A lightweight polymer chassis, SB Tactical's SB22 turned a Ruger 10/22 or Charger into your backpack's best friend.
How The SB22 Enhances Your Ruger Rimfire:
Weights only 17 ounces
At 15 inches in length, when outfitted with a folding stock or brace, fits easily into rucksack.
Compete with AR-style grip and M-Lok slots for accessories.
Aluminum instert keeps chassis rigid.
One leap forward in modern gun designs, one that often goes unnoticed now, is modular designs. It’s so commonplace in modern firearms designs it's almost like talking water with fish—it’s taken for granted. But flashback to the turn of the century, well, unless you were behind the trigger of an AR-15, dolling up your particular iron was doable, but quite more of an ordeal.
SB22 Fixed Model
Next to Eugen Stoner’s wonder rifle, perhaps among the most modular designs on the market today is Ruger’s iconic 10/22 rifle. Muzzle to buttstock, nearly every part and piece is easily interchangeable and upgradable with a vast ocean of aftermarket enhancements. One of the more intriguing to recently hit the market, the SB Tactical SB22 Chassis for the 10/22 and 22 Charger Pistol (pretty much a small 10/22). Lightweight, ridge and compact, the system opens a unique and nimble configuration to the guns that could prove downright handy on the go.
Not SB’s First Rodeo
Designed in conjunction with parts/accessory manufacturer Unity Tactical, the SB22 is the first non-brace product produced by SB Tactical. (Though, from what the company says, it will be far from its last.) However, some will remember the company did turn out a previous chassis upgrade for the Ruger takedown rimfires, the SBA3 Takedown Kit. This was a pistol braced package made by Adaptive Tactical, but was strictly limited to takedown 10/22s and Chargers. Plus, it was somewhat spartan with little opportunity for accessorizing.
Stocking Up Ruger Rimfires
As for the SB22, the 15-inch long, 1.5-inch wide chassis is much more in line with what modern shooters expect out of such a system. In addition to four M-Lok slots (two on each side) and a Picatinny optics rail, both the fixed and takedown models are outfitted with an M1913-compatible attachment point for braces and stocks.It also is outfitted with an aluminum insert, adding internal rigidity to the 17-ounce polymer chassis.
SB22 Takedown Model
Ergonomics are also part of the package, with a Reptilia CQG Grip (interchangeable with any AR-style options) and a recessed fore. The latter is nice, particularly with a Charger build, given it somewhat acts as a hand stop and prevents the unwanted trimming of fingers.
Overall, the SB22 seems like a solid choice for an adaptive system for a 10/22 or Charger, especially for those with the yen for a truck gun or rucksack insurance. As to price, SB Tactical makes both the fixed and stand SB22 modes easy to get into, retailing for $125 at the company’s website.
For more information on the SB22, please visit sb-tactical.com.
The future of precision rimfire: Zermatt RimX Precision .22 LR.
Why The RimX Rimfire Action Is A Game Changer:
An interchangeable bolt head system allows shooters to swap heads for a number of rimfire cartridges.
Its flush-faced extractor system means there are no extractor cuts in the breech face.
Given easy headspace adjustment, swapping barrels is matter of buying a pre-fit and torquing it on.
The bolt is remarkably easy to breakdown, simply twist the bolt nose and pull.
For decades, .22 LR rifles fell into three categories. There was the “grandpa’s squirrel gun” class of rifles from Marlin, Ruger and the other big American manufacturers. Then, there was the Europeans—the Olympians—with hard-to-pronounce names like Anschütz and Feinwerkbau. The single-malt scotch set of American shooters had a few high-dollar walnut and blued-steel options—the Dakotas and Coopers—but by design they weren’t widely available to the dirty, accuracy-obsessed masses.
The author’s home-built RimX test rifle made up of a RimX .22 LR action, 16.5-inch Proof barrel, Timney The Hit trigger, Greyboe Ridgeback stock and bottom metal, Vortex Strike Eagle 5-25x56mm optic with Vortex rings.
Then, came the internet, where shooting nerds shared tips and tricks for ringing no-bull accuracy out of less-than-perfect rifles. With an accurate .22 LR, a competition Precision Rifle Series or National Rifle League shooter could train on the cheap. Hundreds of rimfire rounds could be sent downrange in a weekend without spending hundreds of dollars on centerfire components and a long evening reloading.
Some of the savvier gun companies watched this and responded, like CZ with their excellent Varmint Precision Trainer in .22 LR and Ruger with the Precision Rimfire. Other companies were born from the space, such as Vudoo Gun Works of St. George, Utah. The importance of Vudoo’s innovation of a .22 LR action with a Remington 700 footprint that takes AICS-spec magazines cannot be overstated enough. Thanks to Vudoo, a fourth category of .22 LR rifles was created: the full-sized tactical trainer.
A New Category Is Born
With a Vudoo, a long-range shooter could build an exact replica of, say, his centerfire 6mm BR with a Trigger Tech in a Manners stock, but chambered in cheap-to-shoot, low-recoil .22 LR. The drop, wind and sniper math required to hit a steel at 200 yards with a .22 LR lined up with the physics and skills needed to connect with centerfire, but at much less range.
Around this time, the National Rifle League then launched NRL22, a rimfire-only PRS-style match that required only 100 yards. A whole new wave of shooters jumped in, guys and gals who may not have been a part of the centerfire PRS world, but soon went whole hog on .22s. At a match in southern New York, I spotted a sticker on another shooter’s rifle case that summed this up in beautifully, big white letters on matte black: RIMFIRE ONLY.
Precision rimfire rifles have since gone mainstream. This past year at SHOT Show, Bergara launched a .22 LR bolt gun on a Rem. 700 footprint. Savage and CZ brought out .22 LR chassis rifles. Now, new custom rimfire actions are sprouting up. This is the next evolution in precision .22s—the custom action, with complete rifles built by leading gunsmiths, or put together at home shops by talented self-starters. Once the confined-to-niche world of rimfire benchrest shooting, tactical shooters with precision machined parts, some tools and a little know-how are finding that building a bolt-action rifle isn’t much more difficult than building an AR-15.
Leading that growth curve toward this new future in precision rimfire is a centerfire favorite, the guys at Bighorn/Zermatt Arms. Building on, and shooting, their widely innovative RimX rimfire action is a hint at the future to come in precision rimfire. The future is bright.
AJ Goddard of Bighorn Arms has long been making some of the hottest precision centerfire actions around. The flagship TL3 centerfire action incorporates the best of Remington and Savage designs with a Remmy 700 footprint and fire-control system, along with a floating bolt head and action threads for Savage small shank pre-fits. This makes swapping barrels relatively easy with just the need for a vise and an action wrench. A few years ago, Bighorn partnered with Zermatt Arms of Bennet, Nebraska, to scale up production of these centerfire actions, and from that mind meld came the RimX, a rimfire action with remarkably similar DNA.
The flush-faced extractor and ejector have such positive control over the round that the rifle can be loaded sideways or upside-down with zero bullet deformation.
The RimX action has an interchangeable bolt head system, so shooters can swap heads from a .22 LR/.17 HM2 to the larger .22 WMR/.17 HMR pattern. A full bolt replacement is also available for .17WSM. The action has a threaded tenon print, so barrel swaps are a breeze, too. The innovative flush-faced extractor system means there are no extractor cuts in the breech face. Headspace is set by the threading combined with the recess in the bolt face, so swapping it out barrels is matter of buying a pre-fit and torquing it on. (Zermatt sells no-go gauges to double-check headspace.)
With most major barrel manufacturers now making pre-fits for the RimX action, this is remarkably easier—and less expensive—than buying a blank and having a gunsmith chamber and fit it. There are no V-blocks like a 10/22 or grub screws like a CZ. It’s the Savage approach to easy barrel interchangeability, applied to rimfire.
Two things quickly distinguish the RimX from its peers, which currently include the Vudoos, the yet-to-be-released Deuce action from Ultimatum Precision and soon to be more. Those two things are the bolt and the magazine.
