Gun World 2015

GW-15-08-COVER_final 6/8/15 3:22 AM Page US_C1
AWESOMELY ACCURATE BATTLE BORN AR-15
SMOOTH SWINGING
SIDE-BY-SIDE
CZ-USA
BIRD Sharp-Tail
BEAUTY
ON A BUDGET
TriStar Viper
G2 Bronze
AK MEETS AR
CMMG MK47
MUTANT
This Hot Hybrid Offers the Best of Both Worlds
SharpAngle
MULE DEER
HUNTING Shooting
TIPS & More
FREEDOM MUNITIONS
AUG 2015 • VOLUME 56, NO.8 • $4.99 U.S.
DISPLAY UNTIL: 08/18/15 • www.gunworld.com
XTREME BULLETS
08
Patriotic Power for All 0 74470 03105 5

www.engagedmediainc.com
GW_1508_C2 6/1/15 12:57 AM Page C2
Ruger CEO,
Michael Fifer
THE ONE RIFLE TO HAVE IF YOU COULD ONLY HAVE ONE
Forward-Mounted Adjustable Ghost Ring Available with Black Laminate or Flash Suppressor or Soft-Rubber Buttpad with
Picatinny Rail Rear Sight Black Lightweight Composite Stock Muzzle Brake 3-1/2" Spacers
The Ruger ® Gunsite Scout Rifle is the ultimate “go-to” gun for
multi-purpose use: hunting, ranching and personal defense. It is the perfect hard hitting,
do-it-all, bolt-action rifle. Available in .308 Win and 5.56 NATO, with laminate and lightweight composite stocks,
matte stainless and black finishes and left- and right-handed models – there is a Gunsite Scout Rifle for everyone.
RUGER.COM/SCOUTRIFLE ©2015 Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. 032615

GW_1508_3 6/1/15 12:59 AM Page 3
SHOTGUNS! SHOTGUNS!
SHOTGUNS!
Find YOURS at GalleryofGuns.com
Cavalry SX Combo 2 Barrel Set 686 Silver Pigeon 1 A400 Xtreme KO

Item #: ATIGKOF410-28SV t#MVF'JOJTI Item #: J6863J8 t#MVF#BSSFMT /JDLFM1MBUFE3FDFJWFS Item #: J40XV18 t."9$BNP'JOJTI
Caliber: 410 Gauge| 28 Gauge t8BMOVU4UPDL Caliber: 12 Gauge XJUI4DSPMM&OHSBWJOH Caliber: 12 Gauge t."9$BNP,JDL0ò4UPDL4ZTUFN
Sights: Front: Brass Bead t0WFSBOE6OEFS Sights: Front: Metal Bead t$IFDLFSFE8BMOVU4UPDL Sights: Front: Metal Bead t"EKVTUBCMF4UPDL4IJN4ZTUFN
Capacity: 2 t$ISPNF-JOFE#BSSFM Capacity: 2 t0WFSBOE6OEFS Capacity: 4+1 t4IPPUTwUPw4IFMMT
BBL: 26” | 26” t4JOHMF4FMFDUJWF5SJHHFS BBL: 28” t4JOHMF4FMFDUJWF5SJHHFS BBL: 28” t(BT0QFSBUFEX$PNQFOTBUJOH7BMWF
t.VMUJ$IPLF t.PCJM$IPLF 'VMM *. .PE *$ $ZM
t0QUJNB)1'JFME$IPLFT 'VMM .PE *$
Citori 725 Field BPS Hunting M87 Pump

Item #: 0135303005 t#MVF#BSSFMT 4JMWFS/JUSJEF3FDFJWFS Item #: 012211605 t)JHI1PMJTI#MVF'JOJTI Item #: HAT871228 t.BUUF#MBDL'JOJTI
Caliber: 12 Gauge t(SBEF*****8BMOVU4UPDL Caliber: 20 Gauge t8BMOVU4UPDLBOE'PSFOE Caliber: 12 Gauge t5VSLJTI8BMOVU4UPDL
Sights: Ivory Front t.FDIBOJDBM5SJHHFS4ZTUFN Sights: Bead t#PUUPN&KFDUJPO Sights: Front: Fiber Optic t-BSHF4MJEF3FMFBTF#VUUPO
and Mid Bead t4FMFDUJWF&KFDUPST Capacity: 4+1 t%VBM4UFFM"DUJPO#BST Capacity: 4+1 t4MJOH4XJWFM4UVET
Capacity: 2 t)JHI3FMJFG&OHSBWJOH BBL: 26” t.VMUJ$IPLF 'VMM .PE *$
BBL: 28” t.VMUJ$IPLF 'VMM .PE *$ *. 4LFFU
BBL: 26” t5ISFF*OWFDUPS%4$IPLF5VCFT 'VMM .PE *$

t5PQ5BOH4BGFUZ
Model 500 Turkey / Deer

Model 500 Bantam V3 Field Sport
Combo with LPA Trigger
Item #: 50112 t#MVF'JOJTI Item #: 53267 t.PTTZ0BL0CTFTTJPO'JOJTI Item #: 83400 t#MBDL.BUUF#BSSFM
Caliber: 410 Gauge t#MBDL4ZOUIFUJD4UPDL Caliber: 12 Gauge t.PTTZ0BL0CTFTTJPO4ZOUIFUJD4UPDL Caliber: 12 Gauge t#MBDL4ZOUIFUJD4UPDL
Sights: Twin Bead tw-FOHUIPG1VMM Sights: Adjustable t
#BSSFMTw.VMUJ$IPLF 99'VMM
Sights: Front: Bead and t-JHIU$PVOUPVS#BSSFM
Capacity: 4+1 tw$IBNCFS Capacity: 5+1 w3JøFE#PSF Center Bead t3PUBUJOH#PMU)FBE
BBL: 24” t'JYFE'VMM$IPLFT BBL: 24” t4MJOH4XJWFM4UVET Capacity: 3+1 t7FSTB1PSU5ZQF(BT4ZTUFN
BBL: 28” t.VMUJ$IPLF
3FN$IPLF
.PEJöFE0OMZ
Get Your Instant Quote at www.galleryofguns.com

All firearms purchased from GalleryofGuns.com are covered by the Davidson’s GuaranteeD® Lifetime Replacement Warranty.
©2015 DAVIDSON’S, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

GW TOC-4-5 6/8/15 2:15 AM Page 4
CONTENTS AUGUST 2015
FEATURES
14 Best of Both 34 The Sharp 54 Xtreme Freedom

Worlds Shooting Freedom Munitions
The new MK47 ‘Mutant’ and Xtreme Bullets
Sharp-Tail manufacture first-rate
hybrid AK/AR rifle from CZ-USA has earned a
CMMG shoots so well— ammunition and
good reputation with components, and sell
without breaking the American shooters in a
bank—that you’ll have a them at very reasonable
relatively short time, prices.
hard time putting it and their Sharp-Tail By Dr. Martin D. Topper
down. side-by-side offers fans
By Mike Dickerson a timely take on a
classic design.
24 Bronzed Beauty By Thomas C. Tabor
TriStar has been making
affordable guns for 44 A Slick and
14
years, but the Viper G2
Bronze takes the brand
Accurate AR-15
to a whole different After serving the LEO
level. market for years, Battle
By Brad Fitzpatrick Born now offers its top
quality rifles and
carbines to the public.
By Paul Hantke
Photo by Mike Dickerson
GUN WORLD (ISSN 0017-5641) Volume 56, Number 8, is published monthly, 12 times a year by Engaged Media Inc, 22840 Savi Ranch Parkway,
#200, Yorba Linda, CA 92887. Periodical postage paid at Anaheim, CA, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
Gun World c/o Engaged Media Inc., VSI, Inc. 905 Kent St., Liberty, MO 64068. Return undelivered Canadian addresses to: Gun World c/o Pitney
Bowes, Inc. PO Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B GST#855050365RT001
4 GUN WORLD | AUGUST 2015 www.gunworld.com

