry pistols on the market since its introduction, and Springfield has just announced the release of a new model in the family. The Springfield Hellcat Pro will come with an optics-ready slide, a longer barrel and an increased magazine capacity over standard Hellcat models.
Springfield is advertising that the biggest advantage of the new Hellcat Pro is its large magazine capacity despite the gun’s small size. The pistol retains the slim and concealable 1-inch width from previous Hellcat models but now has a larger grip that is more comfortable to hold and facilitates the use of new 15-round flush-fit magazines. It also features a longer barrel and proportionally longer slide, providing fired projectiles with greater velocity and the shooter with a longer sight radius. Speaking of sights, the Hellcat Pro also includes a co-witness U-Dot Tactical Rack rear sight, tritium front sight and an optics-ready slide ready to accept RMSc-pattern red dots. The accessory rail on the Hellcat Pro has been extended as well.
Steve Kramer, Springfield Armory’s Vice President of Marketing, had this to say on the new Hellcat Pro:
The Hellcat Pro delivers full-size performance in a concealable, EDC-ready package with unmatched ergonomics…This is a pistol that shoots like a much larger handgun while still being extremely easy to conceal, offering you the best of both worlds.
Each Hellcat Pro will include two 15-round magazines and the MSRP will be $634. All other features on the Pro model are comparable to those of existing Hellcats.
The Diamondback DB9 is an often-overlooked ultra-compact 9mm CCW pistol that's been around for a while, but its small size may make it still worth considering.
Currently, the most popular handguns for personal protection are what are often called ultra-compacts. Handguns of this size are nothing new, but what’s relatively new are handguns this small that are chambered for the 9mm Luger. The reason this type of firearm has become so popular is because as the popularity of concealed carry rises, so too does the realization that a full-size pistol is uncomfortable to carry and hard to conceal. So, every year, we see new introductions into this segment of the market.
The Diamondback DB9 with its 6-round magazine.
Ironically, one of the smallest and easiest to conceal 9mm handguns has been around for a while, and it’s often ignored by those looking for something small, easy to conceal and comfortable to carry. It’s the DB9 from Diamondback. My first exposure to this handgun was more than a decade ago while I was hunting alligators in the Florida swamps. Not only did I use the DB9 to shoot alligators that were hauled up along the side of an airboat, but I also got to tour the factory. As a result of that visit, I’ve had a DB9 that I keep handy anytime I need a handgun for deep concealment.
How small is the DB9 Well, if you have normal-sized hands for a man, you could call it “hand-sized.” It’s a very compact 9mm pistol, hardly bigger than a smartphone.
Over that past decade, that little pistol has served me well and has proven to be very reliable. A friend begged me out of it, so I acquired another, newer DB9. This pistol is less than 6 inches long, less than an inch wide, less than 5 inches tall and tips the scales—unloaded—at less than 14 ounces. It holds 6+1 rounds of 9mm ammunition, and there are 15 different variants to choose from. The DB9 comes with one magazine and two base pads. One of the base pads extends below the grip for little finger support, and the other fits flush.
Sights on the DB9 vary depending on the model. Several have what I’d call bumps or pocket pistol sights. They work, but they’re small. Four versions of the DB9 come with more conventional handgun sights of the three-dot variety, and these DB9s are compatible with aftermarket Glock sights. Unless you’re going to pocket carry, I’d for sure recommend one of the versions with the better sights. At 10 yards, I was able to keep my shots inside a 3-inch circle and run the Forty-Five Drill—five shots, inside a 5-inch circle, at 5 yards, in less than 5 seconds—in an average of about 4 seconds, and that’s drawing from a coat pocket.
The Diamondback DB9 hardly fills your hand, but you’ll need to hold on to it. For some shooters, 9mm recoil from a 13-ounce pistol can be intimidating.
The DB9 is thin and light, and with full power 9mm loads, it’ll bite your hand a bit. But, honestly, what would you expect from such a small pistol? I wouldn’t want to take a 250-round per day training course with the DB9, but, of course, that’s not what this pistol was designed for. It’s intended to provide you security without bulk; it’s a deep concealment handgun. My friend carries his every day at work in an office environment, and in the appendix position and in one of those little Sticky holsters. He tells me he often forgets the gun is even there.
For those of you who like to carry in a fanny-type pack, like the Galco Fastrax Pac Waistpack, the DB9 adds very little weight.
Some will tell you that the DB9 isn’t very reliable. That hasn’t been my experience at all. However, I’ll append that with the advice this is a pistol you must hold on to when you pull the trigger. If you try to shoot it with a relaxed grip, like you might be able to do with a duty-size 9mm pistol, don’t be surprised if reliability lessens. The smaller 9mm pistols get, the firmer they must be held and the stiffer the wrist must be kept. My daughters recently discovered this during a training course they took with one of the new Mossberg MC2sc pistols. I think this is one of the reasons the DB9 and other ultra-compact 9mm pistols sometimes get a bad rap for reliability. Shooter-induced stoppages aren’t reliability problems inherent to the handgun.
The SKS vs AK-47, if you could only have one, which would it be? We assess the pros and cons of these two iconic Soviet carbines.
Of all the firearms that have ever been fielded, the AK and SKS are two designs that have seen some of the most action. Since they were first developed in the wake of WWII, these iconic Soviet carbines have been used the world over, and they’re not through fighting yet.
If it’s been a while since you last checked in on the state of the Combloc surplus market, you may be shocked to discover just how radically it’s changed over the past couple of decades. While many can remember the days of $99 SKSs at their local hardware store, that era has unfortunately passed. The average price of both rifles has increased considerably, and those who are in the market for a 7.62x39mm gun may now be forced to choose one or the other. With many factors to consider besides cost, however, we’re going to dive into the SKS vs AK-47 debate to help you determine which is the better option if you could only own one.
From the moment the AK-47 was born, its qualities were being compared to those of the SKS. Ready to modernize their armed forces following WWII, the Soviet Union was dedicated to developing a new family of weapons to replace the bolt-action Mosin Nagants and crude submachine guns that comprised the bulk of their inventory. Settling on the M43 cartridge that would become 7.62x39mm early in its development, the USSR was planning on adopting four new weapons chambered for it: a submachine gun, a belt-fed machinegun, a semi-auto carbine and a bolt-action rifle for reservists. It was quickly decided that the bolt-action was redundant and subsequently abandoned, but development moved forward on the other three designs. Sergei Simonov’s SKS was formally adopted as the new carbine in 1945, and Mikhail Kalashnikov’s AK-47 filled the role of submachine gun when it was adopted in 1949.
A Viet Cong soldier with an SKS in the field vs a Russian soldier with an SKS during a parade. Photos: Wikipedia.
There’s a good chance that if the original pattern of AK-47 had been more successful, the SKS would not have been produced in the numbers that it was, but as is true with most new firearm designs the Type 1 AK-47 had some kinks to work out. With the AK not being perfected until the development of the AKM in 1959, it left about a 10-year period where AK-47s were made with expensive milled receivers, defeating much of their original goal of being cheap to produce (it was originally intended to have a stamped receiver like the AKM, but Soviet manufacturing wasn’t up to snuff until ’59). When looking at the SKS vs AK-47, the Soviets determined that the AK could do just about everything the SKS could do in an infantry role, so the SKS was only produced in Russia as a stopgap measure until the fully realized AK could go online. Once that came true with the adoption of the AKM, SKS production dropped nearly to zero in the USSR.
During this interim period, the Soviets did issue the SKS to many troops, but as this was during peacetime, the rifles did not see much action in Russian hands. In Russia, it would go on to mostly be used for ceremonial and parade purposes, and it still fills that role today. Outside of Russia, however, Simonov’s carbine led a much more difficult life. The USSR shared the technical data package of the SKS early on with several allies, including China, Yugoslavia, Romania and the DDR. It was primarily China’s large-scale production of the SKS (which they called the Type 56, the same as their AK) which let the design see the amount of action that it did. Widely proliferated throughout Southeast Asia and Africa while the continents were experiencing frequent conflict, the SKS would prove to be a very effective weapon that was well-liked by most of its users. They’ve taken part in most major conflicts around the globe since their inception and they will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
Just because the Red Army decided that they did not need the SKS once the AKM became viable to mass-produce, that doesn’t mean that the SKS still couldn’t be the better rifle for you.
SKS vs AK-47 Design Features
When comparing the design features of the SKS vs AK-47, it’s important to keep in mind the role that each was intended to fill. The SKS was envisioned as being the USSR’s next infantry service rifle that would replace the Mosin Nagant. Because of this, it was given a traditional rifle layout, a fixed internal magazine that was to be loaded by stripper clip and a barrel length of about 20-inches (the same as the Mosin Nagant M38 and M44 carbines). By keeping these new gas-operated weapons as semi-auto only, soldiers were clearly intended to utilize good marksmanship. Besides some later Chinese variants, SKSs feature wood stocks, milled receivers and folding bayonets, again clearly taking design cues from the Mosin carbines that had been widely issued up until the SKS’ adoption at the end of the war.