The RimX magazine, scuffed and scarred from a summer of match shooting. The 7070 aluminum magazine fits tight and is tunable to the wide world of Remington 700 stocks, chassis and bottom metal with an adjustable magazine catch.
The bolt is remarkably easy to breakdown. Simply twist the bolt nose and pull. Nose off, grab the bolt handle and twist the shroud clockwise, and it separates from the handle. The heavy-duty stainless firing pin is tapered and stepped down to a narrow rectangle of a striking surface that marks cases cleanly at the rim edge. The firing pin is held to the shroud with a metal clip and can easily be pulled and replaced if damaged.
Assembled, the firing pin sits at the 6 o’clock position, meaning it strikes the ammunition case low center, at 6 o’clock. Custom rimfire actions from the benchrest world largely moved to the 6 o’clock position, thanks to the work of small-bore pioneer Bill Calfee. With a 6 o’clock impact, the ignition is more consistent as primer burns up and therefore more completely—though there’s little beside anecdotal testing to confirm this. (Many Olympic-level European rifles don’t have 6 o’clock firing pins.) Still, it’s widely considered a gold standard among the accuracy-obsessed world of benchrest and certainly doesn’t hurt. Zermatt was smart to design it into their action.
With the RimX, perhaps even more innovative, is the completely flush extraction and ejection system—the bolt face itself is completely flat. With a round in the chamber, the rim of that rimfire round snugs against the breech face, as with any rimfire firearm. What’s different here is the bolt completely encapsulates that rim when the bolt is closed. There are no relief cuts in the breech face for extractors. It’s a 360-degree pressure seal.
This is done with a spring-tensioned ejector that captures the case rim and applies enough pressure to snug the round into flat extractor. It creates 100 percent positive control of the round from the magazine to the chamber, holding the round by the rim securely in the bolt face. The stainless extractor plate is held with a small set screw and the ejector with a spring plunger. Should something break, both can easily be swapped out with minimal tools and just a few small parts.
Just add a stock, or a chassis. A RimX action with a Proof barrel, Timney trigger and big optic such as this Strike Eagle from Vortex is ready for any rimfire match or ELR work you can throw at it.
It’s hard to convey how elegant this flat-faced system looks and how strong it holds a round. Just for kicks, I secured a live shell in the bolt nose and dropped it on my office carpet. Three out of four times, the round didn’t pop out. There’s zero chance, in my mind, that the system will not extract short of ripping the brass case apart. It’s just that strong.
The only drawback of this design is that a single round cannot be loaded into the action through the side port. It requires the round getting picked up from the magazine and slotted in the bolt face for the round to headspace properly and the bolt to close. For some, this might be a deal breaker. There are certainly times in NRL22-style matches when I’ve mistakenly ejected a live round and have had to stuff that 10th shot in the action to complete a stage of fire, often on the clock. The solution to that problem for shooters interested in a RimX is to pack a second magazine with one or two rounds stacked and ready. Nothing in life comes free, and this is the trade-off for such a robust “flat faced” bolt system.
Every RimX action ships with a 10-round AI-patterned 7075 aluminum magazine. The RimX mags are very similar to the single-stack design created by Mike Bush at Vudoo, but with a few innovative features. The mag is held together with screws at the four corners, so it can be completely disassembled for parts replacement or repair. There’s an adjustable magazine catch on the rear of the mag. Adjust the set screw, and the catch can be moved up or down to tweak the height at which the mag sits. This helps ensure compatibility with the wide universe of Remington 700 stocks and chassis and is a must-do step when building a RimX rifle.
Additionally, the bottom plate of the magazine slides off to get at the spring and the follower without disassembling the entire thing. Overall, it’s simple, tunable and a very impressive total package—as it should be with a retail price for extra mags running $125. After shooting it all summer, the magazine on my test rifle is scuffed and scarred from NRL22 battle—a testament to how well it fits.
Vudoo Gun Works currently has patented application in the works on ACIS-patterned .22 LR magazines, which could affect RimX (and Bergara with the B-14 R) if granted. Only time will tell. Vudoo magazines supposedly work with the RimX action, but I didn’t find this to be true. The RimX bolt didn’t pick up rounds from the Vudoo cleanly or consistently, but this could likely be ironed out with some tweaking of action, stock and magazine.
Shooting the RimX
To dive into all things RimX, I was sent a barreled action with a 16.5-inch Proof. Zermatt is not selling barreled actions. It’s on the consumer to pick out the best barrel for their use case and build the rifle themselves or seek out one of the many custom builders now working with the RimX platform. (South Dakota-based gunsmith TS Customs and Primal Rights are putting together some real stunners for sale.) For a trigger, I went with The Hit from Timney, adjusted down to 12 ounces, and sat it in a Greyboe Ridgeback with Greyboe bottom metal. The action arrived with a pinned 30 MOA Pic rail, to which I put a new 5-25x56mm Vortex Strike Eagle in Vortex rings. With an Atlas PSR bipod and Armageddon Gear Game Changer rear bag, it very quickly connected on an 18×24-inch IPSC target at 500 yards with Lapua Center X.
It seemed unfair, frankly, to put the rifle together in a rush and push it to 500 yards on the first outing, but after easy connections at 100 and 325 yards, 500 felt plausible despite the rifle being hardly broken in at all. It has since seen about 1,000 rounds, including a summer of NRL22 matches. The nitride-coated action runs slick as snot. In all those rounds fired, there hasn’t been a single marred bullet, misfire, failure to feed, failure to eject, or any issue whatsoever. The action has been running flawless.
The money shot. The bolt face on the RimX shows the flush extractor held in place with a setscrew, the flat plunger and spring ejector (right) and the firing pin hole in the 6 o’clock position.
Proof will not say what chamber they cut into their .22 LR barrels, but they do recommend CCI Standard for a low-dollar ammo choice and Lapua Center X for a few dollars more. I’ve found this rifle shoots everything well. When it comes to good match ammo, it shows no real preference for Lapua over Eley.
To formally test things out, I shot a box of CCI Standard, Wolf Match Target, Eley Match and Lapua Midas+ into U.S.B.R. targets from American Target Company at 50 yards. Each shot recorded on a Labradar chronograph to determine average muzzle velocity and the standard deviation.
The Midas+ turned out the smallest groups, but not by much. Eley showed the lowest standard deviation. Truth be told, for a company only selling actions—not barreled actions—accuracy testing is a bit of misnomer. The beauty of the RimX is it’s made to be built with whatever barrel you want on it. It’s a platform to build on, and a wonderful one at that. Zermatt and RimX are pushing the precision rimfire envelope with an incredible, user-friendly action, worthy of the very best rimfire builds out there.
It’s an exciting time when such players in centerfire precision shooting are looking at the rimfire world and innovating something different. The RimX is something different—the next evolutionary step in precision rimfire rifles.
For more information on RimX, please visit rimxaction.com.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the December 2020 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Lockdown’s gun safe accessories do more than keep your arsenal under lock and key, their catalog is full of products designed to organize, secure, and protect your firearms.
How Can Lockdown Products Help You?
Better Securing Your Collection With Smart Technology
Keeping Your Collection Dry And Protected
Concealing Weapons Around Your House For Easy Access
Better Organizing Your Safe's Contents
Lighting Your Safe's Interior
It happens fast. One day you’re a casual gun owner with a small collection that all fits neatly inside your safe. Then suddenly you wake up in a room littered with weaponry, unable to reach the light switch without knocking over enough rifles to arm a militia with. Don’t feel bad, it happens, but it's time to make a change.
Besides the obvious security hazards this method of storage presents, it also wreaks havoc on your collection’s physical condition. Like anything made of metal, guns are susceptible to moisture-related damage and are happiest when kept dry—something that’s not easy to do when your collection is strewn about the house. Even when kept in a gun safe, most of those are not controlled for humidity or temperature. Under the right set of conditions, your gun safe could act as a moisture-trapping sauna, turning your nicely blued revolvers and shotguns to a lovely shade of orange.
Before this happens to you, check out Lockdown’s catalog of gun-safe accessories designed to help organize your collection and keep it as safe from humidity as it is from robbery.