GW TOC-4-5 6/8/15 2:15 AM Page 5
Photo by Dave Workman

COLUMNS
76
6 Up Front 76 Handguns
– Craig Hodgkins – Dave Workman
8 New Products 84 Gunsmithing

– Mike Dickerson – Steve Sieberts
12 Ask the Experts 94 Eyes & Ears

– Gun World Contributors – Tim Stetzer
64 Today’s Hunter 98 Back Pages

– Thomas C. Tabor – Craig Hodgkins
70 Reload
– James E. House
Photo by Thomas C. Tabor

34
ON THE COVER:
Photograph courtesy of CMMG
Cover design by
Johann Frederick Mendoza
www.gunworld.com AUGUST 2015 | GUN WORLD 5

GW UPFRONT.qxp 6/2/15 11:50 PM Page 6
UP FRONT
Buyer’s Roughly half of those pur-
chases were for me (I’ll let you fig- EDITORIAL
AUG 2015 • VOLUME 56 • NUMBER 8
REMORSE
Editor in Chief: Craig Hodgkins
ure out which ones), but now, and Associate Editor: Lee Boyt
Managing Editor: Mark Heisser
probably for time immemorial, my Senior Creative Director: Eric Knagg
Art Director: Johann Frederick Mendoza
Amazon account page will feature CONTRIBUTORS
Todd Burgreen, Jerry Catania, Mike Dickerson,
By Craig Hodgkins targeted advertisements for many Brad Fitzpatrick, Paul Hantke, James House, Jameson
Parker, D.K. Pridgen, John Raguso, Steve Sieberts, Dave
hobbies in which I am not even re- Spaulding, Tom Tabor, Chuck Taylor, Leroy Thompson,
Martin Topper, Dave Workman
Earlier this week, I received an motely interested. ADVERTISING
Gabe Frimmel: Ad Sales Director
alert on my iPhone suggesting that I When I was a kid, there were (714) 200-1930 GFrimmel@EngagedMediaInc.com
Casey Clifford: Senior Account Executive
follow Hillary Clinton on Twitter. three television networks, but more (717) 896-8956
Mark Pack: Senior Account Executive
(714) 200-1939
Clearly, despite all the time we than twice that number of daily Gennifer Merriday: Ad Traffic Coordinator
spend together, my smart phone newspapers serving New York City DIRECT MARKETING GROUP
John Bartulin (866) 866-5146 ext. 2746
isn’t very smart. alone. Today, that percentage has Paul Caca (866) 866-5146 ext. 4961
Ryan Lauro (866) 866-5146 ext. 2756
But besides being wrong on so drastically shifted from print to vi- Mary Ann Jaca (866) 866-5146 ext. 2716
OPERATIONS
many levels, this automatic, spon- sual delivery systems, but the Gus Alonzo: Newsstand Sales & Marketing Manager
Celia Merriday: Newsstand Analyst
sored message from one of my biggest change is not in how and Mohit Patel: Newsstand & Production Analyst
Alberto Chavez: Senior Logistics & Facilities Manager
iPhone apps also reminded me how what we can learn about the world, John Cabral: Creative Graphic Designer
EDITORIAL, PRODUCTION & SALES OFFICE

convoluted our external identities but what certain entities are able to 22840 Savi Ranch Parkway, #200
Yorba Linda, CA 92887
and personal preferences can be- learn about us based on informa- (714) 939-9991
www.gunworld.com
come in this age of technological de- tion we provide. www.facebook.com/gunworldmagazine
www.facebook.com/eembybeckett
pendence and widespread Most of the time, this informa- GUN WORLD (ISSN 0017-5641) Volume 56, Number 8, is
published monthly, 12 times a year by Engaged Media Inc.,
information collection. tion is as harmless as Amazon de- LLC, 22840 Savi Ranch Parkway, #200, Yorba Linda, CA
92887. Periodical postage paid at Anaheim, CA, and
If you shop online with any regu- ciding I’m a figure skating, additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address
changes to Gun World c/o Engaged Media Inc, VSI, Inc.
larity, as I do, you know how easy it is dressmaking hydroponic gardener, 905 Kent St., Liberty, MO 64068. Return undelivered
Canadian addresses to: Gun World c/o Pitney Bowes, Inc.
PO Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B
to confuse (for example) Amazon’s but occasionally it gives me pause. GST#855050365RT001 © 2015 by Engaged Media Inc,
All rights reserved. Reproduction of any material from this
purchase history tracker. For exam- Before becoming editor of this issue in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.
ple, I buy a lot of items for myself, magazine, I flew more than CUSTOMER SERVICE
Engaged Media Inc
but I regularly purchase gifts for a 500,000 business miles spread 4635 McEwen Road, Dallas, TX 75244
variety of friends and family mem- among most of the major airlines. SUBSCRIPTIONS, ADDRESS CHANGES,
RENEWALS, MISSING OR DAMAGED COPIES
(800) 764-6278
bers as well. Not once did I open my suitcase in a (239) 653-0225 Foreign Inquiries
subscriptions@engagedmediainc.com
Currently, Amazon has me fig- hotel to discover a tag from the TSA customerservice@engagedmediainc.com
ured for a fan of 1960s jazz and folk to inform me that my checked bag BACK ISSUES: www.engagedmediamags.com
BOOKS, MERCHANDISE, REPRINTS: (239) 280-2380
DEALER SALES: (239) 280-2380
music, Simplicity dress patterns, had been searched. NEW PRODUCTS OR TO CONTRIBUTE A STORY OR PHOTO
chodgkins@engagedmediainc.com
Terry and the Pirates and Mickey In each of the past two years, I
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Mouse comic collections, figure have attended SHOT Show, the $17.95/1 year, $27.95/2 years. Foreign $33.95/1 year,
$59.95/2 years. Single copy price is $4.99. Please allow
6 to 8 weeks for new subscriptions to begin.
skating tutorial DVDs, Minecraft NRA Meetings and the NASGW.
strategy guides, college history and Three times I have opened my bag
cinema textbooks, macramé, cookie to discover a TSA tag.
cookbooks, LEGO construction sets, I may not always be as smart
Engaged Media Inc.
and hydroponic gardening. as my phone, but I’m starting to Nick Singh: Executive Director
Vikas Malhotra: Vice President
suspect that this sort of profiling is Erin Masercola: Business Unit Editorial and Art Director
not a coincidence.
GUN WORLD Maybe I’ll tweet about it and
This magazine is purchased by the buyer with the
understanding that information presented is from
various sources from which there can be no warranty or
IN SOCIAL MEDIA: responsibility by Engaged Media Inc., as to the legality,
completeness or technical accuracy.
see who follows me.
Website: www.GunWorld.com GST #855050365RT001
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608
Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:
GunWorldMagazine PITNEY BOWES, INC.
Twitter: @gunworldmag P.O. Box 25542
London, ON N6C 6B2

GW_1508_7 6/1/15 1:00 AM Page 7
When we decided to build our own line of

AR rifles, we knew they couldn't be like everyone
else's. So, from the beginning, our AR rifles have
featured the very best parts available anywhere,
Les Baer Custom AR many of them forged for toughness, then precision
Super Varmint Rifle
machined on our own CNC horizontal machining
centers and broaching machines. They're all custom
built with painstaking care and they perform like no
other AR on the planet. More than 20 models are
available with multiple caliber choices and high tech
mission-specific options for law enforcement/tactical
Les Baer
Custom .308 or sporting use, including:
NATO Sniper
Rifle Les Baer Custom AR Super Varmint Model
.223 cal/5.56 mm, .204 Ruger, .264 LBC-AR TM, 6 x 45
Les Baer Custom .308 Cal/7.62mm

NATO Sniper Rifle
Les Baer Custom .308 Cal/7.62mm
Les Baer CustomMonolith
.308 Semi-Auto SWAT
NATO MONOLITH SWAT Model
Model Std or Mid-Length Barrel
Also available: Les Baer Custom 1911 Pistols