The AK-47, and by extension the now-prolific AKM, was designed to fill a different role. Originally issued with both fixed wood and underfolding metal buttstocks, the AK-47 was a select-fire weapon from the get-go. While Stalin himself supposedly requested that the SKS feature a fixed-magazine (10 rounds) to save money and simplify logistics, Kalashnikov’s design was always intended to use detachable 30-round mags similar to the submachineguns in service that it was intended to replace.
It also was given a shorter barrel of about 16-inches. While some may expect that the longer barrel of the SKS will impart greater accuracy, in reality, the differences in mechanical accuracy between the two designs are negligible. While most shooters can achieve slightly better accuracy with an SKS than with an AK, this is mostly due to the longer sight radius and ergonomics of the Simonov. Furthermore, 7.62x39mm achieves near maximum velocity out of a 16-inch barrel, only gaining an average muzzle velocity of about 60 FPS more from a 20-inch barrel.
Another notable design difference includes the fact that AKs use long-stroke gas pistons while the SKS uses short-stroke. While the SKS is still considered to be very reliable, it’s not on the same level as the AK mostly because of this difference. SKSs also feature a last-round bolt-hold-open device while AKs do not.
While the goal of this article is to compare the physical qualities of the SKS vs AK-47, this discussion can’t be had without some mention of respective prices. Choosing an SKS over an AK made more sense when the former could be acquired for less than $200, but that is no longer the case. The cheapest SKS you will likely be able to find for sale in 2022 will be at least $400, and it will probably be a very poor condition Chinese model. Assuming that it’s mechanically sound and is only in need of some refinishing, this is still about $400 less than what the most basic, yet decent, AK will cost. The Romanian WASR fits that description and can currently be found for a bit over $800 typically.
A Shotgun News ad from 2003 showing a Yugo SKS available for $109.95, and they were even cheaper than that at one point.
While it’s great that SKSs were once sold for so little, it has skewed the American perception of their quality. These are milled receiver rifles built in the old-school way, reminiscent of firearms used during WWII. The truth is that they were always worth more than what they were being sold for, but international political circumstances led them to be surplussed for pennies on the dollar. Americans who were old enough to be there got to reap the rewards, but these rifles’ prices are now starting to reflect their build quality more accurately.
It would be wonderful if these were still available for $99, but if you decide that you really want an SKS you shouldn’t feel bad about paying a bit more for one as long as it’s in decent mechanical shape. Another point on the price of each is that when one buys an AK, especially a new production WASR, it is accepted that the furniture they come with will need to be replaced with something better. Most will also want to buy at least a few spare magazines. Unless modified by a previous owner, most SKSs will include their original-issue wood stocks, folding bayonets and fixed magazines, meaning that the rifle is already a complete package save for maybe some stripper clips and a sling.
If You Could Only Have One
Depending on the reasons you have for wanting a 7.62x39mm rifle, the cost may or may not be relevant. Are you on a tight budget? Are you in the market purely for collecting or historical purposes? If either is true for you, the SKS is the clear winner due to still being both cheaper and more authentic than the commercial AK variants available in the States. If you plan on using the gun for practical purposes, however, there are other factors worth considering.
If you want either one of these rifles for practical purposes, your desired application should be well thought out. Are you looking for a varmint rifle to tote around your ranch? A truck gun? Or maybe you just want something for putting holes in paper with at the range.
If you are looking for a handy or compact rifle, the SKS is worse by most metrics, but not by much.
When comparing the unloaded weights of a standard SKS with an early, milled AK-47 (with steel magazine inserted), they are nearly identical. When compared to the more common stamped-receiver AKM, however, the SKS is about a pound heavier. The SKS has a longer barrel and a fixed stock too. AKs are available from the factory with folding stocks in some cases, and short pistol variants have become readily available as well. While AKs use 30-round mags as standard, they can also use magazines as small as five rounds to reduce the package’s bulk. If you want your 7.62×39 gun to be as compact as possible, the AK has greater potential for it. That being said, the SKS is also very sleek and handy due to its fixed internal magazine and lack of a pistol grip. Ultimately, the winner here depends on exactly where you plan on storing it.
Personal preference also plays a role in determining which would be better for you. If you’re more used to the handling of traditional rifle platforms or want your gun to be less intimidating to folks who may view an AK as “the bad guy gun”, the SKS is the clear winner. The only thing on a wood-stocked SKS that screams “military rifle” is its bayonet, and it can be removed if one so desires. Another consideration is that if having a high ammo capacity isn’t a concern of yours, the SKS has an edge in simplicity and reliability. Faulty detachable magazines can cause issues for any gun, and AKs are no different. Plus, if your only magazine is lost or damaged, you’re left with what is functionally a single-shot rifle. As long as one has loose ammunition to feed their SKS, however, it can continue to operate as intended.
Local laws may play a role in your decision as well, as there are unfortunately many jurisdictions in the United States that have either banned the AK family of weapons by name or have severely restricted their form by banning certain features. If the only AK that you can legally own will have a neutered pistol grip and a 10-round magazine, you might as well just get an SKS instead. The AK has a much greater aftermarket for adding optics and other accessories of course, but customizing each gun is a conversation for another day.
California-compliant Cugir WASR-10 from Century Arms.
Final Thoughts
In short, when looking at the SKS vs AK-47, the SKS still may be the better choice for you. Despite being more expensive now than they were previously, they can still be found for much cheaper than a good AK, and the SKS has greater potential for collectability as well. Those who live in areas with legal restrictions on AKs or their features have good reason to consider the SKS, too.
SKS being loaded via stripper clip. Photo: Wikipedia.
For essentially any role that is not defense or combat-oriented, the SKS can at least perform on par with the AK, if not better in some areas. If the gun you want may ever be forced into a tactical application, however, the AK still has more potential to be the better modern fighting rifle. Ultimately the choice is yours and there are far too many factors at play to definitively claim that one is a better purchase than the other, but if you understand exactly what you want the gun to do for you, that choice should be an easier one to make.
More On The SKS & AK
The Best Imported AK Rifles You Can Find In The U.S.
Market Trends: Surging Prices Of The SKS And Other Milsurp
A somewhat controversial topic, the how and when of rimfire rifle cleaning shouldn't tie you in knots. Here are the tips to get it done.
Some say never clean a rimfire, others obsessively scrub their bore after every shooting session. So, who's right? Like so much in life, the answer falls somewhere in between.
Michael Shea, author of Rimfire Revolution, and Mike Bush of premier rimfire manufacturer Vudoo Gun Works unravel exactly when is the proper time to break out the jags and solvent and how to give your cherished plinker a good scrubbing.
First off, take a deep breath, because what they suggest isn’t some complex formula, requiring exactitude to Nth degree. Instead, it’s common sense rules of thumb that are applicable for the everyday fun gun up to the precision rig. Bush breaks it down into three simple commandments:
Though shall clean your rifle.
Though shall keep it simple.
Though shall use a bore guide.
Overall, the process is similar to any gun-cleaning job, where you aim to remove the fouling while protecting the bore. The only caveat with rimfires is carbon/lead buildup can greatly exceed what’s found in centerfires. This is a function of the lower heat that’s generated by rimfire cartridges, resulting in more extreme cases in the infamous carbon ring in the bore just outside the chamber. It’s a devil to clean, as most sore-elbowed rimfire shooters can attest.
Bush suggests saving the mechanical cleaning, and your arm, by letting chemicals do the work. A non-corrosive solvent—he suggests Bore Tech for average cleaning and C4 Carbon Remover for heavy jobs—is the secret sauce. That and time. Employing a bore plug, Bush will fill the bore with solvent and let it stand for up to a day. The result, a carbon ring that wipes out with a few strokes of a nylon brush.
Armed with these simple tips, any rimfire shooter should be able to keep their iron in tip-top shape and hitting the mark.
Wilson Combat has just announced a new 5-inch barrel model of the SFX9, providing greater velocity and accuracy for those who prefer full-size 1911s.