The Puck
Perhaps Lockdown’s flagship product, The Puck is a Wi-Fi-based device that pairs with the Lockdown Logic smartphone app. Monitoring several aspects of your gun safe’s condition, it is ready to notify you through the app if it detects anything out of the ordinary. The parameters and notifications are fully customizable, so you can configure exactly how and for what reasons The Puck will notify you.
Designed to provide full peace of mind, The Puck acts as both a security and condition-monitoring device. It can notify you through the app if the safe door has been opened, or act as an alarm if it detects motion or tampering. The Puck also monitors the temperature and humidity inside of your safe and alerts you if those conditions fluctuate outside your set parameters. With The Puck installed in your safe, all it takes is checking the Lockdown Logic app to be certain that your guns are safe, dry and happy.
When it comes to your home defense gun, it’s not always easy to balance security with accessibility. There have been many attempted solutions to this over the years, most of which were complicated and expensive. Sometimes simpler is better, and Lockdown’s Gun Concealment Magnet is an elegant and inexpensive solution to this problem.
Assuming small children are not a common presence in your home, a pistol magnetically attached to the underside of a table is not only very well hidden, but quickly accessible as well. While this method is not as secure as being stored in a proper safe, it offers unparalleled retrieval time. With Lockdown’s Gun Concealment Magnet, you could be relaxing at home on your couch watching a movie and be only seconds away from being armed.
This system is ideal for pistols, but two magnets can be used to hang a rifle or shotgun. The magnets are coated in non-marring rubber to protect your firearm’s finish, and each one comes with wood and drywall screws for easy mounting.
Many gun safes are only designed for long guns and have no designated area for pistol storage. This often results in people choosing to store their handguns unsecured or to just unceremoniously pile them inside of their safes. Storing them in a more organized manner can keep them better protected from scratching, and handgun racks are a great way to do that. Lockdown has four different handgun rack options available to suit your needs and style.
Lockdown’s handgun racks are available in either barrel-up or barrel-down styles and come in a few different sizes. Assuming that your safe can accommodate one of these racks, they are a great way to organize a collection.
For those with safes that may not have space for a handgun rack, another elegant solution from Lockdown is their handgun hangers. Designed to be hung on the inside of a safe door, these hangars come in two varieties. There is a single handgun hanger unit as well as a longer one that can hold either three pistols or one AR upper.
Both units include provisions for securely mounting the hangers to either a carpeted or metal-safe door. These hold fewer handguns than handgun racks, but offer a more compact way of doing so.
Lockdown’s best-selling safe accessory is their Golden Rod Dehumidifier Rod. Once plugged into a power source, the Golden Rod can remove moisture from a 100 cubic foot area. These are an excellent way to combat moisture not just in gun safes, but in any area that needs help staying dry. It works by constantly heating the air around it to create a convection current, thus preventing rust from building on metal surfaces.
The Golden Rod is available in 12, 18, 24, and 36-inch varieties.
Another excellent safe accessory to keep your guns moisture and rust-free is Lockdown’s Silica Gel. Available in either 40-gram or 750-gram sizes, these metal capsules of silica absorb moisture out of the air to keep the inside of your safe nice and dry. The crystals inside change color when fully saturated, so you know when it's time to recharge them in the oven.
Good gun owners store their firearms properly, and Lockdown has a plethora of products available to help you do just that. Whether you are after increased security, humidity control, organization methods, or even just lighting, Lockdown has the right gun-safe accessories for the job.
For more information on Lockdown products and gun safe accessories, please visit lockdown.com.
Shooting in style with Pedersoli’s Tascosa Creedmoor Rolling Block.
What Sets The Tascosa Creedmoor Rolling Block Apart:
Curly maple stock adds another dimension to the rifle's appearance.
Heavy octogon barrel ideal for long-range shooting.
Set trigger makes for a featherweight break.
Vernier ladder sight gives 300 points of adjustment.
It was one hell of a shot that September afternoon in 1874.
“Old Reliable,” Col. John Bodine, stepped to the line at Creedmoor, New York, and cracked off a 1,000-yard bull’s-eye as deftly as if it were point-blank. Adding a dash of drama, some onlookers reported blood pouring from the marksman’s hand, a mishap with a libation moments before his turn. If that’s the case, we’d all like a sip of whatever he was drinking.
The Vernier ladder peep sight was the frontier equivalent of today’s high-powered rifle scopes. It still gets the shooter on target at a country mile.
The wound, in all likelihood, is a bit of embellishment. Undeniable about the shot, it delivered the Americans a win against the world-renown Irish team. Also indisputable was the instrument at the crack shot’s shoulder—a Remington Rolling Block Rifle.
While time and technology shadow the long arm in modern-day shooters’ minds, the absurdly simple, accurate and somewhat underrated rifle remains among the most consequential single-shots of all time. It was, after all, the most used single-shot military rifle of all time. And thanks to the likes of traditional firearms manufacturers, such as Davide Pedersoli, the hair splitter soldiers on today—one might argue, even better than before.
Those might seem like big words, until you get a gander at Pedersoli’s latest rendition of the rifle. An attempt at balancing form and function, the Tascosa Creedmoor Rolling Block is something special. And, after some time with a .45-70 Government model of the brand-new throwback, it’s difficult to deny the rifle looks as sharp as it shoots.
Stocking Up
For those who don’t reek of black powder smoke, it’s worth noting that Pedersoli has become among the foremost makers of replica arms. If it pitched lead from around the American Revolution through the Old West, it likely rolls out of the manufacturer’s Northern Italy factory.
The old Remington Rolling Block, perhaps one of the strongest breech-loading designs ever conceived, is one of their staples. And while Pedersoli has faithfully recreated both practical and target renditions of the rifle, nothing quite like the Tascosa had previously come off its line.
Boasting the same stock design as the Creedmoor version of the rifle—of Bodine fame—the gunmaker has upgraded the gun with a somewhat unorthodox stock material: maple. I can hear the noses wrinkling because who wants that blond stuff on a gun that, even brand new, is supposed to have a gritty patina about it. Prepare to be surprised.
Pedersoli opted not for bird’s eye or one of those other light-hued cuts for the rolling block, but a deep, rich heartwood with loads of character. Tiger maple—a certain pattern of curly maple—is often found in musical instruments, but it’s not all Les Paul. American long rifles were often stocked in cuts of curly maple, and the wood has more than proven itself as a stocking material. On the rolling block, the dark, reddish heartwood cut does add a new dimension to the classic arm. And the target model is just the start.
Tascosa (named after a ghost town in Texas) isn’t just a new style of rolling block, but an entire series. Planned for release sometime this summer, the company’s 1874 Sharps, 1885 High Wall, 1886 Lever Action and Trapdoor Rifle will all be available in the Cadillac stock option. That bodes well not just for those who yearn for a wall hanger.
Retract the rear trigger to set the front; shooters enjoy a pull weight of around 2 ounces.
At least for target models, the heavier and more rigid wood has the potential of enhancing the accuracy potential of the guns. Maybe that won’t win the hearts of backwoods hunters, but given the already tight throwback precision rifles the company produces, it’s certain to enamor those who shoot a country mile.
Shoot’n Parts
No surprise on a rifle dubbed “Creedmoor,” it aims to pitch lead to its limits. Pedersoli does everything in its power to make it happen.
This is no more evident than in the rifle’s massive target barrel. At 30 inches in length and 1 inch from top flat to bottom, the octagon fire tube resembles a small piece of artillery. But the massive amount of plum-finished stainless steel plays an important role in keeping the rifle on target. Much like today’s bull barrels, the rolling block’s super-sized version shrugs off heat and ensures consistent harmonics. No whip here.
However, it’s the interior of the tube where the real magic happens. Pedersoli’s boring and rifling process is second to none, involving polishing the bore to a mirror finish before cutting the rifling. In turn, the .45-70’s six grooves and lands offer a near-perfect surface to send a bullet on its way, with less friction and deformation in the deal.