More than thirty models of breathtakingly accurate
Les Baer
1911
Custom
custom pistols including:
Les Baer
Custom Ultimate 1911 Les Baer Custom 1911 Boss .45
Tactical Carry
Boss .45
5" Pistol Les Baer Custom Ultimate 1911 Tactical Carry 5" Pistol
See our entire line of

high performance custom rifles and pistols at…
www.lesbaer.com Performance. It’s Everything.
1804 Iowa Drive • LeClaire, Iowa 52753
Office Hours: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Central Time Ph: 563-289-2126 • Fx: 563-289-2132
Email: info@lesbaer.com
GW PRODUCTS-8-11.qxp 6/2/15 3:28 AM Page 8
NEW PRODUCTS
The Foxpro Fusion
main unit, weighing just
2.5 lbs with batteries,
comes pre-loaded with
100 sounds and has
room to store 1,000.
MSRP is $499.95.
Fusion Fantastic
Text & Photos by Mike Dickerson
The new and improved e-caller from Foxpro may

compel you to say good-bye to one of your old friends
I’m not that guy who just has to helped me terminate the careers of The main unit, available in
have the latest, greatest technol- many a toothy critter. “skull camo,” has dual amplified
ogy. If something works well, I’ll use Taking it out of action recently speakers (horn front and cone rear)
it until circumstances compel me to for a minor repair gave me an op- that deliver crisp, clear sound. It has
move on. That was the case with portunity to check out one of Fox- jacks to connect two additional ex-
my favorite e-caller, the Foxpro FX5. pro’s newest e-callers, the Fusion, ternal speakers and an auxiliary
When first introduced years ago, it and I quickly discovered that the jack that works with decoys like the
was viewed as one of the coolest amazing technology packed into FoxJack and Black Jack. There’s
tools ever invented to help attract the Fusion left me and my trusty also a charging jack to use with an
and perforate predators, and it FX5 in the dust. optional eight AA NiMH recharge-

able battery kit, which I strongly One feature I really like is the ote, to freeze runners and buy time
recommend. You’ll also find a USB fact that the Fusion comes with 100 for additional shots.
2.0 port to connect with your com- sounds that are organized into fold- Another useful function is FOX-
puter and load sounds or sound se- ers, by category, making them much FUSION, which lets you choose and
quences, or reprogram sounds. The easier and faster to find on the re- play two different sounds at the
main unit weighs just 2.5 pounds mote. With 4 GB internal memory, same time, such as a growling coy-
with batteries. there’s room to store up to 1,000 ote and a distressed fox. This ability
The Fusion is supplied with sounds. Compatible file formats in- to tell a story, so to speak, can
Foxpro’s TX-1000 remote with a clude FXP, 24B, WAV and MP3. make a big difference when calling
color graphic LCD screen. This re- The remote displays a lot of educated coyotes. So can the abil-
mote is reason enough to purchase useful information at a glance, in- ity to vary the pitch of a sound,
the Fusion. It is light years ahead of cluding moon phase, barometric which is what you get with FOX-
the remote for my old FX5. It’s pressure, temperature, battery PITCH. Cranking up the pitch and
much easier to read and operate, strength and elapsed time on intensity of a given sound may be
regardless of lighting conditions. stand. It is also your command cen- all you need to convince a hung-up
Gone are the old knobs that re- ter for accessing and operating a predator to keep moving into range.
quired you to cycle through your en- host of features that give you a real Another clever feature is FOX-
tire list of sounds to find what you advantage in the field. MOTION, which can fade sound
want. Instead, you’ll find four preset One truly useful feature is back and forth from speaker to
buttons, some special function but- FOXBANG. With this enabled, an in- speaker to convey the impression of
tons and a center scroll/volume/se- ternal sensor in the remote detects moving, struggling prey animals.
lect button arrangement that’s the sound of a gunshot and in- This greater realism may seem like
familiar to anyone who’s ever used stantly switches to a sound of your a small advantage, but in predator
a TV remote control. choosing, such as distressed coy- hunting it always pays to capitalize
In addition to a USB port inside the battery compartment, the fusion has a charging jack, an auxiliary jack for use with decoys and two
jacks to connect external speakers if desired.

NEW PRODUCTS
“ I quickly discovered
that the amazing
technology packed into
the Fusion left me and
my trusty FX5 in the dust.
A closer look at the TX-1000’s color

graphic LCD screen.
The TX-1000 remote supplied with the Fusion is light years ahead of
predecessor remotes with a color graphic LCD screen, dedicated special
function buttons and a center scroll/volume/select button arrangement
that’s as familiar as a TV remote. various software programs, but an
easier option is to go to the Foxpro
on every advantage you can find, Another feature, FOXDATA, al- online FOXCAST sequence genera-
especially when hunting heavily lows you to maintain a detailed tor, which you can access via the
called country where predators may record of useful information for Foxpro web site.
be well educated on standard each stand and, eventually, compile Sadly, my old FX5 may have
sounds. FOXMOTION, combined a record of your successes based on seen its last day afield, but the Fu-
with the use of a decoy, makes actual data. sion is just getting started. GW
things about as real as they can get All of this is mastered with rela-
short of staking out an actual tive ease, but there’s a bit of a
screaming rabbit. There’s even an learning curve associated with one CONTACT
auto volume feature, which starts of the more advanced features.
playing a sound at a low volume FOXCAST allows you to call virtu- FOXPRO Inc.
setting and gradually ramps up be- ally hands-free by utilizing pre-pro- (717) 248-2507
fore modulating the sound up and grammed calling sequence files. GoFoxpro.com
down automatically. You can create these yourself using

GW_1508_11 6/1/15 1:03 AM Page 11
DIY
Some folks just like to do things for themselves.
For those of you who do, Del-Ton has a complete line of

rifle kits to fit any need or budget.
Del-Ton is a manufacturer of quality AR-15-style

modern sporting rifles and your online source for parts,
upgrades, optics, and accessories. All rifle and kit
components are made in the U.S.A.
16’’ M4 Rifle Kit (RKT 100) / MSRP: $510

GW EXPERTS-12-13.qxp 6/3/15 11:04 PM Page 12
ASK the
EXPERTS We do the research so you don’t have to.
Left to right: the sabot with flechettes packed inside, a cutaway of the sabot flechette
round, and individual flechettes. (Leroy Thompson photo) Designs' 12-gauge flechette rounds
employs 19 Mil Spec 8-grain
Flechette FAN
flechettes with a mean muzzle ve-
locity of 1,925 fps. Against soft tar-
gets, these flechettes perform well
at longer ranges.
I have been told that these
Question: In one of your gage flechette ammunition, which Sabot Designs flechette rounds are
shotgun articles you uses a sabot until it leaves the bar- very popular with pig hunters and
mentioned the flechette rel to tighten the pattern and keep have performed extremely well.
ammunition used in Vietnam. the flechettes together to prevent Note that anyone ordering flechette
Is flechette 12-gauge deforming. Available from Sabot rounds should check their local
ammunition still available Designs, LLC, this ammunition is laws as some jurisdictions may
today? more effective than the Vietnam- have restrictions governing their
Ed S., Pittsburgh, PA era flechette rounds because of purchase or use. GW
high quality control on the
Leroy Thompson answers: flechettes themselves and the as- For more information visit:
Yes, there is some excellent 12- sembled ammunition. One of Sabot www.antipersonnel.net
Our August Expert:

Leroy Thompson is an internationally recognized authority on weapons and tactics, and is the author of more than
50 books.

GW_1508_13 6/1/15 1:04 AM Page 13
GW MUTANT-14-23.qxp 6/2/15 3:37 AM Page 14
COVER
STORY
The Best of
BOTH WORLDS
Text & Photos by Mike Dickerson
CMMG’s new MK47 ‘Mutant’

hybrid AK/AR rifle shoots so well —
without breaking the bank —
that you’ll have a hard time
putting it down

A
K versus AR. The contest
between these two iconic
firearms has played out
on battlefields around the world
for decades, and the relative
merits of these rifles are as hotly
debated today as they were at
the peak of the Cold War.
CMMG’s goal with the MK47

Mutant was to deliver AR
accuracy with AK reliability.