Bill Wilson of Wilson Combat is one of the names most responsible for keeping the 1911 a seriously viable fighting weapon in the 21st century. While there’s plenty to love about old G.I. .45s, for a self-defense option in 2022 they can leave much to be desired. As believers in the genius of John Browning’s original design, Wilson Combat felt that the pistol could be made to be just as reliable as anything else using modern manufacturing methods and technology. Those who own them seem to believe Wilson Combat accomplished its mission, with the company now offering several custom 1911 models that are lauded for their reliability and overall quality. The SFX9 series from Wilson Combat was an effort to continue to modernize the platform, giving them solid aluminum frames, double-stack magazines and chambering them for 9mm. Intended for concealed carry, the SFX9 was previously only available with 3.25- or 4-inch barrels, but Wilson Combat has just announced a new full-size model of the SFX9.
The full-size SFX9 will feature a 5-inch barrel, providing greater velocity and better potential accuracy due to its longer sight radius. It ships with the same 15-round flush-fit magazines as the other SFX9 pistols, but extended 18-round mags are available as well. Most of the other features are comparable to those of existing SFX9 models. The MSRP for the new 5-inch SFX9 is $2,995, and it will be a solid option for anyone interested in the SFX9 series’ features but prefer full-size 1911s.
The full press release from Wilson Combat can be read below:
[ Berryville, Arkansas, March 1, 2022 — ]
For those who prefer a full-size traditional 1911 sight radius and the velocity of a longer barrel, we are now offering the 5” SFX9. This version has a 5” bushing barrel top-end mated with our new SF (Solid Frame) lightweight full-size aluminum grip frame design with a 15 round flush or 18 rd extended magazine capacity. The SFX9 frame is machined from solid T6-7075 aluminum that is rugged, comfortable, and sports an enhanced grip shape that enhances recoil control during rapid-fire and extended range sessions.
More rugged than competing guns made with two-piece grip/frame construction, the slim and flat SFX9 solid frame with the Wilson Combat X-Tac tread pattern improves control with a non-abrasive, comfortable grip in all shooting conditions. The SFX9 is available for order with various trigger, finish and sight options, including machining for red dot sights.
The robust 15 or 18rd EDC X9 magazine is retained for the SFX9 and offers best in class reliability with a tube and follower system that was designed specifically around the 9mm cartridge by Mec-Gar, the industry leaders in double column magazine design.
The SFX9 slide assembly retains Wilson Combat’s “Enhanced Reliability System” (ERS) for 9mm 1911’s. The ERS is tailored to the varying power levels of 9mm ammunition and maintains impressive reliability in all conditions, even when heavily fouled and low on lubrication.
Other cosmetic and performance features include a tri-top slide profile with user-replaceable front sight, match-grade 1911 barrel and bushing, reliability enhancing reduced frame rails, and a rugged, user-serviceable external extractor. The stainless steel slide wears the most advanced black DLC (Diamond-like-Carbon) physical vapor deposition finish available with chromium and tungsten underlayers for long-lasting corrosion and abrasion resistance.
The hand-fitted 5” barrel is painstakingly tuned by our gunsmiths for flawless reliability with a wide variety of target and defensive ammunition. Like the other EDC X9 models, the SFX9 can be field stripped without tools and can be completely disassembled using only a single punch. Rugged, light, and easy to shoot-the 5” SFX9 by Wilson Combat will redefine your range experience.
MDT has just launched MAMBAMAG, a sister brand that will manufacture aftermarket 10-round magazines for popular hunting and sporting rifles.
MDT is known for its precision chassis systems and shooting accessories, including magazines, but the company has just announced the launch of a new sister brand that will focus exclusively on the latter. Called MAMBAMAG, the company will be dedicated to producing 10-round detachable box magazines for popular makes of bolt-action and pump-action rifles.
MAMBAMAG can provide shooters with not only an increased ammo capacity in their rifle, but the ability to reload by changing magazines as well. While most factory hunting and sporting rifles have fixed magazines and low capacities, they can now be upgraded without any permanent modification with the addition of a MAMBAMAG.
The magazines feature aluminum uppers and glass-reinforced nylon lowers, making them both light and durable. They are designed to fit directly into most factory rifle stocks, though some rifle models require the bottom metal to be replaced by a MAMBAMAG bottom metal adaptor. The adaptor is made out of aluminum but features a steel mag catch for greater durability and also has a front mag catch for increased stability and better feeding. So far, adaptor models are available for the Remington 700 SA and the Howa 1500 SA and both have an MSRP of $179.95.
On their website, MAMBAMAG currently offers 10-round magazine options for the Remington 700 SA, the Howa 1500 SA, Lithgow SA, Remington 783 SA, Tikka T3/T3X and Remington 7600 SA. All are available in both .223 and .308 except for the Remington 7600 SA which is only available in .308. More caliber options for each are promised for the future and they all share an MSRP of $119.95 regardless of model.
Choosing a rifle suitable for the traveling North American hunter.
I’ve lived in Upstate New York my entire life. I truly enjoy hunting my native ground, and both the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains offer many different hunting opportunities. But I also love collecting different experiences around the U.S. and other countries around the globe … and I couldn’t be happier that folks are once again starting to travel to hunt.
North America can offer a wide variety of climates, and your rifle needs to be able to handle the rigors.
North America is a wonderfully diverse continent, offering hunting opportunities in radically different environments. From the steamy swampland of Florida, the arid badlands of the West, the sunbaked prickly pear flats of South Texas, the frozen Tioga of Quebec, Alaska’s rain-soaked coastal thickets to the hemlock forests of the Northeast, the weather and temperature can change considerably.
The “all-around” rifle is almost a myth; to find one single rifle/cartridge combination that’ll check all the boxes can be nearly impossible, though it has been done. Being honest with yourself about those species you truly intend to hunt will help mold the rifle that works best for you. For example, if a hunt for a coastal brown bear or a Plains bison just isn’t realistic, you may not need a cartridge on the heavier end of the spectrum.
The classic bolt-action rifle—like the Browning X-Bolt shown here—is the logical choice for an all-around rifle.
What Actions Work Best?
We’re talking a universal rifle, so I feel that the bolt-action rifle is the obvious choice, as they handle the fastest and most powerful cartridges, as well as the standard offerings. I can hear the single-shot crowd starting to grumble already, so if a Ruger No. 1 or similar rifle tickles your fancy, so be it. Like the bolt-action, they can handle just about any cartridge. I appreciate the rapidity of a follow-up shot, so my choice is the bolt-action rifle. They’re relatively light, wonderfully accurate and utterly reliable.
The classic Mauser-style controlled round feed bolt face, with non-rotating claw extractor.
We could also argue the push-feed versus controlled-round feed feature, and both have their advantage. Personally, I prefer a controlled-round action with a fixed magazine for the simplicity. I tend to lose things—like detachable magazines—so I like the idea of less moving parts. That said, the modern push-feed rifles seem to be reliable; I’ve seen fewer broken extractors in recent years. If you feel the Mauser 98-style actions aren’t for you, there are some hybrids like the Ed Brown M704, which combines features of push-feed and CRF for a rock-solid design.
The M704 action is a hybrid design, blending the features of controlled round feed and push-feed rifles. The author has found it utterly reliable.
Triggered
There are some rifles that’ll absolutely check all the boxes … but have a terrible trigger. Nothing ruins a good rifle like a heavy or mushy trigger. If you’ve found the rifle you like has an unacceptable trigger or is a detriment to accurate shooting, either have it professionally adjusted to break cleanly or replace the trigger altogether.
The author’s Winchester Model 70 has an adjustable trigger, and he had a gunsmith tune it properly.
I’m a fan of Timney triggers and have relied on them to replace some triggers that took over 6 pounds of force to break, making a dog of a rifle into a gem. Other aftermarket brands to consider include TriggerTech and Velocity.
Taking Stock
I love walnut. It’s warm, can offer an incredible figure one could stare into for hours, ages wonderfully and can be shaped into works of art. But, and that’s a big but, it can and will swell in truly wet weather. Its finish will wear off under heavy use and, in the worst scenarios (like a fall while hunting), can crack to the point of being unusable. I have some walnut-stocked rifles that I wouldn’t trade for anything, but those guns don’t make the best choice for a do-all North American rifle.
This Kimber wears a rugged synthetic stock in a digital camo pattern, suitable for any hunting situation.
The synthetic stock has come a long way in the past couple of decades, and while they’ll never have the soul of a premium walnut stock, they’re utterly reliable. Mated with aluminum pillar bedding, the synthetic stock will keep the action snugly cradled without demonstrating any changes due to the environment.
For a rifle destined to see a wide variety of temperature/humidity combinations, synthetic is my suggestion. If you absolutely can’t stand the idea, look to one of the laminate wood stocks, as they’re rather solid and can take a beating. From the scree-slides of Alaska, carrying your rifle in a scabbard on an errant horse, to climbing in and out of sketchy tree stands, a synthetic or laminate will hold up best.
What Cartridge?
