Doing more than simply protecting your hearing, Tetra AlphaShield also give you an edge in the field amplifying sound.
I’ve had the benefit of a father who understood hearing protection. Having spent a fall, winter and spring engaged in Uncle Sam’s European Tactical Hike, he knew how loud firearms could be. Then, as an engineer for the auto companies, loud factories were a known quantity. Even as kids, shooting “only” a .22 LR rifle, he insisted on us wearing hearing protection.
I continue this today, having spent my entire life and shooting career wearing earpro. A lot of them were uncomfortable, expansive, poorly protecting and awkward. But that was a long time ago. Electronic protection is a leap forward, and now you can get affordable in-the-ear electronic protection from Tetra.
Why Tetra AlphaShield
The Tetra AlphaShield series are electronic in-the-ear protection. And the AlphaShield series comes in four different options, pre-built to provide a particular kind of sensitivity and hearing boost. What? How? Simple. The sounds you’re trying to discern while hunting deer aren’t necessarily the same ones you’re trying to hear when scanning the skies for ducks and geese. So, they make Multi-Pursuit, Range, Upland and Waterfowl versions of the AlphaShield.
Now, one of the great marketing lies of the modern era is “one size fits all.” So how does Tetra make it possible for all of us to have in-the-ear protection? Simple: The AlphaShield of your choice comes with five pairs of ear buds, flexible skirts for the protection of different sizes. You simply use the size that fits that ear. The AlphaShield units are a left and a right pair, and if your ears take different sizes (mine do—my left ear is very contrarian that way), you simply use different-sized skirts.
The AlphaShields use your basic bog-standard No. 10 battery, which you can buy a bale of for a few bucks at the local big-box store. And buy a bale of them. The beautiful thing about electronic protection is that they’re fail-safe. That is, when they quit, you’re safe. If the batteries go dead (and that’s the annoying thing about No. 10 cells), then you still have earplugs in.
While they’re in, you have protection but electronic amplification. I keep the case the AlphaShield comes in—with batteries—in the top compartment of my camera bag. If I’m going to the range, then I’m taking my camera; that way I always have protection with me and electronic protection.
Ear Protection In The Field
My ears have survived something on the order of a million and a half rounds (maybe five or six unprotected) and most of a decade in radio broadcasting; they still work just fine, and I intend to keep them that way.
My father? He spent from the fall of 1944 to the end of the war in the front, and was the only man in his rifle company not to receive a Purple Heart. “Not from lack of the Germans trying” was his comment on that. He worked for GM and then Ford for 35 years, kept his hearing and spent a long retirement afterward. In all, a good teacher of safety.
Don’t for a moment believe the old hunter’s myth that the stress of hunting causes your “ears to shut down” and protect your hearing. BS. You might be so focused on the game that the shot sounds like a little “pop,” but your ears still take the full hit.
Protect them.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the February 2021 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
A comparison between two popular PCCs from Ruger: the PC Carbine and the PC Charger.
The idea of a pistol-caliber carbine (PCC) extends back—well before the turn of the 20th century. The appeal was the ability to share ammunition between a rifle and a handgun. From about 1873 until the dawn of the smokeless cartridge, this practice was common with cartridges such as the .32-20, .38-40 and .44-40 Winchester. Ironically, those cartridges were rifle cartridges that became popular in handguns.
With the introduction of rifle cartridges such as the .30-30 Winchester and pistol cartridges such as the 9mm Luger and .45 Auto, especially after World War I, this practice began to wane—partly because rifles could then dramatically increase reach and effectiveness and partly because the pistol began to replace the revolver as the preferred sidearm. Also, at about this time, shoulder-stocked pistols and the submachine gun became popular.
The first notably successful, commercially available PCC was the Marlin Camp Carbine. Introduced in 1985, it was a 16-inch-barreled, semi-automatic rifle chambered for either the 9mm Luger or .45 Auto. An aspect that made this carbine so appealing was that the .45 Auto version used 1911 magazines, and the 9mm Luger version used Smith & Wesson 59-series pistol magazines.
The gun possibly responsible for the Ruger PC Carbine concept was the now-discontinued Marlin Camp Carbine.
Both were popular at that time. The Camp Carbine was marketed for use in hunting camps and for survival. Interestingly, it might have become more popular after it was discontinued in 1999. Then, Americans began to become more tactically or survival minded, and the little, 6½-pound Camp Carbine seemed like a very practical implement.
To fill this gap, manufacturers who made AR15s began building 16-inch-barreled carbines designed for the 9mm Luger and other pistol cartridges, and the modern pistol-caliber carbine was born. Recently, we’ve seen this concept evolve into pistols with shorter-than-16-inch barrels that’ll accept what’s become known as an “armbrace.” This is intended to be strapped to the shooting arm to better help control these rather heavy carbines-turned-pistols.
Although it’s not an AR15-type design, a perfect example of this evolution is the Ruger PC Carbine. Originally introduced in 2017 as a carbine that fired a pistol cartridge, it’s now evolved into a pistol—the Ruger PC Charger. This Ruger PC platform, in either the Carbine or Charger version, is getting a lot of attention; and some might be wondering which is the best option.
Ruger PC Carbine
Counting distributor-exclusive models, Ruger currently offers 19 variations of the PC Carbine. The original version has a traditionally styled polymer stock and somewhat resembles the discontinued Marlin Camp Carbine in looks, shape and size. For those looking for a handy carbine with minimal recoil for camp use, survival applications or just for fun at the range, this little, 6.8-pound carbine is ideal.
The base model of the Ruger PC Carbine has a common synthetic stock and adjustable sights. It still retains the ambidextrous features of the full line of PC Carbine and Charger weapon systems.
The most recent version uses a chassis-like system with a modular design. It has the look of a weapon that might be used in some sort of tactical environment and comes with a free-floating handguard that’ll accept M-Lok accessories. It could also be used in the same ways as the standard version, but with the ability to accept a collapsible buttstock and various handguard-mounted accessories, it’s a bit better suited for, well … fighting.
There are three features that really set the PC Carbine apart from AR15-style PCCs and the Marlin Camp Carbine.
For starters, the PC Carbine is a takedown rifle. Just forward of the receiver on the underside of the forend are a recess and a button. After loosening the adjustment ring around the barrel (which is just forward of the receiver), when this button is pressed, the forend and barrel can be rotated and removed. Assembly is in the reverse order. The process takes fewer than 10 seconds. This permits the PC Carbine to be stored in a compact pack or case.
The second cool aspect of the PC Carbine is its ability to accept several different pistol magazines. Due to the ingeniously designed magazine well module, in a matter of a few minutes, you can convert the PC Carbine to accept either Ruger American, Ruger SR Series or Glock magazines. This can be important if, as in the spirit of the Marlin Camp Carbine, you want to use the PC Carbine as a sort of survival-/tactical-type firearm and be able to share magazines between your handgun and long gun.
The third appealing feature of the PC Carbine, and the one I liked the most, was the ability to move the charging handle from the right side of the action to the left. This might seem unimportant but, in conjunction with the reversible magazine release, it allows a right- or left-handed shooter to run this rifle through multiple magazines and even through stoppages—should they occur—without rotating the gun or ever removing their shooting hand from the grip/trigger area.
I’ve worked a good bit with what might be called the “hybrid” version (Model #19115) of the Ruger PC Carbine. This particular rifle has the conventionally styled polymer stock, but instead of a polymer forend, it’s fitted with the free-floating handguard. The carbine comes with an aperture-style rear sight and protected-post front sight. Both are barrel mounted. But, it also has a 16-slot Picatinny rail that’s integral—not screwed to—the receiver. I found that with a compact reflex sight, I could quickly and reliably hammer a torso-sized target at 100 yards, and even make precision head shots at half that distance.
Ruger PC Charger
In the spirit of how Ruger transitioned its 10-22 rimfire carbine into the .22 Charger pistol, it did the same with its PC Carbine. Ruger took the base chassis version of the PC Carbine (Model #19122) and shortened the barrel to 6.5 inches. It also removed the buttstock, which was attached via a vertical Picatinny rail section on the rear of the chassis. This reduced the overall length from 35.50 inches to 16.50 inches and the weight from 7.3 pounds to 5.2 pounds. As opposed to the 13.5-inch handguard on the PC Carbine, it’s only 4 inches long on the PC Charger.
The Ruger PC Charger is, in fact, a pistol that—when paired with a single-point sling, folding armbrace, and light and laser—becomes a very versatile weapon system.
One stark difference between the Ruger PC Carbine and the PC Charger is that the PC Charger doesn’t come with any sort of sights. It does have the integral Picatinny rail, but you’ll have to install some sort of optical sight—or at minimum, a laser—in order to reliably hit anything more than arm’s length away (three versions of the Ruger PC Carbine also come without sights). Other than that, along with the addition of a handstop (to keep your support hand from inadvertently slipping in front of the barrel), everything else is essentially the same on these two firearms.