COVER STORY
For testing, the author mounted a Leupold Mark AR Mod-1 3-9x40mm scope with the rugged Burris PEPR mount.
CHOOSING SIDES Until recently, if you were in the suspect that Stoner’s and Kalash-
Proponents of Mikhail Kalash- market for a modern sporting rifle, nikov’s creations ran off together
nikov’s AK-47 design praise its low you pretty much had to pick a side and bred, producing some bizarre,
production costs, high reliability and choose one or the other. East-meets-West Frankengun off-
and relatively hard-hitting spring. Surprisingly, this turns out to
7.62x39mm chambering, although LOVE CHILD? be a good thing.
the design would eventually evolve That all changed in the last
into the AK-74 with a lighter couple of years as hybrid rifle de- EVOLUTION OF
5.45x39mm cartridge. signs, combining aspects of an AK THE SPECIES
Fans of Eugene Stoner’s design with an AR, began popping up like Although the Mutant superfi-
assert that the AR-15’s lighter desert wildflowers after a heavy cially resembles other AR rifles,
weight, its accuracy and its effec- rain. One of the newest — and slick- closer examination reveals some
tive range trump the Kalashnikov, est — hybrid designs to hit the mar- significant differences between the
albeit with a 5.56x45mm NATO ket is CMMG’s MK47 Mutant. Mutant and a garden-variety AR.
cartridge that many still criticize as At first glance, the Mutant For starters, the lower receiver
“underpowered.” looks a lot like most AR-15s, but is dimensionally longer than that of
And so the debate raged, with with an evil socialist banana- an AR-15 receiver. It had to be in
arguments generally boiling down shaped magazine inserted into the order to accommodate AK maga-
to “AKs are cheap and inaccurate,” magazine well. If you didn’t know zines and a unique magazine re-
and “ARs are expensive and finicky.” what you’re looking at, you might lease. In fact, the receivers are built

specifically to handle the 7.62x39 cept all standard AK magazines. WHY AND HOW
cartridge, so you can put aside any Another AR-style control you One of the obvious benefits is
thoughts of mixing and matching won’t find on the Mutant is the tra- the ability to burn through a lot of
uppers with the lower. You can, ditional AR magazine release but- cheap ammunition without break-
however mix and match a lot of ton, which has been replaced with ing the bank.
standard AR-15 components, such an ambidextrous paddle-style mag- Another is to take advantage of
as the grip, stock, trigger group, gas azine release. This take a bit of get- the unrivaled modularity of the AR
system and buffer tube. ting used to, but it works quite well. platform, which allows you to
One thing you’ll quickly notice Magazines are loaded by pivot- mount any and all accessories you
about the Mutant are the things you ing them into place around a steel care to stack on it. The Mutant, with
won’t notice at all because they’re support pin, located inside the front its flattop upper, gives you plenty of
not there. Most notably, there is no end of the magazine well, rather options with a full-length Picatinny
bolt lock/release button, which than by simply inserting them and rail and CMMG’s RKM KeyMod hand
means you have no way to lock the driving them home, AR-style. The guard. This setup provides you with
bolt open. steel pin allows the gun to accept attachment slots at the 3, 6 and 9
To those unfamiliar with the steel AK magazines without dam- o’clock positions.
AK-47, the bolt doesn’t lock back aging the aluminum magazine well. According to CMMG, the Mu-
after firing the last round in a maga- The only traditional AR-style tant’s purpose in life is to combine
zine. Rather, it informs you that it’s control you’ll find on this rifle is the “the accuracy and modularity of the
empty by going “click.” I’m not crazy two-position safety, which is lo- AR-15 with the reliability of the AK-
about that, but it was a necessary cated in the usual spot and works in 47.” Accuracy, of course, begins with
tradeoff to allow the Mutant to ac- the usual fashion. the barrel, and the version of the
CMMG’s removable SV
muzzle brake keeps muzzle
rise to a minimum.

COVER STORY
“ The Mutant looks a lot

like most AR-15s, but with an evil
socialist banana-shaped magazine
inserted into the magazine well.
The Mutant sports quality

furniture, such as this
Magpul MOE pistol grip.
Mutant I tested (MK47 AKM) came pearance of an AK-47.

SPECIFICATIONS equipped with a 16.1-inch medium Sure, they run off the same ba-
taper, chrome moly barrel with a nana-shaped magazine, but side by
CMMG MK47 MUTANT salt bath nitride finish. side, it’s like looking at a Maserati
The free-floated barrel, which parked next to a Chevy Suburban.
Action: Gas-operated semi-auto
has a 1:10 rate of twist and wears a
Caliber: 7.62x39 removable CMMG SV muzzle brake, BEEFY BEAUTY
is mated to a carbine-length direct- Don’t let the Mutant’s good
Barrel: 16.1 inches, medium taper, impingement gas system. I call that looks fool you; there’s plenty of
chrome moly, 1:10 twist a good start. beef under the surface. Unlike some
The new, mid-sized receivers hybrid rifles, which simply use a bolt
Handguard: CMMG RKM 15
are carved from billet 7075-T6 alu- with an enlarged face, the Mutant’s
Furniture: Magpul MOE pistol grip minum and are based on CMMG’s substantial bolt carrier group is ac-
MK3 platform, which is chambered tually a cut-down AR-10 (.308 Win-
Stock: Magpul 6-position adjustable in .308 Winchester. They have a chester) derivative based on the
matte black, hard-coat anodized MK3 design.
Muzzle Brake: SV, threaded 5/8-24
protective finish. The bolt itself is larger, with
Weight: 7.2 pounds, empty Slimmed down in profile, the thicker locking lugs than those on
receiver helps to keep weight, un- standard AR designs, and the bolt
Length: 33.5 inches with stock loaded, down to a surprisingly light carrier is bigger with the exception
collapsed 7.2 pounds. It also gives the Mutant of the rear section which matches
a rather lean, sleek appearance, in up with the buffer tube. This all
MSRP: $1,649
contrast to the bulky, graceless ap- equates to a heavier bolt carrier

group paired up with a heavier re- hold-open feature. With a little a wide array of different magazines
coil spring. practice, I adapted, but I would gen- and ammunition, from cheap sur-
Everything works out great in tly suggest to CMMG that there’s plus fodder for plinking to premium
terms of reliability, but that stiffer considerable room for improve- rounds with respected hunting bul-
spring can be a double-edged ment with the charging handle. lets, and you’ve got a handy, fun
sword, which brings us to one part Given the rifle’s other attrib- and versatile platform.
of the rifle that could, in my opinion, utes, I don’t see this as a deal The only question that re-
use some improvement. breaker, but it will require you to mained in my mind was whether
adapt to the gun and charge the the gun would shoot well enough,
CREATIVE OBSERVATIONS rifle with practiced assertiveness. with a cartridge that has never been
With its standard AR-15-sized In keeping with this rifle’s noted for its stellar accuracy, to
charging handle, the rifle is much stronger-is-better approach, it has make it worthwhile.
harder to charge than an AR-15, es- a large metal trigger guard that
pecially with a scope mounted and should allow you to shoot comfort- HOG-BUSTIN’ POTENTIAL
the ocular lens positioned near the ably while wearing gloves. You get I didn’t bother shooting cheap,
charging handle. an AR-style dust cover and shell surplus ammo in the MK47 because
It takes a lot of leverage to deflector, as well. I was far more interested in the
charge the gun, and the charging Of course, some tradeoffs are rifle’s accuracy potential when used
handle feels, to put it politely, inad- to be expected with hybrid rifles, with hunting and specialized self-
equate to the task. At one point, I and that is true of the Mutant. defense loads. I had a limited selec-
got a little careless with it and got a You’re stuck with a proprietary re- tion on hand, but was able to run a
painful pinch of a reminder that I ceiver and bolt carrier group, but couple hundred rounds down the
ought to take greater care with my just about everything else can be barrel without a single malfunction.
finger placement. easily interchanged with standard I did so without cleaning or lubricat-
This issue is naturally com- AR-15 components. ing anything in advance because I
pounded by the absence of a bolt Add to that the ability to accept wanted to see how the gun ran out
The Mutant sports a Magpul

six-position adjustable stock.