Looking at the variety of big game species we have here in North America, picking a single cartridge can be a difficult proposition. Like it or not, many have used the same Remington .30-06 rifle to take all of the available North American big game species, and this choice is a perfectly logical one. With 130-grain bullets, the good old ought-six shoots flat enough to reach out for Coues deer, Dall’s sheep and pronghorn antelope. With a good 180-grain bullet, there isn’t too much that can’t be done at sane ranges, especially with today’s premium bullet designs.
Some common “all-around” cartridges: the .30-’06 Springfield (still the king), .308 Win., .280 Rem., .270 Win., .300 WSM, 7mm Rem. Mag., .300 Win. Mag and .338 Win. Mag.
With the 200- and 220-grain slugs, moose, bison and even the coastal brown bears can be taken. With the latter, however, I feel you’re definitely on the lighter side of the spectrum. I also feel that if the .30-06 Springfield can do it, the .280 Remington and 7mm Remington Magnum can also: Look to the premium 175-grain bullets in 7mm—and the .300 Winchester Magnum, .300 Weatherby Magnum and .300 Remington Ultra Magnum will handle the spectrum a bit better than the .30-06 due to higher velocities and flatter trajectories.
The .338 Winchester is the Alaskan catch-all cartridge, but the recoil can be severe in lighter rifles, and the .338 Win. is a bit heavy for pronghorn, even with the 180-grain bullets. If you’re the traveling hunter whose interests stop at the deer species (save moose), the case could be made for one of the 6.5mms or a .270 Winchester.
Ammunition availability is another important factor. I used to say you could find a box of .30-06 or .308 in any sporting goods store or gun shop, but that might not hold water anymore, considering nearly all the shelves are universally empty. When ammo is available, I’ve seen just about as much .300 Winchester Magnum and 7mm Remington Magnum, so don’t count those magnums out.
Glass and Mounts
With the exception of lever guns and dangerous-game rifles, iron sights are—sadly—going the way of the dodo. The riflescope, once considered suspect in its reliability, has taken over, and modern scopes are more reliable than they’ve ever been. Tube diameters are growing in size, magnification ranges seem to increase each year and there are models with objective lenses large enough to detect life on other planets.
This Nosler rifle wears a Leupold VX-3i scope in Talley bases and rings; it doesn’t get much more reliable than this.
I prefer the most versatile magnification range I can get, in a bright scope, that I can mount as low to the bore as possible and light enough to maintain the balance of the rifle (that’s a lot to ask, I know). The 30mm main tube scopes give plenty of elevation adjustment and lets in a bit more light than their 1-inch counterparts.
I don’t really see the point of having an objective lens much bigger than 40 or 42mm, as the exit pupil becomes larger than what our eyes can use. One thing I do want, however, is enough eye relief so that there’s no chance of getting “bit” at any angle. I prefer a magnification range in the realm of 2-10x or 2-12x for an all-around scope.
If it’s a premium-quality scope—and I highly recommend spending a good portion of the budget on the scope—a top end somewhere between 10x and 14x should handle long shots on elk, sheep, Coues deer, etc. I also want a low end of no more than say 4.5x. Sooner or later you’re going to be presented with a close shot in thick vegetation, and if the magnification is too high, all you get is a blur of leaves and fur, making shot placement difficult.
For one scope to cover all the bases, I’d say one of the modern scopes that offers an elevation turret easily dialed for longer distances, a reticle with graduations for wind deflection adjustments and a parallax adjustment/focus knob will serve you best.
Your mounting system is responsible for one thing: keeping the scope where you put it. I prefer steel bases and rings, as they seem to handle the rigors of recoil best. I use many brands but prefer Talley over the rest of the field, as I've had them on rifles chambered for varmint cartridges all the way up to the big safari cartridges without issue. For the purposes of a traveling rifle, one could use Talley’s detachable mounts (or a similar model from another brand) to keep two scopes—each its own set of mounts—zeroed, so that in the event you bump or damage your scope, you can simply screw the spare scope on and continue your hunt. Hopefully you won’t need it, but I know Mr. Murphy and his laws way too well.
Finish It
Like walnut, blued steel is beautiful to look at and is relatively durable. Yet, the spray-on coatings like Cerakote offer a new level of resistance to the elements. Cerakote now comes in a wide range of colors, so a traditional-looking finish is as readily available as one of the more radical-looking finishes.
This Heym Express by Martini is chambered in .404 Jeffery and wears a low-powered fixed 2.5x scope in detachable mounts, making for a very flexible rig.
If you want a custom look, it isn’t difficult to have a qualified gunsmith coat the exposed metal work in a nearly impervious finish. Stainless steel is another option and was popular in the 1990s as a weather-proof option—though it’s a bit bright in the field. I don’t mind a stainless finish, providing it’s a matte finish to cut down the glare while hunting, but see the advantage of a good Cerakote finish.
This One is Mine
My main “traveling” rifle—set up almost 2 decades ago—is a Winchester Model 70 Classic Stainless, with the black polymer stock (I’d like to revise that to a Bansner stock in the near future), chambered in .300 Winchester Magnum and topped with a Leupold VX-6 2-12x42mm scope.
One of the author's favorite traveling rifles: a Winchester Model 70 Classic Stainless in .300 Winchester Magnum, topped with a Leupold VX-6 2-12×42 scope.
This rifle shoots many different loads—both factory and handloaded—into sub-MOA groups, and has been all over North America with me. It has taken whitetail deer, black bear, pronghorn antelope, aoudad and more, and it’s by no means done yet. With a controlled-round action, a great trigger (factory, but properly adjusted) and the capability of hunting at any range I feel comfortable, it’s just one of many answers to the “all-around” traveling rifle question.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the September 2021 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
AMMO, Inc. has offered to donate one million rounds of ammunition to the Ukrainian armed forces.
AMMO, Inc. of Scottsdale, Arizona has offered to donate one million rounds of their ammunition to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Announced on February 28th, this marks the latest pledge from the West to send lethal aid in support of the Zelensky government.
You can read the full press release from AMMO, Inc. below:
AMMO, Inc. Offers to Donate One Million Rounds of Ammunition to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Support of Their Fight for Freedom
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., February 28, 2022 — AMMO, Inc. (Nasdaq: POWW) (“AMMO” or the “Company”), a leading vertically integrated producer of high-performance ammunition and components and operator of GunBroker.com, the largest online marketplace serving the firearms and shooting sports industries, today announced that it heard Ukraine’s President Zelensky’s plea for ammunition and would like to help. Ammo Inc. is offering to donate 1 million rounds of ammunition to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in support of their fight for independence and freedom.
Ammo Inc. will formally offer to manufacture ammunition to donate to the Ukraine Armed Forces as they fight for their country’s continued independence.
Fred Wagenhals, CEO of Ammo Inc., said “Ammo Inc., and we as Americans stand firmly in support of Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence, as we stand for freedom and democracy everywhere. While we fervently hope for a quick and peaceful resolution to the crisis and that diplomacy will win the day, we condemn the Russian aggression and its threat to Ukraine’s territorial integrity and freedom. We recognize that events are unfolding rapidly on the ground in Ukraine, and we are prepared to move quickly as possible to support Ukraine as it continues to defend itself and its freedom.”
A new 5.56 AK rifle and pistol model are now available in the U.S., freshly imported from WBP Rogów of Poland.
Kalashnikovs of all types have exploded in popularity among American gun owners these past few years, with many new and young shooters looking to the platform for their first semi-auto rifle. Despite this, WBP of Poland has remained relatively under the radar. Of all the different factories that are currently exporting AKs to the U.S., WBP is the youngest, but despite this they have established themselves as a reputable producer of reliable, true-to-spec Kalashnikovs. Zastava of Serbia seems to currently be winning the battle for first-time AK buyers, having models available in both 7.62 and 5.56, but WBP is doing its best to challenge the status quo. The Polish company has had their 7.62x39mm Fox, Jack and Mini Jack models available for some time now, but they’ve recently begun importing 5.56 WBP Jack AK rifles and pistols as well.
AK-enthusiasts have had concerns about the future availability of Soviet-designed calibers following the Russian ammo ban, leading many to look towards 5.56 AK models to ensure a reliable supply. 7.62×39 isn’t going to go anywhere, and even after Russian supplies dwindle Stateside there will still be a steady stream coming from both foreign and domestic producers. It will almost certainly cost more than what we’ve been getting from Tula, but what isn’t more expensive these days? Regardless, more 5.56 AK import options are never a bad thing, and the WBP Jack 556SR and Mini Jack 556SR now join the relatively small list of models currently available new in the U.S.