In a previous Gun Digest article, I discussed in detail the many different ways you can effectively and legally shoot the Ruger PC Charger or similarly styled pistol. I won’t rehash that here, but I will say that the best way I’ve found to shoot this pistol is with the addition of an armbrace…or, at least with a single-point sling and sling tension. A 16-inch, 5-pound handgun is simply nearly impossible to shoot with precision, speed and comfort in any other fashion.
This target was hammered with the Ruger PC Charger at 100 yards. It was easy to keep a full magazine on target, even at a relatively fast shot cadence.
PC Carbine Or PC Charger?
When it comes to a camp gun, home-defense firearm or some sort of survival weapon, the question used to be “Carbine or handgun?”
With the rise in popularity of PCCs, you can now have a carbine and pistol that share the same ammo and even magazines. That makes a lot of sense: A rifle-like gun is easier to control and easier to get hits with at longer distances than a pistol. There’s an obvious reason gunmen prior to the turn of the 20th century liked the idea of a handgun and rifle that used the same ammunition.
Where things now get a bit muddled is with guns such as the Ruger PC Charger. By definition, it’s a pistol. It’s also—by any observation—not a pistol you can carry around comfortably on a belt holster (there’s a reason the PC Charger has a single-point sling attachment point). Pistol or not, with the attachment of an armbrace to the PC Charger—particularly a folding version—you might find yourself torn between it and a PC Carbine.
Which Is The Better Option?
Many might find my opinion controversial on this matter. However, it’s based on practical application, common sense and ballistics. Neither the PC Carbine nor the PC Charger are long-range weapons; putting a 16-inch barrel on a 9mm Luger will only give you a velocity advantage of about 200 fps. In some cases, this increase in velocity can decrease the penetration potential of self-defense ammunition. Some personal protection loads for the 9mm Luger aren’t designed to be fired at carbine barrel velocities. These higher-impact velocities can result in overexpansion, sometimes fragmentation and less penetration. Of course, this isn’t an issue with non-expanding, full-metal-jacket ammunition. From a terminal performance standpoint, bonded bullets are the best option for carbine-length barrels.
Additionally, while a longer barrel with conventional sights might help with accurate shooting, from a practical standpoint, both of these guns need an optical sight, such as a reflex or red-dot, for optimal performance and, with it, any sight radius advantage is lost. I could only squeeze an infinitesimal amount of additional precision out of the PC Carbine’s longer barrel at distance; and considering that you can zero either gun any way you like, the difference in trajectory between the two barrels/velocities was of no real consequence.
Besides the fact that the least-expensive model of PC Carbine costs $150 less than the PC Charger, I see no reason not to opt for the Charger. It is much more compact and lighter, and if you intend to carry this gun in a vehicle or even an UTV, the more-compact Charger is much more suited to the task. (By the way, both the PC Carbine and PC Charger are offered in state-compliant versions.)
I’ll add that if you own a PC Charger (Model #29100) and a PC Carbine (Model #19115), you can remove the barrel from the PC Carbine and put it on the PC Charger, effectively turning the PC Charger into a PC Carbine. (Disclaimer: I’m not suggesting this is something that Ruger recommends. I’m only saying that it’ll work. This is also completely legal and gives you even more options.) However, you can’t do the reverse and make the PC Carbine (rifle) a pistol by installing the shorter PC Charger barrel—that’s a go-to-jail-and-do-not-pass-go action!
A folding armbrace can be attached to the Ruger PC Charger and to some models of the PC Carbine.
I find it hard to conceive of many situations for which the PC Carbine is a better option than the PC Charger—unless you intend the weapon to always and only be fired and used as a rifle. For a basic, utilitarian, ranch-type gun, the PC Carbine might have more appeal. If, on the other hand, you plan for the weapon to serve in a home-, camp- or vehicle-defense roll, the PC Charger, with its compactness and the many ways it can be effectively employed, seems the better option.
For more information on Ruger's pistol caliber carbines, please visit ruger.com.
Savage Arms has just announced the release of the Stance pistol, the company’s first micro-compact 9mm handgun for concealed carry.
Micro-compact 9mm carry pistols are the hottest thing on the market right now, and it seems that every company out there wants in on the action. Even Savage, a company that has not made a traditional handgun in over 100 years, has now decided to throw their hat in the ring as well. The newly announced Stance pistol has some features that make it a strong competitor to existing micro-9s on the market. A few variations are already available, and Savage claims that the company will be expanding the Stance into a whole new family of pistols as time moves on.
Chambered for 9mm and sporting a 3.2-inch barrel, the Stance pistol has some features that distinguish it from other popular micro-9 models. Prioritizing concealability and comfort of carry over magazine capacity, the Stance pistol holds a few rounds less than its competitors in order to have a slimmer profile. It can accept either 7, 8 or extended 10-round mags, and two are included with each pistol (one 7 and one 8-round).
The Stance pistol likely gets its name from its grip angle. Set for the popular, natural-pointing 18-degree angle, the grip also comes with two interchangeable backstraps to accommodate different hand sizes. The grip features aggressive stippling all the way around as well.
It has ambidextrous magazine and slide release buttons, and it uses an internal chassis as the serialized component to allow for switching grips without the need for extra transfers. The gun is also available without a manual safety. Other features on the Stance pistol include a ported slide, a wide, short-reset trigger and snag-free sights.
Currently, package options for the Stance pistol include a choice between night sights or standard 3-dot sights, a manual safety or no safety, and either a black, grey or FDE finish. It is also available with a Viridian laser. The laser attaches via the trigger guard, as the Stance has no under-barrel Picatinny rail. MSRPs for the new Stance pistols range from $479 at their most basic to $561 with the included laser. The Stance looks like a solid new CCW pistol, but the lack of an optics-ready option already puts it behind the curve of most of its competitors. Savage will almost certainly be releasing an optics-ready version in the future, so if that interests you it may be worth waiting.
A couple decades ago, I bought a rifle which would become—and remain—my dedicated varmint rifle. It’s a Ruger Model 77 MKII in .22-250 Remington, with a sporter-weight 22-inch barrel, a Hogue over-molded stock and Timney trigger. While the accuracy wasn’t terrible with factory ammunition—though the factory trigger was a different story—I wasn’t getting exactly what I wanted from handloads, predominately using IMR4064 and IMR4320. Both of those powders were chosen because I had them on hand from years of loading for my .308 Winchester and because they sat in the middle of the burn rate choices for the .22-250 case.
Speaking to some guys who I knew were serious about the .22-250 as a target cartridge, they enlightened me. “Look no further than Hodgdon H380; anything else and you’re wasting your time.” Well, alrighty then.
Off I went to purchase a pound of H380. Their recommendation made sense, as H380 was named for Bruce Hodgdon’s 38-grain load in the .22-250 with a 55-grain bullet. I immediately saw a huge accuracy improvement, but more importantly, it was my introduction to ball powders and how useful they can be.
Powder Geometry
There are predominately three powder shapes: flake, extruded stick and ball, or spherical. The flake powders are generally reserved for shot shells and pistol cartridges, and among rifle cartridges, the stick powders greatly outnumber any of the ball powders. There are some times where a ball powder comes in very handy, solving some problems where case capacity is limited.
Massaro’s 7mm-08 Remington loved the 140-grain Trophy Bonded Tip bullet over Winchester’s StaBall 6.5 powder, giving a load with low velocity spreads and good accuracy. Photo: Massaro Media Group
I remember loading for my dad when we were heading to Tanzania for Cape buffalo and having trouble getting his .458 Winchester Magnum to reach anything close to what the velocities were supposed to be. With 500-grain A-Square Dead Toughs and Monolithic Solids, real estate inside the case was assuredly at a premium.
After several unsuccessful attempts with stick powders, it was finally Hodgdon’s H335 that got me where I needed to be: 2,080 fps, and groups hovering around 1½ inches at 100 yards. While normally associated with the .222 and .223 Remington, it works well in the larger, straight-walled cartridges as well.
Speaking of dad and his straight-walled cartridges, I leaned on a ball powder for his .45-70 Government when we headed to South Dakota to hunt bison. His rifle is a Browning 1886—definitely a strong action—and we wanted to take advantage of that fact. Using a 400-grain Swift A-Frame and 58.0 grains of Hodgdon’s BL-C(2), that 26-inch octagon barrel gave a muzzle velocity of just over 1,800 fps; Dad took his bull cleanly with a well-placed shot.
That load, while on the stout side, is plenty accurate for the iron-sighted lever gun. BL-C(2), pronounced ball-see-two, was designed for the 7.62 NATO, so the .308 Winchester is a natural candidate for this ball powder, but it also works very well in the smaller cases like the .204 Ruger, .223 Remington and even the .17 Remington.