COVER STORY
The Mutant may accept bulky

AK magazines, but it retains a
sleek, trim appearance and excel-
lent handling characteristics
thanks to a slimmed down receiver
and clean lines.
The MK47’s beefy bolt carrier

group is actually a cut-down
AR-10 derivative based on
CMMG’s MK3 design.
PERFORMANCE RESULTS:
CMMG MK47 MUTANT RIFLE 7.62X39
LOAD AVG. MUZZLE AVG. 100-YARD BEST 100-YARD

VELOCITY (FPS) GROUP (INCHES) GROUP (INCHES)
Federal Fusion 123-gr. 2383 1.15 0.80
Hornady 123-gr. SST 2374 1.52 1.30
Winchester PDX1 120-gr. 2341 1.00 0.77

Split Core HP
Note: Velocities were measured with a Competitive Edge Dynamics M2 chronograph. All groups were fired
in 10-14 mph wind.

“ The only traditional

AR-style control you’ll
find on this rifle is the
two-position safety…
Magazines are inserted by pivoting them into place around a steel support pin inside
the front end of the magazine well. This allows the gun to use steel AK magazines
without damaging the aluminum mag well.
You won’t find a traditional AR magazine release button on the MK47. Rather, it uses an
ambidextrous paddle-style magazine release that proved easy to manipulate.
of the box. The rifle did not object. 16.1-inch barrel, velocities were also served me well in the field and at the
Tested ammo included Fed- very close to factory-stated veloci- bench, and it’s pretty much my go-to
eral’s 123-grain Fusion load and ties, varying from 24 fps slower setup when I need to test AR-type ri-
Hornady’s 123-grain SST round, than advertised to 33 fps faster. fles for accuracy.
along with Winchester’s interesting Such a small amount of variation is, I may choose to put red dot
new 120-grain PDX1 Split Core HP in practical terms, meaningless. sights or other tyes of optics on the
home-defense load. Recoil was only slightly more guns later, but this scope/mount
With this bullet, the rear two- noticeable than with an AR-15, and combination helps me wring maxi-
thirds of the lead core is chemically the muzzle brake kept muzzle rise mum accuracy out of a given rifle
bonded to the jacket, but the front to a minimum. With the supplied with minimum fuss.
third is not, allowing for both rapid 30-round AK PMAG magazine, you
expansion and good penetration. can burn through ammo in a hurry. ACCURACY
Average velocities for these For testing, I mounted a Le- Accuracy testing proved to be
three loads were quite close, rang- upold Mark AR Mod-1 3-9X40mm challenging due to the rifle’s heavy
ing from 2,341 fps to 2,383 fps. Sur- scope into a rock-solid Burris PEPR single-stage, mil-spec style trigger,
prisingly, given the Mutant’s mount. This combination has which broke at an average of 5

COVER STORY
CONTACT
Burris Optics
970-356-1670
BurrisOptics.com
CMMG Inc.
660-248-2293
The author put a couple hundred rounds through the Mutant, with no prior cleaning or CMMGInc.com
lubrication, and the gun functioned flawlessly.
Competitive Edge Dynamics

pounds, 10 ounces. While it’s possi- acceptable for a hunting load.
888-628-3233
ble to shoot tight groups with this Two out of the three loads
CEDhk.com
trigger, it’s not easy. produced sub-MOA best groups.
For a couple hundred dollars That’s not bad at all for a cartridge
Federal Premium Ammunition
more, CMMG will sell you an up- that was originally intended to
800-379-1732
graded version of the rifle, the MK47 shoot “minute of man” at 100
FederalPremium.com
AKM2, which comes with a Geissele yards, and there is absolutely no
SSA trigger, but it’s no great chal- doubt in my mind that groups
Hornady Manufacturing Company
lenge to replace the mil-spec trigger would tighten up a bit more with a
800-338-3220
with a trigger of your choosing. If better trigger installed.
the rifle were mine, it’s the first
Hornady.com
thing I’d change. NET RESULT
Despite the heavy trigger, the Zeroed three inches high at
Leupold & Stevens
rifle delivered on its fundamental 100 yards with any of the loads
800-538-7653
promise of providing the accuracy tested, you can still hold dead on Leupold.com
of an AR with reliability of an AK. the vital zone of a whitetail deer or
The PDX1 load delivered one- hog out to 200 yards. Nagel’s Gun Shop
inch average groups, while the Fed- For hunters who seldom 210-831-7795
eral Fusion load was close behind shoot at greater distances, the NagelsGuns.net
with average groups of just 1.15- MK47 Mutant and the 7.62x39 car-
inches. The steel-cased Hornady tridge will help you put meat on Winchester Ammunition
SST round produced 1.5-inch aver- the table and defend the home- Winchester.com
age groups, which is perfectly stead in admirable fashion. GW

GW_1508_23 6/1/15 1:05 AM Page 23
GW TRISTAR-24-33 6/2/15 2:58 AM Page 24

Bronzed BEAUTY
Text & Photos by Brad Fitzpatrick
TriStar has been making affordable, eye-catching

guns for years, but the Viper G2 Bronze
takes the brand to a new level
I
’ve often heard that
the critical first step
to solving a problem
is admitting that you have
one, so here goes: I like
fine firearms. I like guns with
exceptional walnut stocks, sleek,
stylish lines, excellent fit and finish,
and unflappable operating systems.
My affection for fine firearms is
not the real affliction, though.
My problem is that guns of
this ilk cost a lot of money,
and I don’t have a lot of
money, so I don’t have a
lot of nice firearms. It’s
a very frustrating
situation, you see.
The Viper comes to the shoulder

easily, balances well, and goes
boom every time you pull the
trigger—even with light ammo.
It also looks good on the range
or in the field.

The Viper is a great clays gun, and it has the classic look of a high-end semiauto without the high-end price tag. Odds are it is going to
be one of TriStar’s most in-demand shotguns.
To their credit, gun companies your own empties. It’s harder to find THE VIPER SYSTEM
have done a very good job of produc- a good, reliable semiauto scattergun At the heart of the G2 Viper is a
ing very good guns at reasonable for a reasonable price, let’s say under gas operation system utilizing a pis-
prices over the last few decades. If $800. But you can’t expect too much ton that controls escaping gases.
you are looking for a cut-rate bolt-ac- at that price point, right? These gases help move the piston
tion rifle there are several from which TriStar has set out to reshape and the dual action bars that oper-
to choose, and some of the guns, like opinions about budget shotguns. ate the gun. The basic concept has
the Weatherby Vanguard, even offer Their popular semiauto shotguns, been around in one form or another
a sub-MOA guarantee. known as the Viper G2 line, are built for decades, and although the hard-
In addition, the rise in popularity in Turkey and provide excellent relia- ware differs the engineering and the
of concealed carry permits has bility at a surprisingly low price point. physics remain similar in guns that
prompted handgun manufacturers If you still cling to the notion that use this system.
to develop lightweight, compact, reli- Turkish guns are not reliable, believe It’s often been said that gas
able pistols that are reasonably me, it’s time to abandon such gener- guns “reduce” recoil; in fact, the re-
priced, and this new competition has alizations. Indeed, there are some coil energy is simply stretched out
been a gain for shooters who are try- very good shotguns that are quite af- over a longer period of time and
ing to stretch their dollar. There are a fordable coming out of the country, thus felt recoil figures are lower. The
number of good, cheap shotguns, and many of those have the TriStar gas system of the Viper G2 Bronze
particularly if you are willing to shuck name on them. worked extremely well for me. I did

not “break the gun in” with some type

of heavy loads but rather challenged
the Viper G2 Bronze right away with a
case of Winchester AA 7 ½ shells.
For this bronzed beauty to be
successful it must first be reliable,
and the gas system should be able to
handle light loads because that’s
what most shooters will be firing
through this gun. Sure, the Viper has
a 3-inch chamber, but the over-
whelming majority of field gun own-
ers only fire the least expensive
off-the-shelf ammunition they can
find. For that reason, I test each shot-
gun with light target loads. I blew
through a half-case of AAs in a hurry,
shooting hand-tossed and machine
thrown clays in rapid succession.
The TriStar name has always been associated with value-priced guns, but the Viper G2 The Viper went through 250
Bronze adds a look never before seen from these semiautos. Rather than dressing up a
cheap gun, the company incorporated a reliable gas system and ultimately built a shot-
rounds without faltering, and be-
gun that looks and shoots like it costs a lot more than it does. tween the waffle recoil pad and the