Like the other AKs in the WBP Jack series, the new 5.56 models are essentially just classic AKMs, only now chambered for the smaller NATO cartridge. Both the pistol and rifle can accept standard AKM-pattern furniture and they both also include a side scope rail for mounting an optic. The 5.56 AK pistol obviously can’t legally accept a stock from the factory, but it does come with an underfolder rear trunnion. This means that after paying the proper dues to Uncle Sam, one could legally convert the 5.56 Mini Jack to an underfolder SBR. Both guns come with 14×1 LH threaded muzzles, but the pistol’s muzzle is covered by a spot-welded thread protector that can legally and easily be removed once in your possession. Blending classic AKM features with some modern ones, the 556SR Jack rifle includes both an enhanced selector and mag release as well as a classic slant muzzle brake. The rifle’s bayonet lug has been left intact as well.
These new 5.56 WBP Jack AK models look as solid as they do handsome, and the general consensus surrounding their release has been mostly positive. Some detractors have latched on to the fact that the barrels, made in-house by WBP, are nitrided rather than chrome-lined. While an understandable concern, many people forget that the main advantage of chrome-lining is to prevent wear from shooting corrosive ammo and sustained full-auto fire. Since these guns are for American civilians mostly stuck shooting in semi-auto with new commercial ammo, nitrided barrels should last just as long as a chrome-lined ones.
Like the company's other guns, the new 5.56 WBP Jack AK rifle and pistol models are imported by Arms Of America and converted by Atlantic Firearms. MSRP for the WBP Jack 556SR is $1,299 and MSRP for the Mini Jack 556SR is $899, both are available now.
A chest rig is a versatile way to carry spare magazines and extra gear separately from a plate carrier, so here’s a rundown on the different styles and the usefulness of each.
Ever since guns became commonplace on the battlefield, their users have sought new ways to carry more ammunition. As firearms technology progressed, so too did the methods of carrying spare ammo, and over the years that meant everything from carrying extra revolver cylinders, wearing bandoliers packed with stripper clips and stuffing belt pouches full of magazines.
What Are Chest Rigs For?
Somewhere along the line, however, the concept of the chest rig began to take form. It was found that strapping one’s magazines across their torso was not only a more comfortable way to carry them than the belt pouches of yore but were faster to access as well. One of the earliest examples, and still one of the most iconic today, is the Chinese Type 56 rig, the classic “Viet Cong” AK rig that was little more than a cotton bib with three magazine pouches sewn onto it. There are far more advanced, versatile and ergonomic chest rigs than that available today, but even the old Type 56 rig can still tote your spare mags just fine.
One of the earliest widely-fielded chest rigs, the Chinese Type 56 rig. It holds three 7.62 AK mags and it inspired many chest rig designs to come after it.
Ultimately, with such a slew of chest rig options on the market today, it will be up to you to determine which style best suits your needs, your budget and the rest of your kit.
What Are A Chest Rig's Advantages?
The primary benefit of using a chest rig is versatility. When carrying spare mags is the goal, many people today achieve that by attaching gear directly to their plate carrier. While this method has advantages too, it is also much slower to put on and take off and one cannot choose to wear either the armor or the mags independently of one another. By separating the armor and the mag carrier into two distinct pieces of kit, however, one can choose to wear either piece separately or at the same time.
Bosnian Armija BIH 4-cell AK chest rig worn over a slick plate carrier.
Different styles of chest rigs have different applications as well, and some will suit your needs better than others. Most individuals looking for a chest rig are likely just seeking a convenient way to carry a few spare mags for their rifle, but others are looking for ways to increase their on-person storage of other items as well. A chest rig designed to be worn for days at a time in the field is very different from one designed to sit in your trunk in case of an emergency, so think about how you plan on using a chest rig while browsing different models.
Chest Rig Considerations
Before delving into the major different styles of chest rig, there are a few more basic things that one should keep in mind.
Compatibility With Body Armor The first consideration is body armor compatibility. Do you plan on wearing a chest rig on top of your plate carrier? If yes, as you browse for one you should think about how each model will interface with the body armor that you own. Gear designed to carry spare magazines can come in many different styles, and some of them play nicer than others with plate carriers. Besides the plethora of different kinds of loadbearing vests, battle jackets and combat harnesses out there, even traditional chest rigs come in different styles. For example, most chest rigs will either have “X” straps or “H” straps in the rear, and most people report that the “X” style is more comfortable when worn over armor. As you browse chest rig options, think about which style would best fit over your specific plate carrier.
Magazine Compatibility The next thing to consider is the type of rifle magazines that you plan on carrying in your chest rig. The sky is the limit for those running something that uses 5.56 STANAG mags, but users of more obscure platforms will need to pay closer attention. If you need your chest rig to accommodate AK mags, .308 mags, PCC mags or anything else non-standard, it will either need to be specifically designed for that platform or be modular enough that one can attach the appropriate pouches to it using MOLLE. Some chest rigs are little more than blank slates of PALS webbing these days too, allowing one to configure them with any pouches that they wish.
An example of a basic modular chest rig design from Condor. This could be configured with any pouches that the user desired.
Chest Rig Styles
With the previous considerations out of the way, we can begin to look at the different styles of chest rigs out there. A quick peek at chest rigs for sale online will reveal that there are far too many subtle variations in how they’re worn or configured to neatly place them all into separate categories, so instead we will break them down into three general styles based on their intended purposes. Since different models from different manufacturers will vary, this is not a comprehensive list of all chest rig styles, but it will hopefully give you a better idea of the general types and what they were designed to do.
Standard Chest Rigs
The amount of gear that a “standard” chest rig can carry will vary quite a lot depending on the exact model, but this categorization exists only to distinguish them from “micro” chest rigs. If it’s not a micro chest rig, it’s pretty safe to describe it as being either standard or traditional. Chest rigs of this size can be considered somewhat general-purpose, as they’re neither small enough to have the benefits of a micro rig nor large enough to serve as true loadbearing equipment in the field. Most civilians looking to add a chest rig to their kit will be best served by the more general-purpose models found in this category:
Blackhawk Commando Chest Harness
This model is both generic and somewhat iconic, having been used by many Western contractors in the early days of the Global War on Terror. While high-speed operators tend to carry their mags in different ways today, their previous use of chest rigs like this proves that not everything that’s functional needs to be complex or overly expensive. This model was likely inspired by the early Chinese AK rigs but has been updated with a new layout, materials and construction. The “X”-style harness system should make it decently comfortable to wear over body armor and it has enough space in its pouches to hold at least eight mags plus some other gear. MSRP: $148.45
Haley Strategic D3CRX
This model from Haley Strategic is a much more modern design. It can be worn either as a traditional chest rig when using its “X” harness or attached to the front of a plate carrier using a clip system. While it can hold fewer rifle mags than the model from Blackhawk, the mags are quicker to retrieve. It also has more provisions for carrying gear besides rifle mags, including pistol mags and medical supplies. Modern chest rig systems like this can also typically be expanded with the addition of more pouches, making them more suitable for longer periods spent in the field. MSRP: $199 at haleystrategic.com.
Micro Chest Rigs
Micro chest rigs have been in vogue lately, but just like many other trends in the tactical gear community, this too shall pass. Micro chest rigs certainly have their place, and for some individuals, they may be the best option, but far too many have been convinced that a micro rig is all that they will ever need. If you’re in the market for a chest rig as a way to keep some spare mags alongside your truck gun, a micro chest rig is a very compact and portable way to achieve that. But if you’re putting together a loadout that you intend on breaking out during the zombie apocalypse, you’re probably going to want more than three or four mags on your person. Keeping these limitations in mind, micro chest rigs will be some of the most comfortable that you can wear and are worth considering for certain applications. Here are two popular models:
Spiritus Systems Bank Robber
This is about as “micro” as the micro rigs go. As the name of this model somewhat implies, it was designed to be small enough to be concealed under a jacket or hoodie if need be. While I seriously doubt that Spiritus Systems endorse using their rig for anything nefarious, concealability can be a concern for law-abiding citizens too. Space on this rig is very limited, but that’s the sacrifice for it to be as small and light as it is. MSRP: $96.85 (sum of the three pieces required to assemble) at spiritussystems.com.
Haley Strategic D3CRM Micro
This is very similar to the larger Haley Strategic model, just more compact and with less space for gear. It can accommodate inserts for different calibers of magazines and the placard can be attached independently to a plate carrier as well. The biggest advantage of this model over something more “micro” like the Spiritus is comfort, as the harness straps are much wider on the Haley Strategic model. On the flip side, however, even this micro chest rig is too bulky to be concealed when loaded with gear and it doesn’t roll up to be as compact as other models. MSRP: $175 at haleystrategic.com.
