Rifle January/February 2020

At the age of 12, I went to work on the French Creek Ranch across the Umpqua River from our home in the logging/farm/ranch community of Glide, Oregon. The ranch was loaded with blacktail and Colombian whitetail deer, turkeys, silver gray and ground squirrels and rabbits, the occasional bear, bobcat or lion, along with several hundred head of cattle, sheep and Angora goats. In time, I knew where to look for deer and turkeys at various times of the day, bedded in stands of trees or heavy cover along the creek, or feeding in the shade along the edge of the pastures. As a rule, if the cattle were up feeding, so were the deer. ...Read More >

There’s probably no great need here to list the double handful of distributors that at one time or another imported Howa Machinery (sometimes referred to as Howa Manufacturing) bolt- action rifles into the U.S. since the late 1960s. This is due to the fact that Legacy Sports International and Weatherby dominate that market now. Their respective rifles include a mind-boggling assortment of Howa 1500 models and Weatherby Vanguards. Both of these are fine rifles, with many of the Vanguards somewhat following the traditional lines of the Weatherby Mark V, clearly indicating the company knows its end users, their needs and preferences. ...Read More >

Elsewhere in this edition of Rifle magazine is an overview article on Ruger’s Mini-14 and Mini Thirty rifles. As indicated, there were many Mini-14s manufactured prior to 2005 that produce dismal accuracy; however, most produced since 2007 (when a heavier barrel was incorporated) will generally group around 2 inches at 100 yards with good ammunition. In the above article, one of the test rifles chambered for 5.56 NATO/.223 Remington consistently grouped several loads around the 2-inch mark, as did a blued version with a walnut stock, which was not included. Both rifles were purchased new without modification. Both would throw a first shot flier that landed high and right when compared with subsequent shots. ...Read More >

By my count, only three semiauto rifles saw significant use in World War II. They were America’s M1 Garand, Germany’s K/G43 and the Soviet Union’s SVT40. Every firearms-oriented American knows about the M1. Although it wasn’t perfect, it can fairly be said that it was the right rifle at the right time. Rightly, it has reached iconic status. Germany and the Soviet Union also fielded semiauto battle rifles but theirs are much less well known. ...Read More >

In the last column it was indicated I would continue correcting the questionable faddish features appearing on gunstocks over the years. Some examples couldn’t be found in time, so this will be done in an upcoming issue. Instead I’ll cover a plague of all shooters and collectors – damaged iron sights. ...Read More >

Kahles has made all manner of hunting scopes over its more than 120-year history. However, those hunting scopes made in Austria are no longer imported into the U.S. Its sister company, Swarovski, has taken that market while Kahles has turned its focus to competition and target scopes for the American market to fill open niches in Swarovski’s lineup of scopes. ...Read More >

Over the years reviewing custom rifles made on traditional guns, feedback indicates some sportsman still prefer the Mauser action for their personal rifle. Such is the case for this beautiful example made by Brian Lohman of Houston, Texas, and chambered for the 9.3x63mm cartridge. ...Read More >

Gun collectors are very, very strange people. They are so strange, in fact, that even other gun collectors are often at a loss to explain their behavior. ...Read More >

Nosler plays on words “worth the weight” in promoting its new Mountain Carbon rifle. The company lookedon for several years at the growing market for lightweight hunting rifles before introducing its version. “Mountain” is used for a rifle feathery enough to pack up a sheep mountain, and “carbon” is for its lightweight carbon fiber-wrapped, 24-inch steel barrel liner. The result is a rifle that is not too light or expensive, but just right at 6 pounds and at a price many hunters can afford. ...Read More >

Development of the Ruger Mini-14 began in 1967, three years after the official U.S. adoption of the M16 service rifle, but it wasn’t until 1971 that prototypes were built and tested. Production began in 1974, and the new rifle quickly gained popularity among sportsman, law enforcement and recreational shooters. It even caught the attention of U.S. military brass, particularly those who had battle experience with the M1 Garand and M14 service rifles. In the past 45 years the Mini-14 has undergone several design changes and improvements, which combined with tightened quality control has resulted in notably improved accuracy. Additionally, submodels and new calibers have been introduced to broaden its appeal. ...Read More >

In the 1890s a wealthy Scotsman, Sir Charles Henry Augustus Frederick Lockhart Ross, Ninth Baronet of Balnagown, developed a straight-pull bolt-action rifle he promoted both for hunting and as the ultimate military rifle. This was the early days of smokeless rifle powder, when the armies of the world were rushing to equip their soldiers with newfangled firearms. ...Read More >

By my count, between 1866 and 1966, for infantry forces the U.S. Army fielded two single-shot rifles, three bolt actions and three semiauto or select-fire rifles. The cartridges for which they were chambered numbered six. Every one of the eight basic rifle models and of course all their cartridges saw combat ranging from skirmishes in the Plains Indian Wars through many enormous planet-wide campaigns of World War II. ...Read More >

I became a fan of Jack O’Connor’s writing at a very young age and eventually accumulated most of his books. I also enjoyed the works of several other firearm writers, and one was Larry Kohler. In one of his books on hunting deer and small game, Kohler advocated the use of two rifles with the same type of action, preferably from the same manufacturer. A “perfect pair,” as he described it for eastern hunters, was illustrated by a photo of a Marlin 39A in .22 rimfire alongside a Marlin 336 .30-30. Young minds are easily influenced. I already had a 39A, so when becoming old enough to shop for a store-bought deer rifle I chose a Marlin 336, but in .35 Remington. ...Read More >