The Viper’s receiver is treated

with a Cerakote Bronze finish. Not
only is it attractive, the Cerakote
finish protects the receiver from
corrosion and damage.
gun’s heft (it weighs just under 7

pounds), recoil was manageable.
SPECIFICATIONS
TriStar says that the gun has en-
dured 5,000-round torture tests,
TRISTAR VIPER G2 BRONZE
which is far more shooting than
Action: Gas-operated semiautomatic most do in a lifetime. Still, it is good
to know that a gun has been put
Caliber/Gauge: 12-gauge (tested), through the paces. Additionally,
20-gauge TriStar backs the gun with a five-
year warranty.
Capacity: 5
Weight: 6.8 pounds (12-gauge) BALANCE OF POWER

I am a firm believer that a well-
Barrel Length (inches): 28, 26 balanced gun that fits the shooter
properly has already helped the
Length: 46.5 inches
shooter bypass lots of frustrating
misses. The Bronze balances well,
Choke: 3 (IC, M, F)
with the weight centered just at the
Finish: Cerakote Bronze front of the action. This gives the
gun a “between the hands” feel The large bolt release button is
located on the right side of the gun and
Stock: Semi-Gloss Turkish Walnut that so many gun writers and it's easy to find and manipulate. The
lifter acts as a magazine cutoff so you
shooters praise. If the weight is too
MSRP: $759 can easily unload the Viper’s chamber
far back the gun feels “whippy” and without emptying the magazine.

GW TRISTAR-24-33 6/4/15 11:44 PM Page 29
doesn’t swing smoothly. Too much

weight toward the front of the gun THE WEST’S BEST BIRDS
levels out the swing but produces a Castle Valley Outdoors in Emery, Utah is home to some of the West’s very best
upland bird hunting. Along the river valleys lush fields of green grass are home to
sluggish character that bird hunters pheasant, chukar, and quail, and there are few places more spectacular to hunt
hate. The Viper G2 Bronze keeps the than the “Valley of Kings,” which is lined with multi-colored rock towers rising hun-
dreds of feet into the air. If adventure is in your blood and you’re in top physical
weight properly balanced. shape, you can pursue birds in the dry river canyons where the ancient Freemont
people carved crude images into the rock faces above with handmade stone tools.
A large bolt release button is lo- If you’d rather enjoy a more relaxing hunt, stick to the river bottoms where
cated on the right side of the re- birds are abundant. No matter how you like to hunt, you’ll stay in Castle Valley’s lux-
urious lodge situated just steps from a stocked trout pond. If you tire of hunting
ceiver, and elevating the lifter while birds, you can always bring along your varmint rifle and help Jim and his crew con-
trol the booming prairie dog populations on the ranch.
opening the action works like a
magazine cutoff switch, allowing For more information, visit www.castlevalleyoutdoors.com
you to quickly unload the chamber

for safe and easy fence-crossings.
Total capacity is five, but the plug in
the magazine reduces overall ca-
pacity to three. Removing the plug
is simply a matter of unscrewing
the magazine cap and removing the
plastic insert.
The Viper comes with three
choke tubes in improved cylinder,
modified, and full, which will cover
the bulk of shots you will ever take
with this gun. The TriStar can also
The attractive TriStar Viper looked good alongside the spectacular vistas of the Valley of the Kings in Emery, Utah.

It’s hard to believe that this type of wood comes on a gun with an MSRP below $800, but TriStar has found a way to make it happen.
The fire and flame in the Turkish walnut stock give the Viper G2 Bronze a classic (and expensive) look. Note the waffle pad and slightly
radiused heel, which absorb recoil and prevent hangups when mounting the gun.
accept Beretta/Benelli Mobile under 7 pounds depending on wood belies their price tag. The stock finish is
Thread chokes, which are pretty density, and the 20-gauge model so glossy that it was very tough to get
easy to find and are available in a weighs around 6 pounds. photos without perfect lighting because
variety of constrictions. the glass-smooth finish reflected any
The red fiber optic bead on the FETCHING FINISH available light. The checkering is pretty
front of the matte vent rib barrel is Two things catch your eye good, and the slab-sided feel of the
bright and easy to see even in low about this gun immediately. The forearm and pistol grip are comfortable
light conditions. For those who like first is the distinctive Cerakote and make the gun easy to maneuver.
to mount an optic on their shotgun, Bronze finish, which is classy and The weathered wooden gun rack at
the receiver is milled to accept extremely durable. The second fea- my shooting club has held a number of
bases. That feature is probably a ture that draws your attention (and high-priced scatterguns, and anything
holdover from other TriStar Viper the first thing that most people new draws attention. I propped the
designs that are more commonly who see this gun comment on) is Viper Bronze up as bait and waited
used for defense, turkey and big the glossy Turkish walnut stock. It while I poured a cup of coffee, and in
game hunting, but even if you never looks like very expensive wood, so short order a couple of shooters made
mount an optic on the gun it’s nice much so, in fact, that I removed the their way up to check out the new gun.
to have the option. recoil pad and wasn’t convinced One asked if he could pick it up. I blew
The TriStar’s crossbolt safety is that the Viper Bronze hadn’t been steam off the coffee cup and nodded.
located just behind the trigger, treated with some type of laminate They studied the gun for quite some
which is a convenient and popular until I scraped the walnut myself time, checking out the classy lines, the
positioning. Currently the Viper G2 and saw it fall into my hand. shimmering bronze receiver and that
Bronze is available in 12- and 20- These guns are made in Turkey gorgeous wood.
gauge with 28- and 26-inch barrels. — obviously the source of Turkish “Wait,” one of the guys said, “this is
The 12-gauge version weighs just walnut — but they have a stock that a TriStar?”

“
BROWNING TRAPPER CREEK MESH SHOOTING VEST
The Bronze It’s tough to find a shooting vest

that comfortably supports all your
balances well, with the shells and gear yet is light and comfort-
able enough to wear in warm weather,
but the Trapper Creek vest from Brown-
weight centered just at ing fits the bill. Four large pockets up-
front hold all the shells you’ll need for a
the front of the action. couple rounds of skeet or a long dove
hunt, and the rear pockets hold your
birds or empty hulls. The shooting patch
is made from 100% garment washed
cotton twill, and the lightweight mesh
design is very comfortable even on the
hottest days. Realtree camo helps you
blend in so passing doves won’t spot
you, and the sewn-in REACTAR G2
pocket comfortably holds a recoil-ab-
sorbing REACTAR pad to help reduce
recoil fatigue (G2 pad sold separately).
If you enjoy upland hunting or shotgun
sports (or both) the Browning Trapper
Creek vest is durable and comfortable.
MSRP is $70.00. For more information, visit www.browning.com
A NICE SURPRISE
So despite that fact that it
comes from a company with a rep-
utation for putting out budget guns,
the Viper G2 Bronze is an aestheti-
cally nice surprise. But it’s also a
very functional gun that is ex-
tremely well balanced and reliable.
It performed perfectly on the skeet
range, swallowing up AAs with ease
and spitting out empties with au-
thority. The gas system helps make
recoil manageable, and the weight
is about right. A lot of field guns are
light enough to carry all day, but
that trim styling doesn’t translate
well to a sporting gun that you
might fire 150 times a day.
In contrast, a heavy target shot-
gun is easy on the shoulder, but it
may weigh 8 or more pounds in 12-
gauge, a heavy burden when you’re
hiking all day in search of a few
chukar or pheasants. The Viper
plays the middle ground. I can say
Even the magazine cap gets the Cerakote treatment. Under the cap there’s an easy-
to-use plug that can be removed for additional magazine space. with certainty that it is a clay-crush-