Hodgdon’s H414 is a slower-burning ball powder with a burn rate similar to H4350 (though not interchangeable), which is ideal in the .30-06 and similar cases; I’ve had fantastic results in the 9.3x62mm Mauser and in the .375 H&H Magnum. Some folks say this powder (which is very, very close to Winchester 760) is sensitive to temperature change, though that hasn’t been my experience: It has been rather consistent in summer and fall temperatures.
Getting back to good ol’ H380, that powder has been good to me, though I can testify to the temperature sensitivity … to the point where I use a summer load and a winter load. In spite of the temperature issues, it’s accurate, not only in the .22-250 Remington, but in the .308 Winchester — my rifle loves H380 and a 165-grain Sierra GameKing hollow-point boat-tail — and in the .375 Ruger.
Winchester has long been famous for their ball powder lineup, with W748 and W760 being highly popular. A friend has a Remington 700 Classic chambered in the now-obscure .350 Remington Magnum, and if any cartridge is cramped for space, it’s that one. Having gone through a number of powders, W748 came to the rescue for that gun, and under a 220-grain Speer Hot-Cor bullet it has MOA accuracy, and velocities with an extreme spread of around 20 fps.
The New StaBALL
Winchester has released a new ball powder, the StaBall 6.5 powder, which is well-suited to a number of cartridges. Named for the 6.5 Creedmoor—the burn rate sits comfortably between H4350 and Reloder 19, making it a perfect choice for the Creedmoor family. Plus, this powder is engineered to be insensitive to temperature swings.
Hodgdon’s H380 is actually named for the 38.0 grain load in Bruce Hodgdon’s then wildcat .22-250, and is also a sound choice in the .308 Winchester and .375 H&H. Photo: Massaro Media Group
Winchester (Hodgdon) offers data for a wide range of cartridges, including classic varmint cartridges like the .22-250 Remington, .220 Swift and .257 Roberts, up to the mediums like the 7mm-08 Remington, 7×57 Mauser and .30-06 Springfield, up through the big bores like the .375 Ruger, .375 H&H, .416 Remington Magnum and .416 Rigby.
I wanted to see how it would perform in a couple of different cartridges. My pal, Mike Buser has a great 6.5 Creedmoor—a Masterpiece Arms Custom—so we loaded up some StaBall and a pair of bullets we knew the rifle liked: the 140-grain Berger Hybrid and the 135-grain Hornady A-Tip. The Winchester load data claims velocities higher than most other powders, and we found that claim to be true, though the test barrel was 2 inches shorter than Mike’s barrel. We drove that 140-grain Berger to an average velocity of 2,745 fps, with 100-yard group sizes between 0.51 and 0.70 MOA. The 135-grain A-Tip left the barrel at 2,840 fps, averaging 0.65-MOA, with extreme spreads hovering around the 20-fps mark.
My Tikka T3X Lite in 7mm-08 Remington likes StaBall also. The 140-grain Federal Trophy Bonded Tip, over a charge of 47.5 grains of StaBall, gave 2,835 fps into just under 1-MOA groups. With a bullet of this construction and conformation, there aren’t too many species that are off the menu. The load data indicates that the 7mm-08 can push the 175-grain Nosler Partition to over 2,600 fps with StaBall 6.5; I got 2,615 fps with three-shot groups printing 1.1 inches at 100 yards. Those 175s are certainly long and can eat up a bunch of room inside the case; using a ball powder will help combat that fact.
Bat or Ball?
Do ball powders beat the extruded stick powders? Because there are so many more choices in stick powder, I feel pretty confident saying that they’ll remain at the top of the heap. However, there are many instances where they can provide the answer to the problem of limited case capacity.
When space is limited, and the load density exceeds 100 percent, you can break the grain structure of stick powder due to over-compression. This can have negative effect on consistency, where using a ball powder will give less air gaps and reduce the space occupied by the powder column. If you like the smaller cases, give one of the ball powders a try … you might just develop a new favorite for you and your rifle.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the January 2021 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
A first for the U.S., Zastava USA has begun importing the M07-AS bolt action precision rifle.
Adopted for use by the Serbian Army in 2007 and remaining in service ever since, the Zastava M07 is a precision bolt action rifle based on the Mauser M98 action. Now, for the first time ever, the rifle will be available on the U.S. commercial market. Freshly announced by Zastava USA, the M07-AS is now being imported and will be seen on store shelves soon.
Chambered for .308 Winchester, the Zastava M07-AS was built for precision and has features that help bolster both its mechanical and practical accuracies. It has a cold-forged, chrome-vanadium steel heavy profile barrel that’s 26-inches-long, and the muzzle is threaded for mounting suppressors or other devices. The optics rail is machined into the receiver and Zastava claims the M07-AS has an effective range of 1,000 meters.
The rifle’s trigger is finely adjustable and can be set to the user’s preferred weight. For better ergonomics, the fixed polymer stock is also adjustable for height and length of pull. The safety on the M07-AS also has three positions, with safe and fire acting as expected but the third “secure” position there to provide extra safety during unloading. This position allows the action to be opened and the chamber to be accessed without letting the trigger be pulled.
An interesting side note, the M07-AS rifle’s pistol grip looks to be the same style as a rubber Yugo-pattern Tokarev grip that’s been available for some time. Not sold through any official Zastava outlets, most assumed that these grips were made by a third party, but their inclusion on the M07-AS suggests otherwise. While these grips act as ergonomic upgrades on Tokarev pistols, users will have to determine if they’re a good fit for the M07-AS rifle.
Each M07-AS purchase will include two five-round magazines, a sling and cleaning kit. The official MSRP is yet to be announced but some online retailers have the rifle listed for $3,139.90 at full price.
The Savage 110 PCS bolt action pistol has all the features of the Model 110 in a more compact package.
The Savage 110 is one of the most popular models of bolt action rifle, and now the company has announced the newest addition to the lineup: the Savage 110 PCS. PCS stands for Pistol Chassis System, and it’s this new chassis that houses the 110 action and all 10.5-inches of its barrel. Available in five different chamberings, all with the same features as the full-size 110, the new Savage 110 PCS is here to bring big accuracy to a tiny package.
Jessica Treglia, Senior Brand Manager for Savage, had this to say on the 110 PCS:
The Model 110 has set the bar high for bolt-action rifles…Now the adaptability and performance that we see from our flagship rifle line is available in a pistol chassis system. Don’t let the 110 PCS’s diminutive size fool you—we’ve taken this gun out past 500 yards with reliable, repeatable accuracy.
The standard Model 110 features found on the 110 PCS include the adjustable AccuTrigger and its use of AICS-style box magazines. The PCS has a 10.5-inch medium-contour barrel that’s threaded 5/8×24 and the pistol is currently available in .308 Winchester, .223 Remington, 6.5 Creedmoor, 300 BLK and 350 Legend.
The new Pistol Chassis System that houses the 110 PCS action is made by MDT and is of monolithic aluminum construction. The 7-inch forend is free-floated and features M-LOK slots for accessories, and it has Picatinny rail on the rear of the chassis and on top for attaching a brace/stock and optic, respectively. The addition of an optic will be required to hit what you’re aiming at, as the 110 PCS does not have any iron sights. It also will accept most standard AR pistol grips and has an ambidextrous magazine release.
The Savage 110 PCS is an ideal option for those who need the accuracy of the classic Model 110 in a more portable package. Ideal for hunters who need to pack light for long treks, the 110 PCS is small enough to fit in a backpack while remaining powerful and accurate enough to take game at significant ranges. All models have an MSRP of $999 and they are available now.
Welcome to 21st-century plinking, thanks to the Rival Arms R-22 … and aluminum.
The dude may abide, but this is America; innovation abounds. Many of us just can’t help ourselves: We have to improve things, make them better and, as a result, everyone benefits from those who just can’t leave things alone.
The Rival Arms R-22 chassis is the perfect capstone for your 10-22 build. (Photo by Yamil Sued)
When the Ruger 10-22 hit the market in 1964, Ruger was just looking for a plinker to compete with all the others. In 1964, a self-loading .22 LR rifle would cost you somewhere between $45 and $55. (Adjusted for inflation, that’d be $370 to $455 in Biden dollars.) The Ruger was right there at the top of the heap, with a list price of $54.95.
Functionally, they were all the same: Load the magazine, chamber a round, shoot until it was empty (10 shots, mostly) and then repeat. Where the 10-22 differed was in design. And time of design. All the existing rifles of the time had been designed years, or even decades, before. They mostly fed through tubes under the barrel, although some had five-round box magazines. The barrels were pressed into aluminum or steel receivers and held in place by means of cross-pins.
Some, like the Marlin Model 60, had firing mechanisms that were complex assemblies of mousetrap springs and stamped-steel parts, between steel rails with the cross-pins “C” clipped into a package. The trigger was what the trigger was, and there was no way on earth to improve it. Anyone rash enough to take one apart for cleaning found it impossible to reassemble and having a gunsmith like me do the job was almost as expensive as buying a replacement.