Surplus Chest Rig Options
Milsurp gear can always be a good option too, especially for those who use weirder rifles. 7.62 AK mags can be troublesome to find compatible chest rigs for, so Combloc military surplus bought online is a decent way to find gear that works. A lot of military surplus equipment like this is also more loadbearing in nature, typically featuring more pockets and provisions for carrying gear. Surplus rigs won’t be the fastest or most tactical of options, but they can still be excellent pieces of kit for the right application. Regardless of the rifle you use or the intended role of your chest rig, you should be able to find a compatible piece of surplus equipment. Here are two of the more popular pieces of surplus gear that people still use today:
U.S. LBV-E
A very solid yet still affordable piece of surplus kit is the American LBV-E rig. This was designed to be worn over body armor and can carry at least six AR mags plus some other gear. It can also have a webbing belt attached to it for carrying a holster, canteen or anything else one might desire. These are still common enough that you could probably find one at your local surplus store today for well under $50.
South African Pattern 83 Chest Rig
South African’s and Rhodesian’s affinity for full-power rifles has made their surplus gear popular with those who use the same in the U.S. The Pattern 83 rig has been praised as a very simple, rugged and comfortable way to carry spare mags and supplies. They can fit up to six AR mags and earlier models also had ejector straps for compatibility with shorter 20-round .308 magazines. These can still be found for sale online, but their collectability makes them a bit more expensive to acquire.
South African troops in training wearing Pattern 83 chest rigs. Photo: Wikipedia.
Final Thoughts
With the popularization of plate carriers and body armor amongst tactically minded American civilians, chest rigs aren’t the staple of kit that they once were. That doesn’t mean they can’t still be very useful, however. A rig that’s been properly chosen and configured for its role can be one of the most comfortable and convenient methods for toting around extra stuff, so they’re still worth considering for anyone putting a kit together. Just remember to train with it on before you’re forced to wear it when it counts.
There was a time when only big-bore revolvers were carried for defense. Are times so different now?
In this, the 21st century, when the whole world seems enamored with the 9mm pistol, it can be difficult to remember that for a long time the world was made safe by means of big-bore revolvers.
Granted, a lot of that was done by the Colt single action when it was the sine qua non of defensive tools. I’m not saying you should go back to a brace of Colts as your defensive armory (although you wouldn’t be unarmed, were that your only option), but the big-bore double-action revolver has a lot going for it.
Are Big-Bore Revolvers Good For Self-Defense?
Case in point, my Smith & Wesson 625. The 625 is the S&W N frame in .45 ACP. It’s made of stainless steel and has a barrel with a full-length underlug so there’s mass to counter recoil. They came with your choice of 3-, 4- or 5-inch barrels. As a .45 ACP revolver, you use moon clips, half-moon or full-moons, which are simple steel clips that hold three or six rounds in an assembly. The whole assembly goes in and, once used, it all comes out.
As a double-action revolver, you can shoot by thumb-cocking it or simply trigger-stroking it. Built on the N frame—the .44 Magnum frame—the potential of the revolver is such that you could, should you wished, load it up with hotter-than-normal .45 ACP ammo, but what’s the point? If the problem facing you (perhaps literally) can’t be solved with a 230-grain JHP heading out at some 900 fps, then you have bigger problems than “do I have enough velocity?”
The author’s S&W 625, a prize gun and a prized gun.
With adjustable sights, you can tame the 625 by loading your own practice ammo, booting 185-grain plated or coated bullets at some 700 to 800 fps, and build up to the +P equivalents you’d use for defense. In my particular model, it came with a round-butt grip and a 4-inch barrel, so I used it with round-butt rubber grips for competition and daily carry. Moon clips are inexpensive. A quick check turns up an eight-pack of them from Uniquetek for $5.95.
The 625 and others like it were used extensively in USPSA, IPSC, IDPA and bowling pin competition. One big advantage was that even in “lost brass” matches (you weren’t allowed to pick up your empties), we’d get our empty brass back. The empties were still clipped into the moon clip, and no one was going to leave those behind.
This was a cause for some minor concern when I shot in the IPSC World Shoot in Rhodes in 2011. Not only was it a lost-brass match, but the law in Greece prohibited reloading ammo, and empty brass was to be scrounged up by the range and turned over to the police. Well, us revolver shooters weren’t going to abandon our moon clips. Each night we’d take the empties out and refill the clips. By the end of a 35-stage match, we each had 500 to 700 empties. What to do? Hand them off to one or another range officer, who quickly made them disappear.
Weapons Lights And Big-Bore Revolvers
One detail of the big-bore revolver for defense is that most of them have no provision for using a light. With the exception of the S&W M&P R8 or the TRR8, there’s no bolting a light to the wheelgun. So you’ll have to practice your light and handgun technique, such as the Harries technique. That isn’t a big deal, as we’re discussing home defense here and you’re not going to be conducting a house-clearing exercise. You’re going to get safely down behind the bed, with 911 on the phone, and cover the door to the bedroom. Or some similar situation. There, light management is an entirely different procedure than handling a light and a revolver.
Competition is a good way to learn skills and get comfortable with your big-bore wheelgun. You don’t have to take it all the way to the world championships, but if you do, you’ll have fun.
Ensuring A Smooth Running Defensive Revolver
One detail to be aware of when using a revolver is primer clearance. It was customary back when revolvers were common to load the cylinder and close it. Then, thumb back the hammer just enough to unlock the cylinder and give it a spin. This checked and ensured all rounds would clear the recoil shield. With moon clips, you have to test them all once they’re loaded.
On my competition revolvers, where the spur had been removed, I simply used a length of tape to hold the cylinder lock down. Then, I could spin the cylinder to test, not pulling the hammer back, and removing the tape once I was done. The checked moon clips would get stacked in the range bag, ready for the next day’s competition. You can do the same with yours for defensive use. Check your ammo or moon clips; then, keep the checked ammo next to the revolver wherever you keep it each day. When you settle in for the night, deploy the wheelgun and its ammo, secure in the knowledge it’ll all work.
Big-Bore Revolver's Terminal Advantage
What does a big-bore revolver get you, something like the 625? Horsepower. As in, displacement, like an engine. You can do a lot with a V-8 that’s loafing along in low rpm that’d take a smaller engine spinning a lot faster to do. As I mentioned, a 230 JHP, even at a relatively sedate 825 fps, is going to do an exemplary job. If you halve the weight, you’d have to greatly increase the velocity to do the same.
The speedloader, here an HKS, is the best way to get more ammo into a revolver that doesn’t use moon clips.
And yes, 9mm Parabellum, I’m looking at you. A lot of 9mm, loaded with a 115 JHP (exactly half the weight of our .45), is going to be hard-pressed to break 1,200 fps. So that’s the trade-off for more ammo: less horsepower. And the radically increased muzzle blast of a 9mm or 9mm+P, compared to the big-bore thumper. “But, 9mm pistols can be shot faster.” Yes, but while speed is good, hits are final and speedy hitting with a revolver has never been a problem. You just practice. And with a revolver, you can even dry-fire double action and get even faster.
Big-Bore Revolver Capacity And Reloading
One drawback we have to address is capacity: Wheelguns only have six rounds. But reloading can be fast, if you practice. And you should practice with dummy rounds. Long winter nights are conducive to speedy reloading skills.
Reloading the .45 ACP 625 is the fastest any revolver will ever be. If you have any doubts about how fast it can be done, simply look up my friend Jerry Miculek. Yes, he’s a wizard, but a competent full moon clip reload can be done as fast as or faster than the average high-capacity 9mm magazine exchange.
Some of your options in big bores, left to right: .44 Special, .41 Magnum, .44 Magnum and .45 ACP. Avoid the hunting loads and you’ll be fine.
The .45 ACP is the paragon on reloading speed, but you don’t have to limit yourself to the .45 ACP. Speedloaders, like the HKS, let you get six more thumpers into your wheelgun quickly. So, anything above .357 Magnum becomes a viable choice. That means 10mm (which also uses full moon clips) .44 Special, .44 Magnum and .45 Colt.
Oh, and the 10mm revolver, if it uses full moon clips, also lets you use .40 S&W ammo in moon clips. Not that you have to go out and hunt one down, but if you already have a big-bore revolver, you need not sell it in order to finance the same polymer-framed 9mm everyone else has. You already have a tool suitable for defense. And ammo? Ammo companies make defensive ammo for all of those calibers. You don’t need max-pressure heavyweight hunting ammo, and when you can find ammo again, you’ll be able to get the less-obnoxious defensive loads for your big bore. If you have a .44 Magnum, a .44 Special load using 200-grain JHPs like the one from Sig would be an excellent choice.