ing machine, and even though there

were misses along the way, if I did
my part the Viper did its job per-
fectly. And it looked good doing it.
The interior of the receiver is a
bit rough in a couple places and has
a few machining marks, and the
trigger, while functional, is a little
heavy and gritty. Otherwise, the gun
is a stunner and performs very well.
I didn’t have the gun during hunting
season, but I just may have my own
Viper Bronze when the weather
starts to cool.
The 20-gauge version with a
26-inch barrel would be fantastic
for doves, quail, and rabbit hunting,
and if I were heading to the Dakotas
to chase rooster pheasants, or if I
thought I might want to use the gun
for sporting clays or maybe the oc-
casional duck blind sit, I’d opt for
the 12-gauge.
Either way, I think you’ll like
what you get. I still shake my head
when I realize that this gun has an
MSRP of $759. Seems impossible.
But if you’re like me and you want a
gun that is reliable enough for ex-
tended shooting sessions with light
loads and looks far more expensive
than it actually is, then the Viper
Bronze might be just what you’re
after. It’s a feature-packed gun
that's priced to compete with the
big boys. GW
The checkering on the

CONTACT
Viper G2 Bronze is good,
and the flat sides of the
forearm are comfortable TriStar Arms
to hold and offer great
control of the muzzle. The (816) 421-1400
balance point is where it
should be, giving the Viper
TriStarArms.com
a between-the-hands feel.

GW_1508_33 6/1/15 1:05 AM Page 33
Dillon Precision’s
XL650
STANDARD FEATURES:
www.dillonprecision.com
Too receive
e i e a FREE
REE Catalog,
a alog call
ll 800-762-3845
0 62 45 andnd askk for
or stock
o k number
umber K91-14690.
9 4690
GW SHARPTAIL-34-43 6/8/15 2:37 AM Page 34
Tom ran the new CZ-USA

Sharp-Tail side-by-side
shotgun through its paces
shooting clay targets.

The Sharp-Shooting
SHARP-TAIL SXS
Text & Photos by Thomas C. Tabor
CZ-USA offers side-by-side fans a

timely take on a classic design
C
Z’s Czech Republic roots date back to
1936, but CZ-USA has only been around
since 1991. That isn’t much time to be-
come established in the highly competitive
U.S. firearm marketplace, nor is it usually an
adequate amount of time for a firearms com-
pany to develop a favorable reputation with
American shooters.
Today, however, CZ-USA has managed to
achieve both of those goals and continues to
expand their line of high quality, yet reasonably
priced handguns, rifles and shotguns.

from side to side to change the fir-

ing order of the barrels. I have found
that on some occasions those de-
signs do not move as freely as I
would prefer.
GUN LUST ger, but others believe that leaf CZ took an entirely different
At the most recent Las Vegas springs are more susceptible to approach in their barrel selector de-
SHOT Show, I was drawn to CZ’s breakage and are harder to replace sign. Although the selector lever is
new Sharp-Tail side-by-side like than coil springs. located on top of the safety, it
coyotes are drawn to my neighbor’s While I am confident that most moves independently and is a com-
free-ranging chickens. shooters couldn’t tell the difference pletely separate mechanism from
My own interest in multiple bar- in performance of a coil versus a
reled firearms is a genuine love af- leaf spring in any shotgun, the
fair, and I'm particularly fond of longer service life of the coil spring
those that have been joined at the certainly is a positive characteristic
hip like this fine CZ side-by-side. in my view. And I believe that is why
Unfortunately, my attendance at CZ opted to use coils when they de-
the SHOT Show never provides signed their Sharp-Tail shotgun.
enough time to conduct a thorough It's common on older guns, or
evaluation of any new product. guns paying homage to ancient de-
To satisfy my urge for a closer signs, to find two triggers on a dou-
look once I returned home, I placed ble-barrel shotgun – one trigger for
an order with CZ-USA and a few each barrel. Around the turn of the
months later a new 20-gauge 20th century, new single trigger de-
Sharp-Tail side-by-side arrived to signs began to appear, evolving to
take up residency. include both a non-selective single
trigger design, which fires in a pre-
DOUBLE DESIGNS set barrel order established by the
& THE SHARP-TAIL manufacturer, as well as a single-
Although side-by-side shotgun selective trigger design that allows
designs may appear similar, they the shooter to select whichever
frequently contain internal varia- barrel they prefer to fire first.
tions, such as the type of hammer The Sharp-Tail's trigger favor-
springs used. ably falls in this latter category with
Many double-barreled shot- the barrel selector conveniently lo-
guns come equipped with leaf style cated on top of the tang-mounted
hammer springs. Some shooters safety. A common design found on
feel that this type of spring im- many similar shotguns requires the
proves the performance of the trig- shooter to actually move the safety

The CZ Sharp-Tail blends

old world charm with modern
features to produce a great
21st century field gun.
the safety, which, to me, seems to The other design relies on a

encourage smoother and more posi- mechanical mechanism to
tive movements. switch over to the second barrel.
After the first barrel of a double In this case, even if the first barrel
has been fired, there are two differ- fails to fire, the second barrel can
ent designs used to automatically be fired by simply pulling the trig-
switch the firing mechanism over to ger again. This design is com-
the second barrel. In some cases, the monly considered superior and
recoil of the firearm results in shifting more reliable than the recoil op-
this apparatus, but if barrel #1 fails to erated systems and is incorpo-
fire, barrel #2 won’t fire, either. rated into the CZ Sharp-Tail.
Browning ProSteel safes,

featuring ThermaBlock,
protect your guns and
valuables 2 to 3 times
more effectively than
leading competitors.
BROWNING.COM
The CZ Sharp-Tail comes packed in a durable form-fitted plastic case. The blue
velour material used to protect the Sharp-Tail provides a nice added touch.

The forearm stock came

in a semi-beavertail design
with checkering and a slight
flare on the end.
There are also two typical words, the frame of a 20-gauge is

SPECIFICATIONS means of removing fired shells from scaled back in size compared to
the chambers: spring-loaded ejec- that of the 12-gauge, the 28-gauge
CZ SHARP-TAIL tor systems to kick the fired hulls frame is a bit smaller overall than
free of the chamber when the ac- that of the 20-gauge and a .410
Chambering: 20-Gauge
tion is opened or extractors that lift frame is smaller than the 28-gauge.
Max. Shell Length: 3 inches the shell out of the chamber just This is an important feature very
enough remove with one’s fingers. worthy of consideration, particu-
Barrel Length: 28 inches To simplify manufacturing and larly when considering one of the
to keep pricing reasonable, CZ smaller gauges.
Chokes: 5 Flush Interchangeable
opted for extractors over ejectors, The logical question would be
Stock: Turkish Walnut so you won’t have to chase empties why anyone would want to shoot,
as they fly out of the gun. In fact, for example, a 20-gauge or 28-
Length of Pull: 14.5 inches I've known of some trap shooters gauge if it were sized the same as a
who disabled the ejectors just so 12-gauge. In this case there would
Forend Style: Semi-Beavertail they don't have to chase after their be little advantage in shooting the
flying empties. smaller gauge.
Receiver Finish: Color Case Hardened
The 20-gauge Sharp-Tail
Barrel Finish: Black Hard Chrome SMART DESIGN comes with 28-inch black hard-
In addition to having a selec- chrome barrels equipped with flush
Ejector/Extractor: Extractor table trigger, coil spring operated style choke tubes, of which five are
hammers and extractors, the supplied with each gun (Full, Im-
Rib: Raised
Sharp-Tail comes with a one-piece proved Modified, Modified, Im-
Overall Length: 45.75 inches CNC machined receiver, independ- proved Cylinder and Cylinder).
ent floating firing pins and newly The choke designations are in-
Weight: 6.3 pounds designed sears, all of which the dicated on each choke tube in the
company feels combine to produce form of tiny notches, which can be
Comb: 1.5 inches a longer life expectancy and greater seen even when the choke has
overall consistencies. screwed into place. A single notch
Heel: 2.25 inches
The Sharp-Tail is built around a indicates full choke, two notches
Trigger Mech: Single Selectable newer, more compact action. On all means it is choked improved modi-
CZ shotguns, including the Sharp- fied, three means modified, etc.
Safety: Manual Tail, the company builds each on its The Sharp-Tail stock is made of
own specific frame, sized to match Turkish walnut and is nicely check-
MSRP: $1,022.00
that particular gauge. In other ered on the pistol grip and forearm.