Accuracy was “minute of tin can,” and reliability for any in the pack was assumed to be marginal. After all, it was “just a plinker.” Part of that unreliable reputation was the tube magazine. Trying to design, then make—and keep in tune—a feed mechanism that’d take a round from the tube and place it in front of the bolt wasn’t easy. The Ruger rotary magazine made that aspect a non-issue.
Then, a strange thing happened. Shooters started to figure out that the 10-22 wasn’t just another plinking rimfire. The method of barrel attachment was the start. Gone was the pinned-in attachment. Instead, the 10-22 uses a clamp that hooks onto a bevel machined into the barrel and pulls it into the receiver.
Anyone with the right-sized Allen wrench could swap barrels. If you wanted a better barrel, you could simply order it and install it yourself. Accuracy improved. The receiver is simply an aluminum shell to hold the bolt and recoil spring. Instead of bolting the receiver to the stock and letting the barrel hang, builders bedded the barrel at the chamber to the stock and let the receiver hang off the back. Accuracy improved even more.
The handguard is slimmed down so you can get a firm grip on the R-22. Not that the recoil of a .22 LR requires it, but good technique is good technique.
The trigger mechanism was dead-simple, easy to remove and clean and easy to improve. So, shooters did. Then, gunsmiths and parts makers started making improved parts. Triggers got better. Along with triggers, the lower half got improved bolt-release levers, safety buttons, and magazine releases. Oh, and the rotary magazine? That got improved also, and now you can have magazines up to 25 rounds in capacity, even from Ruger themselves.
Through it all, the stock remained a stock. Oh, there were laminates and synthetics and exotics, but they were still stocks.
Then, the world went AR-15 crazy, and if it wasn’t an AR, it wasn’t something people looked at.
Be Gone With The Wood
Rival Arms now offers a solution to the last of the problems.
The Rival Arms R-22 chassis system offers all kinds of features, and they’re in sync with the modern shooting marketplace. First of all, it’s a single- piece aluminum chassis. The problem with wood stocks, even laminated ones, is that they absorb water. If you’ve found a way for aluminum to absorb water, tell the biggest engineering school you can find, because you’ve done the impossible, and people who can do the impossible can make money at it. Synthetics can warp in the sun or heat, but aluminum won’t. Well, it will, but by the time it gets to the temperature that an aluminum chassis will sag from heat, we’re all toast because the sun has gone nova.
The handguard or forend has M-lok slots so you can mount whatever accessories you feel are appropriate.
The forend of the chassis is slenderized. Rival Arms calls it scalloped, so you can get a good firm hold on the front end while you’re dealing chaos and destruction on tin cans. The slots on the forend are M-lok, so you can easily kit it out with whatever accessories you want. There’s also a tapped sling swivel location, in case you want to put a sling on your upgraded 10-22.
On the back end, Rival Arms has made life easy. The rear of the chassis accepts standard AR-15 stock assemblies, so you can put on whatever kind of stock you want. Or, if you’re building a pistol, then an arm brace that attaches to an AR receiver socket. So, you have the full range of options. You can (keep an eye on the laws and regs, please; you can’t necessarily go swapping back and forth here on the full range of options) build it as a full-sized rifle, with fixed stock, as a rimfire service rifle or Appleseed loaner, right down to a pistol-barrel arm-braced (even a folder) handy firearm to plink with or keep as an emergency tool in your truck, boat or plane.
And to complement that, the Rival Arms R-22 chassis also accepts most AR-15 pistol grips. Just bolt it right on the exact same way you would on an AR-15.
The chassis is CNC machined from billet aluminum, anodized and then if black isn’t your thing, given a Gun Kote FDE or Stealth Gray coating. Need I point out that as an anodized aluminum part, you yourself can give it a “rattle-can camo” finish of your own choosing? Make it camo to match your surroundings, or some splash of neon colors to suit your competitive streak.
To complete the ensemble, it’s a snap to mount a scope, since that has been possible from the beginning with the 10-22, due to the receiver being drilled and tapped for a scope mount base. You can certainly attach a scope to the receiver, and it’ll be more accurate than most shooters. However, for maximum accuracy, shooters have discovered the best way to attach a scope is with a mount secured to the barrel itself.
The handguard or forend has M-lok slots so you can mount whatever accessories you feel are appropriate.
And speaking of barrels, not only will the R-22 accept factory barrels, but you also have enough room for match barrels up to 1 inch in diameter. Fair warning: If you go with a barrel that big, you’d better have eaten your Wheaties, because it’s going to make the resulting rifle pretty heavy. But really accurate.
The evolution of the 10-22 is now complete, with the Rival Arms R-22 chassis. So complete has the evolution of high tech and innovation been that you could, if you wished, purchase and assemble a “10-22” rifle in which not a single part came out of a Ruger factory. In that, it’s very much like its contemporary of the era, the AR-15. It used to be if you wanted an AR-15, you had to buy a Colt. It used to be if you wanted a 10-22, you had to buy a Ruger. Now, you can assemble the best parts available for your 10-22 and put the assembled receiver into your Rival Arms R-22 chassis.
Have fun.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the February 2021 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
SilencerCo’s new Harvest EVO suppressor is now lighter than ever and designed to be a perfect match for your hunting rifle.
One of the most practical applications for a suppressor is hunting. By eliminating the need for a hunter to wear hearing protection in the field, not only is their level of awareness heightened but their hearing is preserved and the great outdoors stay quieter. With most suppressors on the market designed more for tactical or defensive use, specialty hunting suppressors like the SilencerCo Harvester prioritize features that are most appreciated by those who use them to take game. Now, SilencerCo has upgraded and enhanced its Harvester line with the release of the new Harvester EVO.
SilencerCo’s Senior Product Development Specialist Dewie Viera had this to say on the Harvester EVO:
The most impressive phenomenon of the Harvester EVO is its lightweight nature despite being created from rugged, hard-use materials…Weighing just 10.8 ounces, it is constructed of 17-4 heat treated stainless steel, Inconel and cobalt 6 with a tubeless design. This gives the EVO an edge over other hunting suppressors.
The Harvester EVO can be used on calibers ranging from .223 Remington to .300 Winchester, but its noise-reducing effects will be most effective on .30 caliber guns. The suppressors attach using Bravo mounting accessories, and each can ships with direct thread 1/2×28 and 5/8×24 mounts. When firing .308 Winchester, SilencerCo reports that the Harvester EVO has an average decibel level of 133.1 dB.
The biggest improvements found on the new Harvester EVO are its shorter length and reduced weight, all done without compromising durability. The materials and construction methods used allow the EVO to be only 6.24-inches-long and weigh in at only 10.8 ounces, both improvements over its predecessor—the Harvester 300. SilencerCo claims that the new suppressor’s attributes will make it less likely to get caught while moving through brush, and its lighter weight will reduce fatigue during long treks. This makes the Harvester EVO an obvious choice for serious hunters looking to hush up their gun.
The Harvester EVO has an MSRP of $680 and is available now through SilencerCo retailers. For more on SilencerCo, please visit silencerco.com.
Get More Suppressor Info:
The Suppressor: How Is It Made, It Works And How To Buy One
The Alien Gear Cloak Shoulder Holster is compatible with over 500 guns, including many less popular models, but how does this upper body carry option stack up against other rigs?
Shoulder holsters can offer a lot of versatility with how one carries, but they’re not even an option unless you can get one that fits your gun. Holster compatibility is always something to consider when selecting a carry gun, but the choices are even more limited when looking for a shoulder rig. There’s no shortage of 1911 and Glock fits available, but those who carry slightly less popular handguns will likely face some difficulty in finding one that fits. Alien Gear has addressed this issue head-on with the Cloak Shoulder Holster, a shoulder harness system compatible with the company’s Cloak line of holsters that are available for over 500 different automatic handgun models and configurations. Depending on what you carry, the Cloak shoulder holster may be one of your only options available, but besides widescale compatibility what other qualities and quirks does this shoulder rig possess?
Cloak Compatibility
The primary appeal of the Cloak shoulder holster is its compatibility with so many different firearms, and this point can’t be understated. As more of a niche way to carry, shoulder rigs are often only available for a select number of models. If you carry a 5-inch 1911 or a bare-bones Glock 17, the options are nearly limitless, but for those who carry something a bit more unique or modified it can become a real challenge to even find a compatible shoulder rig.
This is where the Cloak shoulder holster has you covered. The system uses Alien Gear Cloak holster shells which are made of Kydex and custom molded to fit over 500 different models of automatic pistols and their various configurations. Everything from H&K to Hi-Point, Desert Eagles to Makarovs, Alien Gear has a Cloak for it. For this review, I requested a Browning Hi-Power model for toting around my FEG Hi-Power clone. The Hi-Power is, or at least was, extremely popular around the globe, making the lack of shoulder holster options for it frustrating. Now that Springfield has released their SA-35 clone, even more people will likely be searching for an up-top carry option that fits this nearly 90-year-old design.