Preserving the fine wood, Pedersoli tips the fore with a brass nose. Note the curve to it, which is perfect for nestling into a set of shooting sticks.
As expected, the sheer amount of barrel makes for a weighty rifle. Given few will ever shoot the rolling block sans sticks, tripods or bench, this doesn’t matter much. Besides, Pedersoli has perfectly balanced the tube in the attractive stock, putting its pivot point nearly smack-dab at the nose of the slender forend. They’ve also included a brass endpiece on the fore with a wide groove, so you don’t scuff up the maple. Thoughtful.
All this is well and good, but the star of the show comes under the rifle’s color-case hardened receiver. Boy, unless you’ve shot F-Class, it’s unlikely you squeezed anything quite as light and crisp as Pedersoli’s set trigger. It’s the classic two-trigger design, the rear setting the sear and the front dropping the hammer. The difference between standard and set weights are night and day—7 pounds to roughly 2 ounces (sorry, my Wheeler scale didn’t measure quite that low). No arguments a real boost to accuracy, once you discipline that itchy trigger finger.
As to the rest of the rifle, the rolling block is a rock-solid system cooked up just after the American Civil War—the evolution of the split block. Easily, it’s as strong, if not stronger, than the popular falling-block designs. But it has the distinct advantage over the like of the Sharps or even Ruger’s No. 1—no lever action. Not only does this potentially eliminate mechanical error—the rolling block only has two moving parts in its action—but also makes shooting prone simpler. No need to contort to load the next round with all controls north of the receiver.
Not to thumb my nose at falling block fans, but I find the rolling block much more convenient. If, for no other reason, it’s much quicker on the reload, which is easier to accomplish with the rifle still on the shoulder.
Out of Sight
I’d be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to talk about the rolling block’s sight system. The frontier version of today’s high-powered rifle scopes, the Vernier rear peep sight and tunnel front sight, take some study to grasp in their entirety. But once a shooter catches the drift of how to dial it in, the system drops rounds in like no other traditional system.
Integral to the breech block is an extractor, hastening reloading considerably.
The Tascosa Creedmoor comes with plenty of sight, too. The rifle ships with a 3-inch version of the tang sight, which offers 300 points of elevation adjustment. In the case of the rifle I tested, with a 34-inch sight radius, that equates to 300 MOA at 100 yards! Windage is equally as fine, .025 inch or 2.5 MOA, but I found a rare bone to pick here. In all but the brightest light, it’s nigh impossible to read windage. Deal-breaker? No. But plan to have your readers and a flashlight on hand if you’re shooting in the shade.
At the Range
Staying true to the heritage of the gun in-hand, I opted to run Black Hill’s 405-grain Authentic Cowboy Action ammo. A solid-lead load, built to emulate yesteryear’s lower-velocity ammunition. It was an apt option for the rolling block … and it performed marvelously.
Using a crosshair insert in the front sight, it took two shots and seven points of elevation adjustment to get on paper at 100 yards. From there, it was off to the races. The first three rounds down range produced my best group of the day, a hair above ½ inch—the third shot clipping the second. While there were fliers—no fault of the rifle—I’m pleased to report they were polite enough to easily smash the vitals of a lead buffalo at 500 yards.
I shot off sandbags the entire afternoon and found the rifle extremely comfortable and responsive. The fore’s flat bottom sits steadily on a malleable surface, and the tall(ish) comb made lining up the peep intuitive. The steep pistol grip tended toward large, but not so oversized to prove awkward or uncomfortable.
The famous “bowtie” on the side of the rolling block’s receiver is actually the side of two massive pivot pins for the breech block and hammer. Stout design.
Though the true star of the show was the rifle’s trigger. While requiring discipline when set, the interface is so responsive that you can’t help but hit what you’re aiming at. As to its baseline reliability: It’s a rolling block. It’d be banner news if it didn’t hold tight, drop its hammer and extract brass.
Parting Shot
I have a friend who says, “Nostalgia is a terrible liar.” For the most part, he’s right. We should rejoice the days of polio and mule-drawn plows are behind us. But for every truism, there’s an exception—the Tascosa Creedmoor Rolling Block is one.
Proving bygone technology still performs in the right hands, the time-tested breech loader is a positive delight. Not only does it tick off the right boxes when it comes to precision shooting, but it also is about the prettiest dang iron I’ve set my hands on in a spell.
Decidedly, the Tascosa Rolling Block isn’t for everyone, particularly with a $2,500 MSRP. But the right shooter—maybe a dedicated single-action long-range match marksman—will find it worth every penny.
One thing is for certain: It lives up to the exacting standards Bodine set for the rifle all those years ago.
Lone Wolf has just released the Elimin8r .45, their first suppressor. It’s light, modular, and rated for full-auto fire.
Elimin8r .45 Features:
Up To 10mm Caliber
Rated For Full-Auto
Modular Design
Weight: 10.1oz (W/ .578×28 Piston)
Overall Length: 8.45 Inches
Diameter: 1.375 Inches
Lone Wolf, best known for its Glock parts and accessories, has just released their first suppressor. Already having ventured into making their own pistol slides and 80% polymer frames, Lone Wolf is now utilizing their manufacturing capabilities to enter the suppressor game as well.
They call their new creation the Elimin8r .45. It’s spelled the way you might see written on a Corvette’s license plate, and as the name implies it has a .45 caliber bore. It’s rated for everything up to and including subsonic .300BLK, even when shooting full auto. Its modular design is constructed of eight aluminum baffles and O-rings, removing baffles will make the suppressor more compact while raising the decibel level. This system allows you to find your preferred balance between noise and size with eight levels of adjustment.
Lone Wolf also make their own pistons for the Elimin8r, both versions cost $79.95. One is threaded 1/2×28 (common pitch for 9mm) and the other is .578×28 (common pitch for .45 ACP), but the Elimin8r is also compatible with pistons from Rugged, SilencerCo, and Griffin.
With an MSRP of $599.95, Lone Wolf’s new Elimin8r .45 is competitively priced for a modular suppressor rated for so many calibers. It was designed in partnership with Primary Weapons Systems, and you can tell that thought was put into the design. The Elimin8r’s full-auto rating is a testament to its durability and its reverse compatibility with other popular pistons is a nice extra feature. Testing will determine just how quiet this suppressor really is, however, as Lone Wolf makes no specific claims regarding its decibel reduction capabilities.
Born from a lowly nail-gun blank, the .17 Winchester Super Magnum has risen to become one of the hottest rimfire cartridges around.
What Makes The .17 Win Super Mag. A Knockout Rimfire:
Was designed with economical shooting in mind.
Its parent is a .27-caliber nail gun blank.
Its maximum average internal pressure is 33,000 psi.
The cartridge's velocity gives it superior performance against wind drift.
Winchester Ammunition, in conjunction with Savage, introduced the .17 Winchester Super Magnum rimfire rifle cartridge at the 2013 SHOT Show. A Winchester Ammunition announcement called this “the most revolutionary rimfire cartridge in the company’s almost 150-year history.”
Further, the company said, “The .17 Win Super Mag. offers the downrange performance of a centerfire cartridge at only a fraction of the cost. For the first time in history, hunters can expect pinpoint accuracy and devastating performance from a rimfire cartridge, at ranges well past 200 yards.”
One of Winchester’s goals with the new .17 was to keep it affordable. A box of 50 should retail for about $15, which is much cheaper than almost any centerfire varmint load.
“Our engineers have been developing the top-secret .17 Win Super Mag. caliber for more than three years, and the rimfire revolution begins now,” said Brett Flaugher, Winchester Ammunition vice president of sales, marketing and strategy in 2013. “At 3,000 fps, it’s the fastest modern rimfire cartridge on the planet. The downrange energy deposited by the .17 Win Super Mag. will be a game-changer for varmint and predator hunters everywhere.”
General Comments
This round descended from a .27-caliber nail-gun blank, which is necked down to take a .17-caliber bullet. The brass case is about half a grain thicker than the .17 HMR. Maximum average internal pressure is 33,000 psi, which is about 7,000 psi higher than the .17 HMR’s. It pushes a 20-grain bullet at 3,000 fps—625 fps faster than the .17 HMR. In a 10 mile-per-hour crosswind, the .17 WSM moves 7.3 inches at 200 yards, while the .17 HMR slides 16.6 inches.
