Rifle (March-April 2022)

When cleaning in the garage several weeks ago, a somewhat unfamiliar, modest-sized box showed up on the back of a low shelf near some dusty toolboxes. It had no writing on it whatsoever, with no subtle hint as to what the cardboard and packing tape held inside. So, the equally dusty tape was cut at one end and in the box was an embarrassment of riches – an embarrassment of .22 Long Rifle ammunition riches. ...Read More >

It has been 25 years since my first trip to Quebec, Canada, which was a self-guided caribou hunt that proved to be especially fun. The opportunity to take this hunt came up fairly sudden, so I grabbed a previously tuned Ruger M77 MKII All-Weather rifle chambered in 7mm Remington Magnum topped with a 3-9x variable scope with a drop chart attached and carefully tailored handloaded ammunition that would easily group under an inch. ...Read More >

Way back in 1984, a particular Winchester launched me on an everlasting fascination with vintage leverguns and eventually to writing my book, SHOOTING LEVER GUNS OF THE OLD WEST. That Winchester was an 1897 vintage Model 1894 rifle with an extra cost octagonal barrel as opposed to a standard full round one. Also in its favor was its .38-55 chambering, which I figured ideal for a predominately cast bullet shooter such as myself. ...Read More >

A rifle, like any other mechanical device, must be maintained if it is expected to perform its intended purpose when required. The problem is that sporting arms today are so darn reliable. When was the last time you experienced a failure to feed, fire or eject from a manually-operated rifle made after 1960 – and the problem wasn’t the fault of the cartridge or the rifle operator? Rarely, I’ll wager. Probably never. If it did happen, chances are, it was a broken firing pin (caused by dry firing?), which is a repair or operator problem, not maintenance. Maintenance is done to prevent having to do repair. ...Read More >

There was a time in my life, mercifully short, when I worked outdoor retail during a financial emergency. Spending a lot of time behind a gun counter, selling a multitude of optic brands, I was often asked something to the effect of, “Are those Nikko Stirling scopes any good?” ...Read More >

Ever since men began fighting in organized groups, strategic thinkers have been looking for ways to overcome enemy infantry. From the beginning, the armed man has been the military unit that wins battles – alone, or in small or large groups. No one has ever won a war without infantry, but strategists keep searching. ...Read More >

Exactly when the first scout pattern rifle was devised is unknown; however, the concept has been around for well over a century and has been observed in bolt-action, lever-action, semiauto and other rifle actions. But it was noted gun writer, firearms trainer and U.S. Marine Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Cooper (1920-2006) who so clearly outlined what he believed should be the modern scout rifle. ...Read More >

J.P. Sauer & Sohn is one of the most respected names in gunmaking, not just for its history, but for the unrelenting quality of its products and, today, the high level of innovation that goes into them. ...Read More >

The .243 Winchester is an inarguably versatile cartridge. As my only centerfire rifle for a good portion of a wondrous western upbringing, a Remington Model 700 ADL .243 Winchester provided the nexus of a multitude of early adventures. I used my .243 Winchester to shoot black-tailed prairie dogs and jackrabbits by loading Sierra 60-grain Varminter hollowpoints and generous dollops of Hodgdon H-380 powder. ...Read More >

An article about a benchrest rifle obviously involves accuracy, but a few shooters insist the word “accuracy” is misused. Instead, they claim the correct word is “precision,” a rifle’s ability to group bullets close to each other – while “accuracy” means hitting the intended target. ...Read More >

The .38-40 is perplexing. For one thing, it is nowhere near .38 caliber. But that’s not overly strange, as the .38 Special is actually .35 caliber, and all .44s are at best just shy of .43 caliber. Actually, .38-40 factory loads were introduced with a nominal .400-inch bullet so it is in fact, a true .40 caliber. The “40” in .38-40 supposedly stands for 40 grains of black powder, but at least some of Winchester’s own factory loads carried only 38 grains. Also confusing is the designation .38-40, because Winchester didn’t caliber stamp any of its rifles or carbines as such. Their name was .38 WCF, with the letters meaning Winchester Center Fire. To the best of my research, it was Marlin that coined .38-40 as in those days of the late 1800s, manufacturers were loath to use a rival’s name on its products. ...Read More >