The Cloak holsters are also made to accommodate modified or rarer versions of more common guns. Certain railed pistols can be ordered to fit specific accessories such as a Streamlight TLR-1 or Crimson Trace Defender. Alien Gear also went the extra mile to ensure the model you select is a true fit for your specific gun. While other holsters may leave the description at “Sig P220”, Alien Gear’s site differentiates between variants like the P220 Carry and P220r which have features that may make them incompatible with standard Kydex P220 holsters. With the Cloak shoulder holster, as long as you can find your gun’s exact model designation in the massive list of options, you know it will be a solid fit.
Cloak Shoulder Holster Features
As a modular system, when ordering the Cloak shoulder holster one has a few different options to choose from. The rig can be ordered either left or right-handed with the choice of either a holster or mag carrier on either side. It can also be ordered with two holsters or two mag carriers, but obviously this option is less practical than having one of each. The magazine carriers can be ordered to fit common sizes of both single and double-stack mags as well as for 5.7 to accommodate FN and Ruger models in that caliber. The carriers use tension to retain the mags and must be adjusted to securely fit your magazines’ specific thickness. Again, due to the modular nature of the design, my 9mm double stack mag carriers came adjusted for a .40 and had to be significantly tightened for proper retention.
Both the holster and mag carrier are adjustable for cant too, ensuring that the user can find the best angle for their draw as well as the rig’s concealment. The Cloak shoulder holster’s straps are also adjustable for size and each side of the rig includes detachable, optional belt hooks.
The Cloak shoulder holster is made using a combination of English bridle leather and CoolVent neoprene, and the rig is available in either brown or black.
The neoprene padding on the inside of the shoulder straps.
The Cloak’s Qualities
It bears mentioning again that it’s the Cloak’s massive list of compatible guns that gives it its greatest appeal. I challenge you to find another off-the-shelf Kydex shoulder rig that has an option for the Ruger 57 with a red dot, or any other of the Cloak’s more obscure fits. But just because the holster fits your gun doesn’t make it one worth wearing, so what other qualities does the Cloak have to offer?
Firstly, the Kydex holster provides excellent retention once properly adjusted. Upon receiving the Cloak rig the holster was slightly too tight for my gun, but after some minor loosening it fit like a glove. It could be adjusted tight enough to solely rely on retention, but the holster also includes an optional thumb-break strap for those who may want it looser for an easier draw. The thumb strap also provides extra safety on SAO guns that are carried cocked and locked, which is what I did with my Hi-Power.
After adjusting my preferred cant angle I found drawing the pistol from the Cloak to be extremely fast and easy. Not as fast as appendix carry can potentially be of course, as shoulder holsters are slower by nature due to their cross-draw design, but fast enough to eliminate concerned about speed during a defensive encounter.
Even with the holster’s retention set relatively tight, I found the belt hooks superfluous. On some shoulder holsters that lack them, attempting to draw can often pull the holster with the gun and blunder the process. On the Cloak shoulder holster, however, drawing was still very seamless without the straps installed. I prefer shoulder holsters that are usable without these straps to enable more casual carry without the need for a belt, so in this department Alien Gear nailed it.
The belt straps are as easily removable as adjusting the holster’s cant is, both use the same system. Asymmetrically shaped pegs secure the holster, mag carrier and belt straps to the rig, and they can be removed simply by rotating the pegs about 180 degrees and pulling them out of their respective holes. Reinstalling them is the same process in reverse.
The belt strap's peg next to its respective hole. This system makes adjusting cant easy.
Once the rig’s straps have been adjusted to your size, the Cloak shoulder holster is quite comfortable to wear. It has wide, padded straps that distribute the weight well, even with a full-size, all-steel pistol like the Hi-Power. I was able to wear it all day without getting too tired of it, and with the right kind of jacket it can conceal very well too.
No product is perfect, and there is a certain amount of subjectivity in worn items like shoulder holsters, but I do have some complaints with the Cloak that are worth mentioning.
One of the first things one must do upon purchasing a Cloak shoulder holster is adjust the straps to fit, and this is where I first encountered some frustration. The straps’ extra length is secured using hex screws that go through holes in the leather, meaning that for each of the four straps you want to adjust you will need to unscrew and reinstall two of these. This is something one will likely only have to do once, but it is a pain, especially when other shoulder rigs have simpler ways of retaining extra strap length.
The Cloak was also one of the loudest pieces of leather I’ve ever dealt with. The first time I put it on I was worried my neighbors were going to hear it squeaking with every breath I took. Even the slightest of movements released a cacophony of sounds from the holster’s thick leather hide. We all focus so much on the visual side of concealment that we often overlook the need for silence as well. I’m happy to report that after wearing the rig a decent amount in the three weeks since I received it, it has quietened up quite a bit. It’s still not silent, but I have faith that with continued use the stiff leather will eventually get tamed. Applying some oil would also likely expedite the process.
The least comfortable aspect of the Cloak shoulder holster is one that only surfaces while shooting with it on. The wide neck straps’ edges are lined with neoprene, the padding of which is comfortable on the body but less so directly on the skin. I found that aiming a pistol with a two-handed shooting grip while wearing the rig resulted in the edges of the straps digging into my neck. The discomfort would be tolerable for a brief emergency situation, but if you were planning on wearing your Cloak to the range to train in it you may find shooting to be quite annoying because of this.
Circled in red is where the strap consistently pinches my neck when assuming a shooting position.
My final observation may be unique to my specific Hi-Power, but because it could affect safety, I thought it was worth mentioning. When carrying cocked and locked with the manual safety engaged and the thumb strap installed, the action of breaking the thumb strap consistently also disengages the manual safety on my gun. While this technically does make drawing faster and simpler, for safety’s sake it would still be preferable if the safety stayed engaged until the gun was fully drawn and presented. Odds are this is unique to my old FEG, but if it happens to your cocked and locked pistol too it could be carried without the thumb strap installed to prevent this from happening. Or, if it doesn’t bother you, one could view it as a feature rather than a bug that has the potential to speed up your draw time.
Final Thoughts
The Cloak shoulder holster has an MSRP of $193.88, making it neither the most expensive nor cheapest shoulder rig available. For the money, you get a very modular and versatile setup that could be used with multiple different guns as long as you have the compatible Alien Gear holster shell for it. If you carry a weird gun and want a shoulder holster for it, the Cloak is definitely worth considering. One could otherwise order a custom rig made, and it will likely be a bit more comfortable to wear, but it will also be more expensive, less modular and almost certainly use leather for the holster portion. The potential speed of drawing from retention Kydex offers a big advantage over leather and will likely be this holster’s biggest appeal besides its numerous available fits. The Cloak shoulder holster can be a bit of a pain to initially set up and break in, but once that’s out of the way it offers a comfortable way to concealed carry some of the more unique guns in your collection.
What's a portable precision rifle? How about something you can sling in a shoulder bag and reach out 1,000 yards and beyond.
Just a couple decades ago, you never really saw a bolt-action with a barrel length less than 20 inches. For the better part of a century, it was common practice for rifles to have a standard length of 24 inches and, as a result, most of the industry’s ammunition testing is done with barrels of this length. This has led to a misconception that long barrels are needed for accuracy, but this and other myths are being dispelled as technology and new materials allow unheard-of performance.
At just a hair over 27 inches, this complete 16-inch rifle chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor is a capable 1,000-yard accuracy machine that has some of the best parts available today, along with some of the most advanced carbon-fiber technology.
Case in point: a 16-inch 6.5 Creedmoor that fits in a racket case and can drill targets past 1,000 yards.
The Portable Precision Rifle
Action To accomplish the feat of building out a rifle that can fit into a racket case and pick off plates at a grand, I went about it with the idea that it’d need to be very rigid—while saving weight in the most important areas for portability. The basis of the build is a squared-up Remington 700 action. While other, more compact actions were available, it just made the most sense to work with something that wouldn’t require special stocks and scope rails.
A solid scope and mount setup, like the Leupold in Badger Ordnance rings here, is a necessity for precision. This particular scope is nice and light and rides easy in a bag with a covered windage turret.
Barrel While the action didn’t take much thought to work out, the barrel was different. A short, 16-inch all-steel barrel is heavy, and it’d need to be a full contour to absorb heat and maintain stiffness. The weight of such a barrel would make so small a rifle hard to use, so I instead went with a carbon-fiber tube from X-Caliber barrels. This barrel makes use of a Savage-style barrel nut to set headspace, so it was easy to install on the action with just a set of go and no-go gauges from Brownells for a proper installation. The thick barrel was finished out with a Badger Ordnance muzzle brake.