The .17 Winchester Super Magnum was initially offered in three bullet types: a 20-grain plastic tip in Varmint HV (High Velocity), 25-grain plastic tip in Varmint HE (High Energy) and a 20-grain jacketed hollow-point in Super-X. The .17 Win Super Mag bullet delivers more than 150 percent greater energy than the .22 Win. Mag. or .17 HMR. The .17 WSM first-adopter rifles included the Savage B-Mag bolt-action, Winchester 1885 Low Wall single-shot and the semi-automatic Franklin Armory F-17.
As far as affordable and available AK shotguns go, how does the Lynx 12 stack up against its competition?
What’s a Lynx 12?
Semi-Auto AK-Style Shotgun
Chambered For 2.75 And 3-Inch 12-Gauge Shells
Made In China
4-Setting Adjustable Gas System
Threaded Muzzle
Two Available Models
Shotguns will never go out of style, but as technology progresses so do people’s expectations. Traditional shotgun configurations are becoming less popular than magazine-fed, semi-auto designs. These tactical takes on the classic 12-gauge come in many different flavors, but the one that started the trend was the Izhmash Saiga-12 AK shotgun.
The Kalashnikov may be the best platform for this style of shotgun and they remain a desirable option. But sanctions placed on Russian arms companies have meant no new ones have been imported since 2017. Now that the AK shotgun market is filled with foreign and domestically produced Saiga clones to try and keep up with the demand, how does the Chinese Lynx 12 fare against its competition?
Lynx 12 HF3G
Lynx 12 HF
This is the standard SDS Lynx 12, and it is much closer in form to a real Saiga than other Chinese clones. It is based on the later-pattern models that were configured more like traditional AKs rather than the original sporter variants. The Lynx accepts factory Saiga handguards as well as standard AK grips and stocks, just like a genuine Saiga 12. It also has a manual bolt hold open and bolt release button, an adjustable gas regulator, and an externally threaded muzzle—all features found on original Saigas as well.
The Lynx’s iron sights are a simple V-notch rear and bead front post. This model also includes a standard-pattern AK side scope rail on the receiver to allow for the mounting of optics. The Lynx 12 is also compatible with factory Saiga magazines, but SDS have their own spares for sale too. Both models of Lynx ship with a 5-round mag but 10-rounders are available as well.
The biggest apparent difference between the two shotguns is the Lynx’s four gas settings as opposed to the Saiga’s two, giving the Lynx a finer degree of tunability for the ammo type. This should give the Lynx good reliability with a variety of ammo, but all semi-auto shotguns perform more reliably with hotter loads.
The Lynx 12 HF’s MSRP is $499.95.
Lynx 12 HF3G
This variant was designed with 3-gun competitions in mind, hence the “3G” in the name. Besides a few features to make it more suited for competition, it is identical to the standard Lynx 12.
The most significant change is the addition of a left-side charging handle—an AK modification that requires changes to be made to the receiver. This feature helps right-handed shooters reload the weapon more quickly by eliminating the need to roll the weapon or reach over top to chamber a round. One side effect of this change is that it makes it impossible to have a side scope rail mount like the one found on the standard Lynx. For this reason, the Lynx 12 HF3G includes a railed top cover for mounting optics instead.
The Lynx 12 HF3G has an MSRP of $549.95.
Lynx 12 HF3G with left-side charging handle.
With so many different Saiga clones to consider today, only you can decide which variant is ultimately best for you. Compared to the American-made KS-12 and the Chinese JTS, the Lynx 12 is a very balanced AK shotgun option. It is nearly as clone correct as the KS-12 while managing to cost significantly less, and it has more features than the JTS while managing to cost only slightly more. Considering that affordability was one of the original selling points of Russian Saigas, the Lynx 12 is just about as close as you can get to an original when buying one new today.
For more information on SDS, please visit sdsimports.com.
Galco shoulder holsters can now accommodate weapon mounted lights for the first time with their updated VHS 4.0.
New VHS 4.0 Glock 17/Glock 19 Fits Include Following Light Models:
Streamlight TLR-1
Streamlight TLR-1 HL
Viridian X5L
Inforce Wild2
Galco is a big name in the holster world. They’ve been making leather goods since the 1960s and became world famous when their shoulder holster system was prominently featured on the Miami Vice television series. Since then, they have become one of the biggest leather holster providers not only for Hollywood, but for real life law enforcement and military as well. Their shoulder holsters have seen heavy, real-world use from the streets of New York City to the deserts of the Middle East, and while you yourself may not be a grizzled detective or a battle-hardened tanker, Galco’s shoulder holster systems may still be worth looking at if you’d like to more comfortably conceal a large handgun.
If you stay up to date with current CCW trends, carrying a larger gun is likely something you’ve given some thought to. Many prominent members of the concealed carry community now advocate for having a red dot and flashlight mounted on your daily carry gun at all times. While both of these accessories can greatly improve your performance in certain situations, many still balk at the idea of concealing that much mass on their beltline. While still possible to do, the presumption that one must carry their gun on their waist is a misconception.
Shoulder holsters still have a place in the CCW world, and for those who’d like to carry a flashlight and red dot on their gun, a shoulder holster may be the best way to go about it. Presuming that your carry setup includes some of the most common pistol models and accessories, Galco’s updated VHS 4.0 shoulder holster may be just what you were looking for.
The V in Galco’s VHS does not stand for “Video”, despite also being popularized in the 1980s. In this case it stands for “Vertical”, describing the orientation of the pistol in relation to your body. The more famous shoulder holster design immortalized by Don Johnson on Miami Vice is horizontal in nature and has its own pros and cons associated with it. Horizontal designs are typically faster to draw from, but they’re also harder to conceal and are generally considered less safe for the public since the muzzle can flag anyone who happens to be at the right (or wrong) angle behind one. Vertical shoulder holsters on the other hand are easier to conceal but come at the cost of being slower to draw from. One of the main advantages of using a shoulder holster is its ability to conceal a pistol that may not be concealable in any other way, so the vertical design is probably the way to go if you’d like to keep your gun as secret as possible.
The Galco VHS 4.0 was already an excellently designed shoulder holster that has been carried and loved by many, but the additional fits they just added were a massive leap forward in terms of practicality. Now the world-famous shoulder holster company has options for those with modern CCW guns as well as for those who never moved on past the ‘80s.
For those looking for the best way to conceal a full-sized Glock with a WML and red dot sight, look no further than the Galco VHS 4.0. It is available now in brown or black and has an MSRP of $264.
The idea of having one gun you could trust to sort out all your problems is appealing and has merit. Like grandpa said, “Beware the man with one gun.” However, unless you only have a limited assortment of problems to solve, a one-gun answer will be, at best, a compromise. I don’t believe there’s a one-gun answer for everything—or even most things. But what if we took a different approach and instead of relying on one gun, we relied on one cartridge?
Ruger .357 Magnum options that are ready to handle nearly any task.
This drastically changes the conversation, because by settling on a single cartridge we can rely on multiple guns to shoot it. Of course, it also limits possibilities. For a serious one-cartridge solution, we have to turn to a revolver cartridge that can serve triple duty in a concealed handgun, a general-purpose sidearm and a rifle. In a perfect world, you’d be able to carry all three at the same time without undue discomfort.
There are really only three options to choose from: the .327 Federal Magnum, the .357 Magnum and the .44 Magnum. The .327 would give you an edge in a concealed-carry revolver because it offers six shots instead of five. The .44 Magnum would reign supreme in a rifle because of the power it can deliver. The problem with the .327 is that Henry is the only company making rifles for it, and the problem with the .44 is that even compact revolvers aren’t all that compact … and they hurt on both ends.
One of the best features of the Ruger .357 Magnum 77/357 is how light, compact and quick handling it is.