Conclusion
My 625 is special to me. It was on the prize table at Second Chance, and I was the first guy “out of the guns” in the prize order. We were called up in order to pick what we wanted. I watched the shooter ahead of me walk up and paw through the prizes, until he finally picked something—not a gun—and walk off. When my name was called, I walked up, pawed through the gear, found the gun and took it to registry as my prize.
Jess Christiansen, reloading his wheelgun against the clock at The Pin Shoot. Reloading quickly in competition will train you to reload quickly in a self-defense situation … were it really matters.
The next morning, with the match over, I recounted the tale over breakfast at a restaurant in Central Lake. From the next booth over, a shooter piped up, “That was me. I couldn’t find it in all the other prizes.” We all had a good laugh. Outside, after we finished eating, one of the new shooters asked why I hadn’t offered the gun to the other shooter. One of the other old hands explained some of the customs and social niceties of pin shooting: “Because of the 30-second rule. He’d had his time to find what he wanted or settle for what he could find. If he wanted the gun now, he had to ask. If Pat had offered it to him, he’d be announcing to the restaurant that the other guy couldn’t find a gun inside the prize table. That would have been an insult.”
After winning that gun, I took it back to the pin shoot to compete and win more loot. I also used it as a daily carry gun. Loot, memories and an eminently suitable defensive tool. Some guns are more than just hunks of steel.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the April 2021 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
The Ruger M77 MkII International is a beautiful bolt-action rifle where history and performance intersect.
I’ve always had a soft spot for the Mannlicher stock on a rifle. Like the 1963 Corvette Stingray, redheads and chemistry, I just had to. Well, the problem with the Mannlicher stock was…Mannlicher. The receiver design put me off with the split rear bridge. The butter-knife bolt handle was a hot mess. And all the non-euro Mannlicher-stocked rifles were either too expensive, not as elegant—or both.
Then, Ruger came out with their M77 MkII in .275 Rigby. Actually, Lipsey’s did, as a special run just for them in .275 Rigby and marked as such. Now, the Ruger M77 in the MkII has been around since 1991. The original M77 came about back in the late 1960s, a product of Jim Sullivan, the AR-15 designer. The MkII changes made the original M77 more like the 1898 Mauser, with a controlled-feed action and a blade ejector but kept the anvil-tough Ruger design details. Then, in 2006, the MkII was updated to the Hawkeye, and now it was perfect with the lighter and cleaner LC6 trigger.
The Ruger International in .275 Rigby. A must-have from the early days of gun-acquisition, and one now satisfied.
The moment I saw the International Rigby Hawkeye, I was hooked. That it was chambered in .275 meant I told the Ruger rep, “Send me one now.” When I found out that Hornady was offering ammunition headstamped “.275 Rigby,” I asked Hornady to send me ammo and told Ruger to bill me; they weren’t getting the rifle back after testing.
Hornady makes ammunition for the Ruger (and any others) that’s headstamped .275 Rugby.
By Any Other Name?
The 275 (I can’t call it “The Rigby,” because that’s what you’d call one made in England by Rigby) is a wood-stocked full length to the muzzle rifle in stainless steel. The nose cap is also stainless, and the rifle, actually a carbine with an 18.5-inch barrel, comes with iron sights installed. That’s a rarity these days, with every rifle getting a set of rings and a scope before it ever leaves the gun shop.
When I saw the caliber marking on the barrel, I was hooked. I had to have it, breaking one of the cardinal rules of gun writing.
Oh, the 275 comes with rings, the most-excellent Ruger clamp-on rings, where the receiver is machined to accept them. The action is, as all Ruger bolt guns have been since the beginning, made with the Ruger angled front-action screw. Back in the days when all stocks were wood stocks, this was a great advance. Instead of depending on precision wood inletting to bed the stock, the Ruger action screw, pointing down and to the back, pulls the action down into and back against the stocks recoil shoulder. Today, with precision machining, glass bedding and (anathema here) synthetic stocks, such a thing isn’t needed. But it’s good, and on a wood stock, it’s really good.
A light and compact rifle deserves a light and compact scope, hence this old but valued Leupold 1.5-5x.
And, the back of the stock has one of the Ruger solid red rubber recoil pads. On something more robust than a .275 Rigby I might want a recoil pad that’s thicker or softer or both, but for this it’s just fine.
The Hawkeye Factor
The Hawkeye is your basic bolt-action rifle, but Ruger makes pretty much all of it better. The magazine is an internal magazine with a hinged floorplate that holds four rounds. The safety has three positions, so you can lock the action closed, unlock it to extract the chambered round but leave it on “safe,” or move it to “fire” to shoot.
The front action screw is angled and hidden inside of the hinged floorplate.
At 7 pounds empty, the Rigby (oops, I did it there) handles quickly and isn’t a problem to carry all day long. Even if you add a scope on top and load it up, you’d be hard-pressed to get the weight much over 8 pounds, and that’s just not a lot of weight to be carrying.
The cartridge is, as I mentioned, a bonus. Those of you who might not be up to date on your African hunting cartridges and British makers marks will know it by a more familiar name: 7×57 Mauser. Yes, that Mauser.
The safety is a rotating tab that has three positions: locked, safe to work the action, and fire.
Wait, what? It’s a 7-mill? The 7-mill? Yep. Rigby was a custom gunmaker, and if at all possible, he wanted his customers to be satisfied with his products. And to buy his products. So, by making the 7×57 under a proprietary name, he could get them onboard with his product line.
There was also another reason: quality. Even back then, ammo was expensive, and you had to depend on the name of the company providing it. If you bought “7×57” ammo some place, it probably would work, but would it be good enough? If you bought “.275 Rigby” ammunition for your Rigby rifle chambered in .275, you knew it’d work. A hunter buying ammunition in a store in Nairobi a century ago could be certain that if the boxes and cases were marked “.275 Rigby” he was getting exactly what he was looking for.
Today, we take for granted that if it’s made by an ammo company we recognize, it’ll work to our satisfaction. A century ago, not so much. And who wants to find out the hard way, a week’s walk from the store amidst angry critters ready to bite, claw or stomp you?
Now, the stock design does come with some, shall we say, peculiarities. While the rear sling swivel mounting spot is your basic stud screwed into the stock, ready for a QD sling swivel, the front sling point isn’t. There, the customary sling swivel hardware is a steel loop that has its pivot points on the sides of the forearm. If you want a sling, you have to accommodate that setup, because you won’t have a regular sling stub up front. That front sling point is forward of the checkering on the forearm, which checkering matches that on the wrist and pistol grip. The forearm is very slim; if you have large hands, you’ll find your fingers wrapping up onto the barrel. Not a problem, but it just feels a bit odd at first.
In the modern world of 30mm scopes, the .275 Rigby came with 1-inch rings. You can get 30mm rings, but in keeping with the light and compact lines of the rifle, I opted to dig an old but trusty Leupold out of the optics locker: a 1.5-5x. Overall, 5x is plenty good enough for me out to 300 yards, which is as far as I’d be willing to tag a game animal.
Bang Testing
So, with a scope on the Ruger, I hauled it off to the range to test. The Hornady .275 Rigby ammo is loaded with their 140-grain Interlock soft-point, and out of the 18.5-inch barrel of my Ruger it “only” does 2,459 fps. In a world of laser-flat-trajectory magnums and super-BC bullets, a 140-grain soft-point may not seem like much. I agree, but the International isn’t a 1,000-yard rifle.
Five shots under 2 inches from a lightweight and stylish rifle, with a 5X max scope on it.
Following the design cues of the safari era, it’s perfectly suited to woods hunting and open areas not on the Great Plains. If I zero it 2 inches high at 100 yards, the drop at 300 yards is just over 4 inches. That means I’m good out almost to 300 without taking any trajectory into account. And if I do range-find a game animal at 300, I need only hold a couple of inches high to be all set.
Could I use other ammo? Yes. For 7×57, ammo that came with better performance than the Hornady Interlock (a difficult thing to do, by the way) is easy: Hornady Superformance. That has a 139-grain SST, with both a higher velocity and a better BC. If I needed a bit flatter trajectory, then that’d get the nod. Now tested, zeroed and ready to go, the International sits in my rack, waiting its turn.
Velocities are averages of five shots measured on a Labradar chronograph set to read 15 feet from the muzzle. Accuracy average of three, five-shot groups at 100 yards.
So, my Mannlicher urge has been satisfied. The 1963 Stingray? I don’t fit; they weren’t made for someone 6 feet, 4 inches. Redheads? Got the scars from that episode. And chemistry? Despite loving it enough to get a degree in it, the thought of a 30-year career as a bench chemist for Megacorp LLC, ending with a dinner, a gold watch and pension was depressing.
Breakthrough Clean Technologies’ new MSR Carbon Removal Tool is a sleek and handy implement for keeping your AR clear of crud.