Stock The stock is very unique in that it telescopes instead of folds to the side. JTAC Industries is a smaller company that hasn’t seen much press, which is a shame because they managed to deliver a telescoping stock that’s actually solid with virtually no wiggle. It even locks in three positions for length of pull. They make stocks for Howa actions as well—even the mini action. This model is called the Screech Owl.
The Geissele trigger is a two-stage design and is great for a portable precision rifle, as opposed to a light single-stage.
Optics The other parts I put into the build ensure maximum versatility and weight savings where possible. The scope, a Leopold VX3i LRP, was added due to its low weight, protected windage turret and wide magnification range. It was secured to the rifle with a Nightforce base and Badger Ordnance rings. A Magpul bipod and BCM grip finished it out.
To prevent heat distortion on the scope, a KE Arms SHTF wrap was added. Carbon-fiber barrels radiate heat very quickly, and this little product can help reduce mirage. The rifle was set up with a Short Action Precision sling for positional shooting support: The quality of these slings cannot be understated, if you ever shoot from a place other than a bench. The trigger is a two-stage unit from Geissele Automatics and is very much at home on a compact rifle.
Firing The Rifle
In case you were wondering, this thing barks. You’ll want some ear protection. The ergonomics of the build are good, with the only minor issue being the short length of the cheek rest. While firing 120-grain bullets, the rifle hardly moves, which makes it perfect for spotting your own hits.
A good sling, like the Short Action Precision model here, can make a light and maneuverable rifle rock-steady in sitting and unsupported positions. It’s a huge plus for the mobile competitor or hunter.
The rifle was zeroed for 200 meters with Black Hills Gold 120-grain GMX , where it printed groups of 1 inch for five shots at that distance. Velocity was 2,735 fps. My 26-inch barrel velocity for the same load is 2,949 fps, meaning it loses about 21 fps per inch.
I went up with a fast handload, featuring Hornady 120-grain ELD Match loaded up to 2,900 fps. I got this load up to 3,000 fps, but it was blowing out primers, so I dialed it back a touch. This load grouped 1 MOA at 1,000 yards.
The JTAC cheek rest is only adjustable for height. It’s comfortable but can make the head feel a bit awkward when in firing position. I’d add a bit of length to the butt pad to alleviate this, just like I added some foam cushion to keep my face from slipping.
Now, compare this to the standard for .308 Win., the 24-inch barrel and 175-grain Sierra MatchKing at 2,600 fps. As a baseline, the 120-grain ELD-M from this short rifle generates superior speed from a barrel far shorter, and at 1,000 yards, has 8.7 mils of drop as opposed to 11.3 on my calculations. The .308 is also right at subsonic velocity at 1,000, but the 120-grain 6.5mm is still supersonic. Wind drift is actually very similar between the two across the board, as is retained energy. The 120-grain 6.5mm is about equal in energy at 1,000 to the 175-grain .308 Win.
Using handloads to maximize performance is perfectly fine, considering I built the rifle to begin with, but that’s not to say that you can’t get the same performance from factory ammo. The 143-grain ELD-X in factory form is slower but better than the 120-grain handloads, but it increases recoil for no discernible gain on target other than slightly better wind drift. The point of this is that short barrels paired with efficient bullets fired from effective cases can yield amazing results.
The portable precision rifle's stock telescopes out and is able to be collapsed with the push of a button. It slides easily and is very simple to use.
To wrap this up and put it in a racket case: You don’t need a long barrel for long range, but you need to consider the bullet and cartridge first. You can’t do this with a 16-inch .308 Win., because the bullets and cases won’t allow it. Pick the range you want to shoot, then the bullet and everything else will fall into place after that.
You’ll likely be surprised how short you can go and not miss a beat these days. It’ll only get better from here, as technology allows more performance in less space.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the March 2021 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
More On Bolt-Action Rifles:
Building A Precision Rifle With The Faxon FX7 Action
New Ultra Light Arms redefines accuracy among ultra-lightweight rifles.
I’m going to tell you a story about the best bolt-action hunting rifle ever created. What will surprise you is the name attached to this rifle isn’t Browning, Winchester or Mauser. In 1979, a West Virginia gunsmith began experimenting and quit his job as a machine shop instructor at a vocational school to introduce the lightest but most-balanced, best-shooting but easiest-carrying, hunting rifle ever made. Since 1984, he has turned out more than 7,000 examples of this perfection. Melvin Forbes of New Ultra Light Arms started this venture, not by trying to take an existing rifle and fixing it, but by creating his own.
Because his rifles have remained a custom-only offering, Melvin Forbes’ name isn’t as well-known as men like Hawken or Mauser. However, his contribution to the history of the rifle is just as important.
Forbes based his design around a cylindrical bolt-action receiver with a two-lug bolt. The bolt was fitted with a Sako-style extractor because of its shortness and reliability. It also had a plunger-style ejector, and the bolt release was located on the tang. A special trigger/safety mechanism was designed and then crafted by Timney Triggers that provides three functions from two positions. In the forward position, the rifle will fire; in the rear position, it’s on safe, but if you press down on the safety you can work the bolt, safely unloading the rifle.
A barrel was needed, and for that Forbes turned to West Virginia barrel maker Douglas Barrels. For calibers up to .30, a number-one contour is used, and it’s attached to the receiver with an uncompromised dedication to ensuring everything was centerline-of-the-bore true. This being a proprietary action, scope mounts were needed, too. Traditional mounts can add as much as a half pound or more, so Forbes designed his own. Not only do they weigh less than 3 ounces, they’re also contoured to conform to the same centerline the rifle is built on.
Not Just Any Stock Forbes needed a stock, and in the early ’80s, all lightweight synthetic rifle stocks were manufactured using technology from the fiberglass boat industry. Though they were reasonably stable, they were heavy. A former mold maker, Forbes created a design that, with a negative drop comb, insisted that the rifle recoiled straight to the rear and also perfectly positioned the shooter’s eye in line behind the riflescope. Though the stock felt great in hand and on the shoulder, it didn’t help stiffen and support the lightweight barrel enough to deliver the accuracy desired. And, it was too heavy.
New Ultra Light Arms also makes rimfire rifles that are just as light and just as accurate as the centerfires they produce.
For help, Forbes went to a friend who worked for the Allegheny Ballistics Laboratory in Rocket Center, West Virginia. Currently, they manufacture advanced composite structures for the F-22 Raptor. At that time, they were building incredibly strong and lightweight materials for rockets. They helped Forbes understand how to hand-lay Kevlar and carbon fiber in a way that would—and you might find this hard to believe—actually make the stock stiffer than the action and barrel. Forbes took this technology and applied it to his stock, but unlike conventional wisdom still dictates, Forbes bedded his barreled action from the tang to the tip of the forend. In other words, the entire action and barrel are supported.
When Forbes’ stock comes out of the mold, it weighs an incredibly light 8 ounces, and after adding paint and a recoil pad, and fitting it to the rifle, it still weighs only 17 ounces. Most remarkable is how the stock stiffens the barreled action so that accuracy is on par with benchrest rifles. But Forbes made another discovery, and he had to seek help from engineers at West Virginia University to understand what was happening.
Forbes discovered that in his rifles would shoot all bullet weights to the same point of impact at 100 yards. Any serious rifleman knows this is, well, impossible, and Forbes wanted to understand why it was happening. With the help of some super-smart guys, they discovered that the stock was actually dampening barrel vibrations. In other words, it was making the super-thin barrel think it was very thick. Essentially, what Forbes had created was a 5-pound benchrest rifle.
Flattery Through Imitation Associates who invested in Forbes’ creation insisted the company be named Ultra Light Arms. A plethora of copycats soon emerged, and they were marketed as “ultra lights,” thus marginalizing the name of the rifle that created the genre. Other manufacturers tried to copy his design: It’s not hard to build a lightweight rifle—but what’s hard is building a lightweight rifle that’ll shoot really well and not knock the slobbers out of you when you pull the trigger.
The two-position/three-function safety on New Ultra Light Arms rifles allows them to be loaded and unloaded with the safety on.
This was partly because these copycats simply screwed thin barrels on existing actions and then attached a conventional synthetic stock. The difference—the main difference—was the stock. These manufacturers who thrive on automation and turning out guns as fast as possible did not—and still do not—understand the technology behind the Forbes stock, nor wouldn’t invest the money necessary to have these stocks built by hand like they had to be.
An improperly balanced rifle—of any weight—is hard to shoot offhand. When Forbes created his rifle, he designed it from the front guard screw out. In other words, with a conventional scope attached, his rifles balance on the front guard screw, right between the hands. This balance is what makes them so easy to shoot well from field positions.