That leaves the .357 Magnum. And quite frankly, while it might seem like a compromise or that you’re settling, it’s a fine choice. From a self-defense standpoint, the .357 Magnum has a stellar reputation for stopping fights. As an everyday sidearm or as a predator defense gun, with the right ammo it can deal with small and large four- or two-legged critters, and even big bears. And in a rifle, the .357 Magnum is surprisingly effective.
The guns chosen would be important, but the key to versatility and success with this one cartridge approach is the ammunition.
Ruger .357 Magnum LCR
The Ruger LCR is a magnificent little creation of steel, aluminum and polymer. Ruger offers a version with a hammer and one without. With its 1.87-inch barrel, the LCR weighs only 17.1 ounces. A soft rubber Hogue grip is standard, and the suggested retail price is $669. This little revolver is as comfortable to carry as it is to conceal.
For self-defense with the little LCR, Buffalo Bore’s Heavy .38 Special +P 125-grain Low-Velocity Jacketed Hollow Point load is an ideal choice.
You could argue that the trigger is a little on the heavy side, but the primary problem with such a lightweight, compact, .357 Magnum revolver is holding onto it when shooting full-power loads. For this reason, many who carry .357 LCR opt for .38 Special +P ammunition.
The use of .38 Special ammunition in the LCR is actually a really smart choice, if—and that’s a big if—the right ammunition is chosen. After a good bit of terminal performance testing, the two standout loads for this little revolver are the Buffalo Bore Heavy .38 Special +P 125-grain LV (low velocity) JHP and the 135-grain, Speer Gold Dot .38 Special +P. Both penetrate between 11 and 12 inches and expand to just a shade more than a half-inch. This revolver/ammunition combination fills the everyday carry, defensive handgun need.
The next slot we need to fill is a general-purpose handgun—one that you can use for hunting, predator defense and even protection. Single-action revolvers are often looked at as antiques or curios more suited for recreational shooting. The truth is that a high-quality, single action is rather versatile, and short of high-end custom creations, no single-action revolver has a better reputation than the Ruger Blackhawk. The standard Blackhawk with a 4.62-inch barrel retails for the same price as the LCR, but a better option is the .357 Magnum/9mm Luger convertible model, which costs about $100 more.
For serious business—like defense against beastly predators—Buffalo Bore’s .357 Magnum Outdoorsman load is at the top of the charts.
In this modern world of high-tech controlled-expansion projectiles, hardcast bullets get overlooked. They’ll out-penetrate every other style handgun bullet and, with their flat meplat, they do a terrific job of damaging tissue. For the best hardcast ammunition out there, turn to Buffalo Bore. Their Heavy Outdoorsman 180-grain load will generate 1,379 fps and 759 ft-lb of energy from a 4.62-inch barreled Blackhawk. I’d like to be able to tell you how deep one of these bullets will penetrate, but after stacking gel blocks 36 inches deep and failing to stop one, I gave up.
This revolver, paired with a Galco 1880’s holster and cartridge belt, is easy to carry. Just as importantly, the cartridge belt provides a way to transport a lot of ammunition that’s close at hand for the single action, the LCR and the rifle.
Ruger .357 Magnum 77/357
When selecting rifle chambered in .357 Magnum, the tendency is to go with a lever gun. That’s a choice that’s hard to argue; my Marlin 1894 SBL is a fast-handling, sweet-shooting rifle. However, this three-gun battery is missing the ability to put bullets on target with extreme precision. To do that best, a magnified sight is needed. Sure, you can put a riflescope on a lever gun, but it destroys the handling qualities of the piece. Fortunately, Ruger makes the 77/357, a reasonably compact bolt-action rifle that weighs only 5.5 pounds, is a full pound lighter than the Marlin lever gun, and comes with a barrel that’s 2 inches longer. Retail price: $999.
A Leupold VX-3i, 1.5-5X20mm riflescope only adds 9.3 ounces to this rifle and provides plenty of magnification to take the .357 Magnum cartridge to its maximum practical range. And, these rifles will shoot; 1 to 1½-inch 100-yard groups are common. The trick is finding a load that can stand up to the added velocity you’ll get from the 18.5-inch barrel.
The reason this is so difficult is because .357 Magnum ammunition is manufactured to work in handguns with barrels ranging from very short to about 6 or 8 inches. Bullets that’ll expand and hold together at handgun velocities tend to come apart when fired from a rifle with as much as 500 more fps behind them.
I had to do a lot of shooting to discover a bullet that’d stand up to the velocities the Ruger 77/357 was capable of generating. One that worked marginally well was the 125-grain Barnes TAC-XP load, but even that bullet blew off all of the petals at about 8 inches of penetration. I was having no luck until a box arrived from Federal containing some samples of their new .357 Magnum HammerDown load. Optimally configured for lever-action rifles, HammerDown uses a bonded bullet. Out of the Ruger 77/357, it penetrated 22 inches and expanded to .474 inch. This is elk-capable ammunition.
For what it’s worth, testing out of the Blackhawk and LCR gave a glimpse of what this bullet will do at extended ranges from the rifle. At about 150 yards, you could expect this bullet to deform with a frontal diameter of 0.584 inch and penetrate 20 inches. At about 250 yards down range, it’ll still expand with a frontal diameter of 0.54 inch and penetrate 15.5 inches. Considering we’re talking about a revolver cartridge, that’s exceptional.
One Load, Three Guns
One of the most appealing aspects of three guns that utilize one cartridge is the possibility of one load that could work reasonably well in all of them. If you thought finding a bullet that could withstand rifle velocities was hard, finding one that’d deliver decent expansion and penetration out of a 1.87-, 4.62- and 18.5-inch barrel proved to be a monumental task. After more than a dozen loads failed to deliver the desired performance, almost as an afterthought I tried the 135-grain Hornady Critical Duty load.
I wouldn’t say this load was perfect for all three firearms, but it could suffice as a one-load option. Out of the snub-nose, the bullet expanded 1.26 times its original diameter and penetrated 14 inches. Out of the Blackhawk, expansion came in at 1.64 times the original diameter, with 13.5 inches of penetration. And out of the 77/357, the bullet deformed with a frontal diameter measuring 1.4 times the unfired diameter with 17 inches of penetration.
The HammerDown also delivered good terminal performance from all three firearms. As noted, it worked great in the rifle, and out of the Blackhawk and LCR we got a glimpse of what performance further downrange would look like. From a terminal performance only standpoint, it performed better than the Critical Duty load. However, out of the little, lightweight LCR, recoil was brutal. After five shots, I felt the effects in my hand for the rest of the day. Call me a wuss if you like, but HammerDown ammo out of an LCR is a long way from fun.
The one-cartridge alternative to solving all your problems might be worth considering. Of course, if some of your problems include cape buffalo or prairie dogs, finding a one-cartridge solution gets impossibly complicated. However, for most shooters, there’s not much a fella couldn’t handle with a .357 Magnum, three good guns and a lot of ammunition.
For more information on Ruger .357 Magnum guns, please visit ruger.com.
Expand Your Knowledge on the Legendary .357 Magnum
Russian AK shotguns are banned from import and American-made clones can be pricy, so how does the Chinese JTS M12AK compare?
What Is A JTS M12AK?
Semi-Auto AK-Style Shotgun
Chambered for 2.75 And 3-Inch 12-Gauge Shells
Made In China
Adjustable Gas System
Accepts Rem Choke Tubes
Two Available Models
AK shotguns have several notable advantages over more traditional shotgun designs. They are known for being very reliable for semi-auto shotguns and have the potential for a lot of firepower in a small package. Their magazine-fed nature allows for a high ammunition capacity in conjunction with a short barrel, two things which are mutually exclusive in tube-fed designs. Their adoption by police and military both inside and outside of Russia are a testament to their usefulness in a combat role, and their popularity with sports shooters around the world suggests something similar.