Despite being originally advertised as a “self-cleaning” rifle, most AR-15 owners know that it’s best to not let too much carbon build up inside their guns. Here to help clear out that baked-on gunk is Breakthrough Clean Technologies’ new MSR Carbon Removal Tool. For those who aren’t aware, MSR stands for “modern sporting rifle” and was coined to draw less ire from the anti-gun crowd when referring to AR-style rifles. Regardless of how you or Breakthrough Clean Technologies refer to these firearms, the company’s new MSR Carbon Removal Tool is the perfect solution for clearing the crud out of those hard-to-reach spaces.
The MSR Carbon Removal Tool isn’t the first of its kind on the gun maintenance accessory market, but it does distinguish itself from existing models. While some other carbon scrapers may have more cleaning implements like brushes built into their design, this also tends to hinder their ergonomics and portability. Both are traits that took priority when Breakthrough was designing their Carbon Removal Tool.
Reminiscent of an out-the-front switchblade knife, the MSR Carbon Removal Tool features two ends and can be protracted and retracted from either direction. The two ends of the scraper tool were each designed with different functions in mind, with parts of the blade specifically engineered for cleaning certain areas of the rifle ranging from the bolt lugs to the firing pin to the carrier itself.
The benefits of the Carbon Removal Tool’s retractable nature are two-fold. Not only does it allow for one to carry it in a bag or pocket without worry of damaging other items, but it also provides an ergonomic handle to grasp while actually using the tool to clean. Caked-on carbon can be tricky to get off, and the leverage provided by a long and sturdy handle can make things much easier. With an MSRP of only $18.95, the MSR Carbon Removal Tool would make for a useful addition to any AR-owner’s range bag, especially those who run their guns suppressed.
Until as of late, if you were hunting an AR around the Midwest in all likelihood you were hunting with a .450 Bushmaster. Packing plenty of punch at moderate distances, the big-bore brute is a proven venison getter, if you were up to its relatively stout recoil. That and it’s fairly expensive appetite. Factory ammo isn’t cheap. Even outside the great north woods, the .450 Bushmaster provides an interesting addition to any gun collection. If for no other reason than the opportunity to pitch 250-plus-grain projectiles from an AR-15.
Similar to most cartridges compatible with America’s favorite rifle, the .450 Bushmaster doesn’t require a new firearm to get behind the trigger. If you have a lower, all you need is a .450 Bushmaster upper and you’re in business. Isn’t modularity grand!
Obviously, there are a number of pre-assembled .450 Bushmaster uppers on the market, which we’ll look at in a second, but it’s more than feasible to build yours from the bottom up. We won’t break things down that far in this article, however, it’s worth the time to cover the difference between the main components of a Bushy and run-of-the-mill 5.56.
.450 Bushmaster Upper Inside Out
Some caliber conversions are more involved than others, that’s just the way of life. Say you were handy smith with AR-pattern rifles and were converting parts and not a complete upper (unnecessarily time-consuming, but this is an illustration). If you wanted to jump from a 5.56 NATO to .300 Blackout, technically the only part that would require replacement would be the barrel. Everything else about the uppers are seamless between the cartridges, which makes sense since the Blackout’s parent case is the 5.56 NATO.
Things are more complex and drastic jumping to .450 Bushmaster. Not only would you have to address the barrel, but also the bolt and the upper receiver itself. The upper receiver, while mil-spec in every other sense, must have its ejection port enlarged at the front to consistently kick your spent brass. This is the way it goes with any big-dog AR caliber, .458 Socom, .50 Beowulf, what have you, do to case length and diameter. If you’re a down-and-dirty tinker, you can break out your Dremel and a file grind away yourself, as long as you’re confident you won’t “Bubba” up the job.
If you don’t trust yourself, but still want to start from scratch, there are .450 Bushmaster upper receivers on the market, complete with precision milled ejection ports. Perhaps, this is as good a point as any to jump into your options.
Stripped .450 Bushmaster Upper Receiver Options
San Tan Tactical Big Bore
An expensive stripped option, but a .450 Bushmaster upper you can be assured is built to the tightest specs and is made for precision performance. San Tan’s Big Bore upper is constructed from billet aluminum, but isn’t blocky or heavy. Plus, it boasts a number of design enhancements that ensure it will perform for the long haul, such as the upper’s truss pocket. MSRP: $260; santantactical.com
Obsidian Arms
A very lightweight option, Obsidian Arm’s OA-15C big-bore upper is ideal for highly mobile builds, weighing only 8.8 ounces. Made from billet 7075 T6 aluminum alloy, the upper is more than up to withstanding the .450 Bushmaster’s punishment and your own personal abuse. Of course, it has an enlarged ejection port, but it also includes a removable brass deflector. Additionally, the upper is an eye-catcher with nice lines, if you like a bit sleeker-looking build. MSRP: $175; obsidianarms.com
Aero Precision XL
Those who’ve pieced together their own ARs previously, understand Aero is synonymous with value, offering high-quality parts at prices most can afford. It’s no different with the company’s .450 Bushmaster upper, the AR15 XL. A solidly made forged aluminum receiver, the XL has the strength to handle the big-bore brute, as well as the design specs to ensure it runs smoothly—i.e. an enlarged port. Plain-Jane in looks, the upper nonetheless performs. MSRP: $114.99; aeroprecisionusa.com
Next Level Armament's NLX450 Bushmaster upper is built tough and ready to sustain the abuse that this big round provides. Besides including a forged upper receiver and extra-strength Springco buffer spring, the NLX450 also comes with a durable DLC finish, including on the bolt carrier. It also includes some components made by Tromix, a very well-respected name in the big-bore AR game. The .450BM bolt is made by Tromix as well as the barrel which is available in either 16-inch or 18-inch configurations with carbine or mid-length gas systems, respectively. The complete upper also includes an ambidextrous charging handle, MLOK handguard and a “Unique” muzzle brake made in-house by Next Level. Each NLX450 upper also ships with a 5-round magazine so you can get to shooting right away. MSRP: $852.12; nextlevelarms.com
Windham Weaponry .450 Thumper
Windham Weaponry does the Bushmaster right. Its Thumper (in homage to Col. Jeff Cooper’s Thumper concept) has about everything you’d want out of a .450 Bushmaster upper. This includes a massive 16-inch chrome-moly-vanadium heavy-profile barrel, complete with chrome-lined chamber and bore. The bolt is machined from magnetic particle inspected Carpenter 158 steel, standard in quality AR builds. And the AR sports a carbine-length gas system. Windham runs a bit shorter 13-inch aluminum handguard, with M-Lok slots at the three, six and nine o’clock positions. Additionally, it’s free-floated ensuring barrel harmonics remain pristine. Concerning muzzle devices, the Thumper comes with an A2 Birdcage flash hider, so if you’re recoil sensitive you’ll need to shop for a brake or compensator. However, the upper does ship with a 5-round magazine, tuned to smoothly feed .450 ammo. MSRP: $805; windhamweaponry.com
Radical Firearms .450 Bushmaster MHR
Definitely one of those companies more should know about, Radical Firearms gives shooters a lot of bang for their buck. A trademark of the company are options, which comes through on its .450 Bushmaster uppers. Available with either a 16- or 20-inch barrel, the upper gives you the ability to tailor your build to your style of shooting. In both cases, the barrels are heavy profile and topped off with the company’s Panzer brake, making the big-bore cartridge a bit more shootable. Radical outfits the build with its HMR handguard, a 15-inch lightweight hybrid option with plenty of M-Lok slots at three, six and nine o’clock positions. The ejection port is enlarged to ensure smooth cycling and the gunmaker uses top-end internals to put the whole package together. MSRP: $669.95; radicalfirearms.com
Bear Creek Arsenal .450 Bushmaster
If you’re just looking to dip your toe into the .450 Bushmaster, perhaps you don’t want to break the bank on your first build. In that case, Bear Creek Arsenal offers a unique upper that gets you started in the caliber without charging an arm and leg. The gunmaker’s 18-inch barreled .450 Bushmaster upper is a “Mama Bear” option, nimble but long enough to milk a little more out of the cartridge. Heavy profile, the fire tube adds heft and reduces recoil, though if you need a bit more in that area you’ll have to shop brakes and compensators since Bear Creek outfits the barrel with a flash hider. The upper has a 15-inch, M-Lok compatible handguard with plenty of space to accessorize. Uniquely, Bear Creek runs a side-charging system on the upper, which for many is desirable. Never fear lefties, it’s ambidextrous. MSRP: $244.99; bearcreekarsenal.com
Looking to go armed, but are stuck in the weeds as to what to arm yourself with? Here are 20 excellent concealed carry gun options that will keep you on the defensive.