Executives at Colt, however, recognized what Forbes was doing, and, in 1999, they purchased his company with the intention of offering what would be called the Colt Light Rifle. At the 2000 SHOT Show, they took orders for more than 7,000 rifles on the first day. Unfortunately, due to mismanagement, Colt had to cease the Colt Light Rifle project, and Forbes bought his company back. Several thousand Colt Light Rifles were produced, but they utilized a cheap synthetic stock. Many who own them send them to Forbes for restocking.
The New Ultra Light Arms Model 20 set the benchmark for lightweight and accurate hunting rifles. It’s a mark that has yet to be reached by any other rifle.
About a decade later, Forbes was approached again about offering a commercial version of his rifle, specifically the Model 24. Forbes crafts actions that are sized to match a family of cartridges and names these actions based on their weight. The Model 20 weighs 20 ounces and is sized for .308 Winchester-class cartridges. The Model 24 weighs 24 ounces and is sized for .30-06-class cartridges. This goes on all the way up to the Model 40, which will work with cartridges like the .416 Rigby.
The new company, Forbes Rifles, was to offer a commercial, non-custom version of the Model 24. But things didn’t go as planned. Forbes’ partners thought they’d be better off by abandoning the stock he designed in favor of a less expensive version. They failed, and the leftover parts were picked up by Barrett, who called it the Fieldcraft. It underwent some changes, but its real deficiency was the use of a conventional stock. Fieldcraft rifles couldn’t perform on the same level as the rifles from New Ultra Light Arms and were soon discontinued.
Still Aiming High Now at 74, Forbes is still building the same rifle he’s been building for 35 years. And he’s still doing it the exact same way. The metalwork is flawless, and the rifles are built on a true centerline, but the secret—the thing that makes them so special—is the stock. How special are these rifles? Consider this, they retail for about $3,500, the wait is six to eight months, and 70 percent (7 out of 10) of those who purchase one order another within 12 months. I currently own four!
The bolt release on New Ultra Light Arms rifles is located on the left side of the tang. On left-handed rifles, the location is reversed.
Melvin Forbes’ name might never be as well-known as that of Paul Mauser, but he designed a better and stronger rifle. For those fortunate few who own one of his rifles, his name is just as revered and belongs on the list of iconic rifle engineers, because he realized the rifle stock is just as important as the steel. (Forbes loaned Nosler an action for testing, and they used it for 12 years and fired 4.5 million rounds through it. It was still functional when it was retired.)
Forbes is a rifle magician, and his magic—his science—is real. If you want to experience it, all you have to do is believe … and write a check. But when you do, Forbes will tell you, “That’s my rifle; you’re just paying to have it on permanent loan.”
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the February 2021 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Viridian has just released a green E Series laser sight for the Springfield Hellcat, providing a new aiming option for this popular CCW pistol.
Weapon laser sights are an easy way to gain faster potential target acquisition on any weapon system. For those who train with them, laser sights enable their users to make quick, accurate hits on target without the use of traditional irons or optics. For individuals who’ve been searching for a laser sight to mount on their Springfield Hellcat, Viridian Weapon Technologies has just released a new green E Series laser specifically made to fit this popular CCW pistol.
Viridian President and CEO Brian Hedeen had this to say on the new green E Series laser:
Viridian is offering a green E Series laser sight for the Hellcat. Now Hellcat owners have an even more versatile way to get on target fast. With the compact design of the Hellcat with the E Series laser and the Hellcat’s exceptional capacity, this is a solid option for self-defense.
The new green E Series laser has a 100-yard range in daylight and can reach out over two miles in the dark. While both distances are well beyond the practical range of a Hellcat, the new green laser option has significantly more range than the older red laser model. The laser’s activation button is ambidextrous and will automatically turn off after five minutes to save battery, as its always-on battery life is listed as 60+ minutes. The unit was specifically molded to fit the Hellcat’s trigger guard and mounts using the gun’s Picatinny rail.
The E Series lasers for Springfield Hellcats have an MSRP of $132 and are available now. The unit’s body can be ordered in either black or FDE either with a red laser or the newly available green, and each purchase includes Viridian’s 7-year warranty.
Springfield’s compact carry option just got punchier with the release of the XD-M Elite Compact OSP .45 ACP.
Recent years have seen CCW pistols trend towards being smaller, higher capacity and optics-ready. Springfield’s Hellcat has been a valiant competitor in the micro 9mm market, but the company’s XD-M Compacts have been popular carry options as well. Previously only available in either 9mm or 10mm, Springfield is now also offering the XD-M Elite Compact OSP .45 ACP.
Most of the features on the new XD-M Elite are the same as on the other caliber models. It has fully ambidextrous controls, a flared magwell and the same META trigger found on other XD-M guns. Like other compact XD-M pistols, the XD-M Elite Compact .45 ACP has a 3.8-inch hammer-forged barrel. Other standard features include Picatinny rail, a Fiber Optic front sight and Tactical Rack U-Dot rear sights.
The flared magazine well on the XD-M Elite Compact OSP .45 ACP is also removable. Uninstalling it will make the pistol slightly more carry-friendly, but it also enables its use with Springfield’s extended 13-round mags. The gun comes with two 10-round, flush-fit magazines in the box for a standard capacity of 11+1.
Like the 9mm OSP models, the new .45 can mount a wide selection of popular pistol red dots. Springfield has plates available for the Vortex/Burris footprint pattern, as well as for the Leupold/Shield and Trijicon/Holosun patterns. With these optics plate choices, one could mount virtually anything they wanted on their XD-M Elite Compact OSP .45 ACP.
For a simpler approach, however, Springfield also has a package available that comes with an optic already installed. The package includes a Hex Dragonfly red dot sight, and when purchased with the pistol the bundle costs about $100 less than buying the items separately.
The Springfield XD-M Elite Compact OSP .45 ACP pistol has an MSRP of $653 and the package with the Hex Dragonfly will cost $843. The new guns look like a decent carry option for those looking for a modern, optics-ready pistol but still prefer the .45 ACP cartridge.
The .410 revolver sold extremely well upon their introduction, but do these weapons serve a purpose?
The Judge, the Governor and the Public Defender. No, this is not the beginning of a bad “walked into a bar” joke, these are the names of the three most common revolvers chambered for .410 bore shotgun shells.
The novelty of a true shotgun revolver gave new meaning to the term “hand cannon” in many people’s eyes, but others were quick to dismiss the concept as useless. On one hand, five rounds of buckshot as fast as you can pull the trigger seems pretty intimidating, but others will point out that even the best .410 loads are rarely used to take game larger than turkeys. So, who’s right? Does the .410 revolver have a place in the gun world? Or was the concept merely a well-marketed gimmick that became more popular than it should have?
A .410 Taurus Judge.
.410 Revolvers’ Intended Purpose
As evidenced both by the marketing surrounding .410 revolvers as well as the rhetoric of their advocates, these guns were bought and sold with self-defense in mind. Advertised as a versatile, compact yet devastating weapon, the .410 revolver quickly gained a following of dedicated carriers. The concept was popular enough to spur the creation of defensive .410 loads, purpose-built for use in handguns. The Taurus Judge was not actually the first .410 revolver, but it was the first widely popular model that drove companies like Smith & Wesson to iterate the concept.
An ad for the Taurus Judge .410 revolver advocating its use for self-defense. Photo:Taurus USA on Twitter.
Both Taurus and S&W were quite clear in their marketing that the .410 revolver concept was useful as a self-defense weapon, both for the home and concealed carry. Their advertisements highlighted the fact that the revolvers were versatile due to their ability to chamber .45 Long Colt as well as various .410 shotshells. Despite being large-framed with big cylinders and short barrels, .410 revolvers were also touted as easy to carry. While they’re certainly more compact than any other weapon chambered for .410 besides some derringers, compared to modern CCW options they’re absolute bricks. While some people can and do effectively conceal even larger handguns, for the average individual they’re simply too big for this purpose. Compromises to concealability and comfort could be more understandable if .410 revolvers had other merits that compensated for their bulk, but when it comes to defensive uses they do not.
A Taurus Judge .410 revolver versus a Springfield Hellcat in size. Photo: HandgunHero.
In a previous post on using .410 shotguns for home defense, we looked at how even the best defensive loads yielded subpar results when compared to larger shotgun gauges. While they do have some advantages that people seek such as lower recoil, the consensus is that barring a few niche circumstances that there is almost always a superior choice for defending one’s home. When looking for defense outside of the home with .410, the result is largely the same.
.410 birdshot lacks the power to even be considered valid for self-defense, and while .410 buckshot can certainly prove lethal it lacks the spread to gain the hit probability advantage of larger-bore shotguns. .410 slugs are simply less effective than .45 LC as well. The result of all this is that even if you are carrying a .410 revolver for defense, their ability to chamber .45 LC will always make that caliber the best choice in weapons of this type. Considering that there are much better defensive handgun rounds than that it raises the question as to why anyone would ever choose to carry one.