In 2017 the last of the authentic Russian AK shotguns were banned from import, leaving Saigas and Veprs only available on the secondhand market for inflated prices. Kalashnikov USA attempted to capitalize on this void in the market by tooling up to produce domestically made Saiga clones. The resultant KS-12 shotguns were generally regarded as being of very high quality, but their low production numbers and relatively high price left much to be desired. Part of why Saigas originally grew so popular in the U.S. was their affordability, a trait that is now only true for the Chinese and Turkish copies. One such example is the M12AK from JTS.
While most Chinese guns have also been banned from import since 1993, their shotguns are still perfectly legal. Rumor has it that JTS is essentially a rebranding of Norinco, and while most other Chinese products are of questionable quality, Norinco’s guns acquired a positive reputation in the U.S. and are still highly desired. While you may not be able to buy a new Chinese AK rifle anymore, how does the M12AK hold up as an AK shotgun?
JTS M12AK
While some refer to this shotgun as a Saiga-12 clone, a copy is a more accurate descriptor. It is true that the M12AK and Saiga-12 are functionally just semi-auto AKs chambered in 12-gauge, but there are several differences between their designs. One apparent difference is the presence of a magazine well on the M12AK. While this is reminiscent of the straight-insert magwells found on Veprs, the M12AK uses rock and lock magazines like the Saiga. The magwell was added to the JTS gun to help expedite reloads. Speaking of magazines, these usually ship with 5-rounders, but they also have 10-rounders available.
All the JTS AK shotguns have a 4-position gas regulator so you can tune the gun to your ammunition type. As any semi-auto shotgun does, these prefer high brass loads, but the regulator can help to cycle lower-powered shells as well. Unlike Saigas, the M12AK’s barrel is not externally threaded for flash hiders, but it is internally threaded to accept Rem choke tubes. Also unlike the Saiga, these have no bolt hold open or bolt release button.
MS12AK-T1
This variant is nearly identical to the standard MS12AK. While the standard model’s dust cover has a Picatinny rail on top for mounting optics, the T1 variant has a normal, ribbed AK dust cover. Instead, the T1 has an aluminum tactical handguard with M-LOK slots and rail segments, these allow for mounting optics, flashlights, foregrips, or anything else you desire.
The standard MS12AK has been selling for $400 online while the T1 variant has been going for $499. These prices are certainly attractive when most other AK shotguns have been going for significantly more. Obviously, you get what you pay for, and the general consensus surrounding JTS AK shotguns is that they are decently reliable and have an acceptable fit and finish, but they still fall short of the quality of Russian or American-built examples.
Being a budget-oriented design, it's questionable if the tactical handguard really adds $100 of value to the T1 model. Whether you need a home defense gun or just a new range toy, if you’re in the market for a semi-auto mag-fed 12-gauge, the JTS MS12AK is a decent option. They may not be the best, but they are affordable and even more importantly they are available.
For more information on JTS, please visit jtsgroup.us.
Two new Pietta single-action revolvers and a double-barrel shotgun are now available exclusively from Davidson’s.
Made By Pietta, Distributed By Davidson's
Italian-Made
Based On Classic Colt Designs
Two New 1873 Revolver Models
One New 1878 Shotgun Model
Pietta is one of the leading manufacturers of historical American firearms. Renowned by collectors, reenactors, and cowboy-action shooters, Pietta’s guns fill a very specific niche in the American firearms market. Their catalog was already quite extensive, but they've just added three new models which are exclusively available through the distributor Davidson’s.
The trio includes two new variants of their 1873 single-action revolver as well as an 1878 double barrel coach gun.
Clones of the iconic Colt Single-Action Army, Pietta’s 1873 revolvers are made in a variety of calibers and configurations. The two new variants that will be available exclusively through Davidson’s are caliber-convertible models. Identical besides their barrel lengths, the new 1873s each include two cylinders which can be swapped to fire either .45 Long Colt or .45 ACP.
These caliber options add a lot of versatility to these otherwise obsolescent designs. For collectors and cowboy action shooters, the .45 Colt cartridge offers historical authenticity. For those who’d like to enjoy the Pietta 1873 at the range without breaking the bank, or carry it on a camping trip with more choices of modern defensive ammo, the option of .45 ACP is there as well.
Both models of Pietta’s new 1873 feature a blued finish, a brass trigger guard, and brown polymer grips. They are available with either 4.75- or 5.5-inch-long barrels and have an MSRP of $559.99.
The third piece in this exclusive new trio is a Double Barrel Deluxe Coach Gun. It’s a 12-gauge side-by-side shotgun with 2.75-inch chambers and 20-inch-long barrels. It has a walnut stock, blued barrels, and a case-hardened receiver to add some colorful flair. Based on the Colt 1878, this coach gun features two external hammers and two triggers, but to remain historically accurate it does not have automatic shell ejectors.
The Pietta Double Barrel Deluxe Coach Gun has an MSRP of $989.99.
These new offerings from Pietta highlight two classic American firearms designs from Colt that helped to shape the Old West. Made in Italy, this iconic trio is available now, distributed exclusively through Davidson’s.
For more on the manufacturer, please visit pietta.it.
Uncle Mike’s has just released a new series of long gun cases and a handgun-specific range bag, both are affordably priced and available now.
Long Gun Case Options
Scoped Rifle Or Shotgun Profile
Three Rifle Case Sizes
Two Shotgun Case Sizes
Black Or Forest Green
Uncle Mike’s products are known for being some of the most affordable yet functional firearms accessories on the market. When simple will suit your needs, Uncle Mike’s stuff will probably get the job done for a good price. They already had some cases and bags for sale, but they’ve recently updated their catalog with a new family of long gun cases as well as a pistol-oriented range bag.
The new padded long gun cases are available for either shotguns or scoped rifles, come in black or forest green, and come in multiple sizes. The zippers run the entire length of the case to allow for them to be opened flat, and the interior lining is designed to be snag-free and protective. Simple and robust, these cases look ideal for hunters who just need to get their guns into the field scratch-free. The MSRP for all Uncle Mike’s Padded Long Gun Cases is $19.95.
The new Sportsmen’s Range Bag is designed specifically for handgunners to conveniently transport two pistols and their accouterments to and from the shooting range. Its main compartment has two removable dividers and two padded pistol rugs, and the zippers can be locked shut. It can be carried by either the removable shoulder strap or the attached nylon handles. The Uncle Mike’s range bag is only available in black and has an MSRP of $30.95.
For more information on Uncle Mike's, please visit unclemikes.com.
Effectively shooting on the move starts at the ground up.
When bullets are flying nobody is standing still. Find that hard to believe? Dial up a video of a traffic stop gone bad and you’ll see the officer involve—and most likely the perp—don’t have their feet rooted to the ground. Which segues into the topic at hand, effectively shooting on the move.
Honestly, it’s not the easiest skill to master, not simply because you subtracted the most important asset to accuracy—stability. But shooting on the move also forces you to do two things at once, which—chewing gum and walking cracks aside—is no easy task. The reason, as Jamie Caldwell points out in the above video, is because you’re not just trotting around, pumping the trigger. Instead, you’re engaging in a controlled gate, while executing all the fundamentals that get you hits. As the instructor at 1-Minute Out and former special operator demonstrates, doing this correctly all starts from the ground up.
Your feet and legs do almost all the work in this process, not simply propelling you to the next point, but steadying the rest of your body for shooting. They absorb all the shock so your gun isn’t bouncing while you move. Conversely, your upper body remains as stable as possible, almost as if you were shooting from a stationary position. Caldwell breaks down each part in detail in the video, so it’s worth watching in its entirety. He also demonstrates a simple drill to bone up on shooting on the move. This might be the most important part of his spiel, given getting this skill down pat requires practice.
Zastava USA announced that a batch of their new 5.56 PAP M90 AKs have arrived in the U.S. and will be shipping out to retailers soon.
What’s A PAP M90?
Semi-Auto AK Derived From Yugoslavian M70
Made In Serbia By Zastava
Chambered For 5.56x45mm NATO
Ships With Polymer Furniture
Adjustable Gas System
Zastava had promised U.S. customers that they would have M90 rifles in-country before the summer of 2021, and they managed to make that deadline by a single day. The shipment arrived at JFK airport on June nineteenth and is shipping out to distributors today. Zastava says you can expect to have an M90 in your hands by next week.