When it comes down to it, for personal defense against other humans there is always a better choice than a .410 revolver. Something worth considering, however, is that there are other threats besides humans.
The .410 Revolver Niche
Despite thinking that these guns became popular mostly due to misleading marketing, I don’t believe that they are entirely useless. I maintain that when it comes to choosing a weapon for defending against other humans, either inside or out of the home, the .410 revolver is a suboptimal option regardless of the ammunition loaded.
Depending on where in the country you live, however, humans may not be at the top of your threat list. Many rural Americans live in places infested with dangerous species of snakes, and carrying to defend against them may even take priority over other, less common dangers. For individuals that this applies to, a go-to option for many years was the Snake Charmer. Advertised as cheap utility shotguns, Snake Charmers were single-shot break-actions chambered for .410 bore, and many people found them useful for taking care of varmints and pests on their property. With an overall length of nearly 30-inches, however, they were not the most portable guns out there. Couple that with their one-shot capacity and the need to cock the hammer before firing, an unseen snake may bite you before you can bite it.
A .410 Snake Charmer.
For those who frequently patrol snake country, I can see the advantage of having a .410 revolver on their hip. With the first chamber loaded with birdshot, one of these could dispatch a snake very fast. Without the need to conceal it, revolvers like the Judge become far more packable. They can be comfortably open carried for quick access and are definitely more compact than a Snake Charmer. The versatility claim still has merit here too, as it still gives one the freedom to load or at least carry a wider variety of ammunition.
The .410 revolver concept gets a lot of flak, and in my opinion for good reason. These guns were sold as defensive tools for use against human threats, and while they can be as lethal as any other firearm, it doesn’t change the fact that there are both better ammo types and guns for that purpose. If you own one of these things for the novelty of having a handheld shotgun, there’s nothing wrong with that as they can be very fun to shoot. If, however, you use a .410 revolver for CCW or home defense, it’s probably time to consider getting something else. But, if the number one threat to your safety has cold blood and fangs, there’s nothing wrong with giving it a taste of justice.
Springfield Armory’s latest rifle, the SAINT Edge ATC, is here to deliver maximum precision from the AR platform.
Springfield Armory has just announced the release of the SAINT Edge ATC, an AR-style precision rifle chambered for .223 Wylde. ATC stands for “Accurized Tactical Chassis”, and it’s this unique system that gives the SAINT its edge. Springfield guarantees that the new rifle can deliver sub-MOA three-shot groups with a good shooter and match-grade ammo.
Accurized Tactical Chassis
The SAINT Edge ATC chassis system is of monolithic design and machined from 6061 T6 aluminum, serving as both the rifle’s lower receiver and handguard. This allows the barrel to be completely free-floated by eliminating any contact between the lower receiver and the barrel, barrel nut or gas system. The lower receiver portion of the ATC uses standard AR components and magazines, and the handguard has a section of Picatinny rail at the bottom for mounting a bipod. The handguard also has a few M-LOK slots near the top.
The SAINT Edge ATC also has what Springfield calls the Accu-Tite Plus tensioning system, a series of set screws that ensure a tight, solid lockup between the upper and ATC lower. These systems combined are at the heart of the SAINT Edge and the key to making a maximally accurate AR-style rifle.
While it’s the new chassis system that makes the SAINT Edge unique, any precision rifle also needs a good barrel. In this case, it’s an 18-inch Ballistic Advantage with a 1:7 twist and .223 Wylde chamber. The chamber makes the SAINT Edge compatible with both .223 Remington and 5.56 NATO, and the twist rate is ideal for stabilizing heavier match-grade projectiles.
SAINT Edge Options
Springfield has announced two variants of the SAINT Edge ATC, a standard version and the SAINT EDGE ATC Elite. Both versions share the same ATC system and barrel and should have the same inherent mechanical accuracy, but the Elite version comes with a few more tricks up its sleeve.
Besides coming in a Coyote Brown Cerakote finish rather than the standard model’s black, the Elite model also has a LaRue 2-Stage trigger and collapsible B5 Systems Precision Stock. These are a bit of an upgrade over the standard model’s flat match trigger and B5 Systems Enhanced SOPMOD stock. Both models include A B5 Systems Type 23 P-Grip.
The final difference between the rifles is their price point. The standard model has an MSRP of $1,549 and the Elite model is $1,899. Both models come with one 20-round PMAG and are available now.
Word has come out that the ATF will soon add Form 4 to their online eForm system.
Like most things related to government bureaucracies, the National Firearms Act is overly complex and difficult to navigate. This article won’t serve as an introduction to the NFA process as a whole, but should hopefully give you a better understanding of the changes about to take place, and what they could mean for you.
Simply put, the NFA restricts the ownership of certain firearms and firearm-related devices such as suppressors. Items restricted under the NFA, including machineguns, are legal for non-prohibited Americans to own, but only after receiving approval from and registering the item with the government. The process can be lengthy and complicated, especially for first-timers, but there has been an interesting development recently that will hopefully make all our lives a little easier.
The two most common types of forms that are submitted when buying an NFA item are Form 1 and Form 4, the former is used for constructing your own NFA items and the latter is for transferring existing ones. For some time now the ATF has had a system in place that they call eForms. eForms allow for the digital submission of the necessary paperwork involved in the transfer/registration process without the need for snail mail. After ironing out any initial problems, eForms proved to be a useful development indeed, eventually lowering the wait times and errors associated with the process. For the forms which could be submitted using eForms, some individuals saw the total duration of the process drop down to just a couple of weeks, and sometimes even less. While the expedited process was appreciated by those who could take advantage of it, the system was still missing the most common form needed by civilian shooters: Form 4.
The ATF's eForm website form selection page, hopefully we will soon see Form 4 here as well.
Understanding ATF Forms
For those unfamiliar with the various ATF forms, here's an intro to the most common ones:
Form 4473: If you've ever bought a gun, you've likely filled out a Form 4473 before. This is a “Firearms Transaction Record”, and one must be completed when transferring a firearm from an FFL. Part of this form includes your National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) number and background check.
Form 1: This form is an “Application to Make and Register a Firearm”, and it's for individuals without a Federal Firearms License (FFL) who want to create an NFA item. This includes things such as manufacturing an SBR by swapping your brace for a proper stock on an AR pistol or chopping down your weapon's barrel below 16 inches.
Form 2: This form is only for licensed SOTs who are legally allowed to own and manufacture NFA items. Form 2 is known as a “Notice of Firearms Manufactured or Imported”, and one must be filled out when manufacturing or importing an NFA item. This form is the only way that new machineguns can be made in or imported into the United States.
Form 3: Another uncommon form for most people, a Form 3 is only needed for FFL SOTs to transfer NFA items amongst one another. If you're a SOT and manufacture a machinegun, for example, you would use Form 3 to transfer it to another SOT anywhere in the country.
Form 4: The current talk of the town, Form 4 is known as an “Application for Tax Paid Transfer and Registration of Firearm” and is used when non FFLs wish to own a restricted NFA item. For prefabricated and legally transferable SBRs, SBSs, suppressors, machineguns and more, Form 4 is used to transfer that item to the buyer and register it with the ATF. Form 4 is what will soon be added to the eForm system.
Form 20: This is likely the most commonly used ATF form by non-FFLs after the 4473, Form 4 and Form 1. Form 20 is an “Application to Transport NFA Firearms” and must be filled out and submitted to the ATF prior to transporting certain NFA weapons between states. For example if you plan on taking your SBR to a match outside of your home state where the weapon is registered, you would need to submit a Form 20 and receiver approval before legally doing so.
ATF Form Changes
On December 3rd, however, the ATF announced that a new eForm system will launch sometime in December of this year, and this time it will include Form 4. While this isn’t as good of news as the abolishment of the whole system would have been, for those who wish to own restricted NFA items it should now become a faster and easier process. As this screenshot from the ATF's website shows, currently only forms 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 6A, 9, 10 and 5300.11 are available as eForms, but Form 4 should supposedly be listed here as well by the end of December.
An excerpt from the ATF's website as of December 9th 2021, this list will hopefully soon be updated to include Form 4.
If you already have submitted a Form 4 and are waiting on approval, keep in mind that aborting the process to resubmit it using the new eForm system will likely only result in a longer delay, so just hold fast in the meantime. If, however, you were recently considering purchasing a suppressor, factory-made SBR or a pre-86 machinegun, waiting a couple more weeks to submit the Form 4 using the new eForm system will probably net you a faster turnaround time than filing the old-fashioned way.
Just like when the original eForm website launched (or any government program for that matter), the new eForm system will likely experience some problems upon release. Hopefully the transition to the new system proves to be painless, but history suggests otherwise. With any luck though, by sometime next year Form 4s will be known for being potentially just as fast as some Form 1s can be.
More On Suppressors
The Suppressor: How Is It Made, It Works And How To Buy One
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