American AK enthusiasts have been awaiting this news for a while, as 5.56 AK imports have been severely limited recently. The most widely available 5.56 AKs for some time now have also been from Zastava in the form of their ZPAP85 pistols, so it will be nice to finally have a rifle option on the market as well.
Zastava M90 AKs chambered in 5.56 have been imported before, but this model is an updated iteration. It shares some features with Zastava’s newest generation of ZPAPs, such as the chrome-lined barrel and bulged trunnion, but it also has some upgrades that are unique to this new model of M90.
Some unique external features are its slightly longer than standard 18.25-inch barrel and polymer furniture. The pistol grip and folding Zhukov stock are made by Magpul, and the rubber handguard is made by Hogue. The handguard can also have optional rail segments installed for mounting accessories. The furniture is still the proprietary Yugo style, so aftermarket options are more limited than for AKM-pattern guns. The polymer furniture it ships with has received praise so far for being very ergonomic and functional, but standard M70 wood furniture can be installed for those who prefer the classic look.
The M90’s barrel has been threaded for the standard AK 14×1 LH pitch and ships with a typical AKM-style slant brake. It has a Yugoslavian-pattern side scope rail like the ZPAP for mounting optics.
The M90 also has an adjustable, 3-position gas system for running a variety of ammo in any condition. With the proper gas setting, the M90 can reliably run any kind of ammo that gets fed to it. Brass or steel cased, .223 or 5.56, loaded light or loaded hot, the M90 should be able to cycle them all without issue.
Internally, the Zastava M90 also has a distinctive ported and hollow piston head. This is to increase the rifle’s accuracy according to Zastava.
With the price set at over $1,000, the Zastava PAP M90 is a more expensive AK option than either Zastava’s 5.56 pistol or their 7.62 rifle, but it comes with some unique features and upgrades that will be appealing to many shooters. Keep an eye out for these hitting store shelves and online shops sometime next week.
When is it brandishing and when is it a legal display of a firearm to back down an attack?
On June 28, 2020, in response to a riotous mob breaking through an iron gate into their St. Louis gated community, with a mass of approximately 300 people coming down the road toward their house, attorneys Mark and Patricia McCloskey grabbed firearms, he an AR-15 and she, a Bryco 9mm. They went outside their home to confront the riotous mob from their front porch. In doing so, they set themselves up for St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner to charge them with “Unlawful Use of a Weapon.”
Every state has laws against brandishing a weapon in public, or “unlawfully displaying” a gun. But there are gray areas.
The legal case against the McCloskeys will take many months to resolve, and until the trial occurs, we won’t see all the evidence of the case, although YouTube videos featuring Mark McCloskey indicate that he had a fear of being attacked by the mob, which is why he used the AR-15 the way he did.
So, with this case in mind, let’s discuss the right to threaten deadly force with the use of a weapon against those who are threatening you. This analysis isn’t state-specific, but instead is intended to be considered general education. It’s up to the individual armed citizen to know what his or her state’s statutory and case laws show.
The common law of the United States ordinarily calls a criminal charge of waving a gun around in public “brandishing.” In many other states, it’s illegal to “unlawfully display” a firearm or “unlawfully exhibiting” a firearm.
Additionally, most if not all states have statutes that make it an “assault” to point or aim a weapon at someone without the justification of self-defense. And, since a firearm is used, the seriousness of that particular charge (called “aggravated assault” in states that follow the common law) elevates it to a serious felony with possible sentencing entailing years of jail time. A firearms enhancement means probably five years or more in prison.
So, when is having a gun “at the ready,” meaning in-hand and observable, not a crime? To determine that, you need to look at both your own statutory law and the case law interpreting the statutory law. Generally speaking, though, if you display a firearm (but not point it) in the face of presently threatened unlawful force, you’re likely to be in good shape.
I’d be surprised to find any state that doesn’t allow you to back down a criminal attacker by displaying a firearm and calmly telling him to stop doing what he’s doing or contemplating doing. This would apply only if the aggressor was threatening your safety. The amount of force you can use depends entirely on how much force is threatened against you.
In many states, displaying a gun, but not pointing, in the face of a threat would not be deemed brandishing. However, a keen knowledge of that state's laws are require to make a certain determination.
If a person or persons are threatening to kill/rape/rob you, and they have the means to accomplish the threat, you’re likely going to be legally justified in pointing a gun at the aggressor(s). But, on the other hand, if someone who doesn’t obviously possess the means to carry out the threat, you had best keep your gun unseen. If there isn’t such an immediate threat, why not walk away? If doing so wouldn’t escalate the peril you’re in, then avoiding the entanglement would be the best bet.
Gray Areas
What about the gray areas, though? What about the times when you might not know what the situation really is, but you have a pretty firm belief that things are going to escalate quickly to endanger your life?
That’s when you need to invoke the reasonable person doctrine. What would a reasonable and prudent person believe, knowing what you know, and seeing what you see? Simpler put, how would this look to others?
One thing you don’t want to do when displaying a firearm or other dangerous weapon in the face of presently threatened unlawful force is make threats to kill. A new crime, which has popped up and is a favorite of prosecutors looking to be able to arrest gun owners, is the crime of “making terrorist threats.” The threat to kill, coupled with the ability to carry out the threat, fulfills the elements of this crime. Typically, the crime is a felony, with the result of conviction bringing jail or prison time, along with loss of your firearm rights. Don’t make threats to kill or even threaten to shoot.
Right about now, you might be thinking this advice seems very complicated. You may think, heck, you have trouble enough just hit the target, let alone issue verbal commands. If so, seek out competent training, which usually isn’t cheap, but well worth it when you actually have to draw that new blaster.
If this isn’t possible, may I suggest pepper spray?
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the January 2021 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
Smith & Wesson’s new Spec Series Kit includes a knife, challenge coin, and an M&P pistol chock-full of upgrades.
Features Of The M&P9 M2.0 OR Pistol:
17+1 Capacity Of 9mm
4.6-Inch Threaded Barrel
Optics Ready With Included Crimson Trace CTS-1500 Red Dot
Suppressor Height Night Sights
Two-Tone Finish
For some, half the fun of buying a new gun is tinkering with it. They enjoy installing various upgrades and accessories until they have it configured exactly how they want it. Others, however, prefer their guns to come exactly as they want them, straight out of the box. The M&P9 M2.0 OR Pistol included in Smith & Wesson’s new Spec Series Kit definitely belongs in the latter category.
Looking like something straight out of a Tom Clancy game, the M&P9 M2.0 OR Pistol was built to be suppressed. It would seem wrong to not put a can on this gun given its included upgrades. A fixed blade M&P knife, S&W Spec Series challenge coin and custom fitted carry case make this kit one very presentable package.
The Pistol
The Spec Series Kit includes an M&P9 M2.0 OR Pistol. That name is a mouthful, but it means that it’s a 9mm, second-generation Smith & Wesson M&P with an optics-ready slide. Being the newer 2.0 model, it includes an improved trigger and other upgrades over the original M&P.
The FDE slide has been cut to be optics ready, and the pistol ships with a Crimson Trace CTS-1500 red dot sight. The pistol also comes with suppressor height night sights, so it’s set up right from the box to be suppressor ready.
The Knife
The knife included with the Spec Series Kit is an M&P full tang fixed blade boot knife. It has a single-edged, spear-point blade that’s 4.5 inches long with an overall length of 9 inches. The rubber handle is marked M&P and is FDE colored, just like the included M&P pistol’s slide. A nylon sheath is also included for carrying inside one’s boot.
The Spec Series Kit obviously has some appeal for Smith & Wesson collectors and people who just appreciate fancy guns that come in fancy packages, but the included pistol has some very functional design features as well. The pistol comes from the factory set up for suppressor and optics use, making it a good choice for a home defense piece, especially if you’re already familiar with the M&P platform. The Spec Series Kit has an MSRP of $969 and is backed by Smith & Wesson’s lifetime service policy.
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.