The metal works is finished in a nice Cooperative for CZ-USA. Huglu is

combination of gloss bluing and well known both here in the
vivid case hardened colors and United States as well as in Eu-
comes with a modest amount of rope. In addition to the shotguns
metal engraving. supplied and sold under the CZ
The rib is raised, but not venti- logo, Huglu produces and sells a
lated, and the safety is manually variety of fine shotguns under
operated, which I personally prefer their own name.
to an automatic design. I found that
the barrels were mono-blocked, EASY ON THE EYES
which is a common design on many The wood on most CZs, in-
of today's double-barreled cluding this one, is not often
firearms. The locking mechanism what I would refer to as "ele-
consisted of a set of dual sliding gant." In many cases, it lacks a
blocks, which appears to be very significant amount of contract-
strong and reliable. And to top it off, ing grain pattern, but when it
the Sharp-Tail comes in a very nice comes to strength, it is very good
form-fitted hard plastic case. with the grain running properly
The Sharp-Tail is actually built through the pistol grip and other
in Turkey by Huglu Hunting Firearms areas. I've never seen any CZ
Included with each Sharp-Tail shotgun are five removable flush-mounted chokes
(Full, Improved Modified, Modified, Improved Cylinder and Cylinder) along with a
wrench and a storage case.

Tom found that the patterns produced by the CZ Sharp-Tail were even and consistent with the choke designations.
stock wood containing any of the The buttstock is straight with pounds with the factory indicating
lesser desirable sapwood. only a 2.5-inch drop at the heel, that both the .410 and 28-gauge are
The finish on the Sharp-Tail which favors less abusive recoil and a little lighter at 5.9 pounds.
stock appeared to be a hard, semi- the 14.5-inch length of pull should The field model 12-gauge
gloss, non-oil type spray-on prod- fit most adult shooters. weighs 7.3 pounds and the Target
uct which seemed to be quite The forearm is a semi-beaver- Model 12-gauge is slightly heavier at
durable and weather resistant. I tail design with a tip that flares out 7.5 pounds.
would characterize the overall ap- slightly. The thin 1/2-inch black re- All of the metal surfaces with
pearance as a rather pleasant blend coil pad was functional and the exception of the barrel, safety
of old classic styling coupled with matched the general appearance of and barrel selector were case hard-
some enhanced but subtle modern the gun nicely. The weight of the ened with brilliant coloration
world improvements. 20-gauge was a moderate 6.3 throughout. Those remaining parts
PERFORMANCE:
CZ SHARP-TAIL 20-GAUGE PATTERNING WINCHESTER DOUBLE A - SUPER SPORT

2-3/4", 7/8-OUNCE, #7-1/2, 1,300 FPS
Number of Shot 40-Yards Full 40-Yards Modified 30-Yards Improved Cylinder
Within 20-inch Circle 146 136 90

Percentage in 20 inches 51% 48% 32%
Within 30-inch Circle 226 192 177

Percentage in 30 inches 79% 67% 62%
Note: While many charts indicate that there are 306 #7-1/2 pellets contained in a 7/8-ounce load, an actual
count of the number of shot within one of the Winchester Double A - Super Sport shells indicated that there were
285. Variations like this are common due to a couple of things. First, most shot charges are measured in volume
rather than weight, both when loaded at the factory and by a handloader. Second, there will some variation in
weight based on the amount of antimony and other components contained in the lead.

that weren’t case hardened were a workout. Using my Lyman trigger patterning can be found in the ac-
nicely blued with a high gloss finish. pull gauge I first checked the left companying table.
The barrels came with a single barrel, which came in with an aver- After my patterning activities
white plastic bead on the rib at the age of five pulls to be 5 pounds, 3.5 were completed, I turned my atten-
muzzle. Side lock panels were pres- ounces. The right barrel had a tion to some clay target shooting. I
ent, but were not functional in the slightly lighter pull weight at 4 like the performance of Winchester
true sense of side lock construction. pounds, 13.3 ounces. Although I did AA trap and skeet shells, which
In reality, the Sharp-Tail is of a box notice a little slack in the trigger be- usually zip along at about 1,200 fps;
lock design with side lock panels fore it reached the sear engage- however, I decided to run a batch of
added solely for the sake of appear- ment point, but after that there was AA Super Sport 7/8-ounce 1,300
ance. And the metal to wood inlet- little to no detectable creep or slop fps shells through the Sharp-Tail.
ting was well done with no major in its movements. In order to cover as broad a
gaps present. range of testing as I could, I also
DETECTING A PATTERN added a variety of other Winchester
SWINGIN’ Unfortunately, my Sharp-Tail shotshells, including Blind Side 3-
The Sharp-Tail 20-gauge han- shotgun arrived a few months after inch steel shells, Double X 3-inch
dled very nicely and came to my the end of typical bird season. That turkey loads and Super X 2-3/4-
shoulder each time precisely in the limited my abilities somewhat on inch 1-ounce loads in a variety of
same manner. It swung smoothly the feathered scene, but a few shot sizes.
and handled very well. The 28-inch flocks of English starlings made the All ammo performed very well,
barrels seem to be well matched to mistake of invading my backyard, and in so doing they not only made
the gun overall, providing a balance which provided some opportunity life miserable for the starling popu-
point that's exactly where it should to put a little lead to feathers. lation, but they turned my clay tar-
be: precisely at the hinge point. As the first flock passed gets into puffs of powdery dust.
Like most new doubles fresh sharply to my left, the right barrel
out-of-the-box, I found the action ended one bird's life very effec- BOTTOM LINE
to be very tight, but it will obviously tively, followed by the left barrel I like the CZ Sharp-Tail’s looks,
loosen up a bit over time. To me, the sending another to the ground. fit, finish and function. Priced at just
sound produced by a double upon The next evening and the days over a grand retail, it seems like a
closing is frequently indicative of to follow produced several more fine tool not only for me, but for
the overall quality of the firearm. opportunities to take doubles, and budding shooting sports enthusi-
For that reason I always listen care- that inspired me so much I told my asts as well.
fully for the audible sounds as the wife maybe I should simply retire Sometimes, you really do get
cross bolts and bars lock into place. the CZ and tell everyone that that what you pay for. GW
If those sounds are strong and re- gun simply never misses.
sounding I take that as an indicator When my shipment of Win-
of good quality, strength and close chester shotshells arrived, I headed
tolerances, and in this case the out to see first how the barrels were CONTACT
Sharp-Tail clearly met that goal. patterning. Of the five chokes that
I also found that both the came with the Sharp-Tail, I pat-
safety and barrel selection features terned the three most commonly
CZ-USA
moved smoothly and without any used ones: the full and modified at 800-955-4486
signs of unwanted resistance or 40 yards and the improved cylinder CZ-USA.com
hesitancy in their movements. at 30 yards. I found the patterns of
After becoming accustomed to all three to be typical of those Winchester Ammunition
and checking out the usual fea- chokes and I found that the pellets 800-356-2666
tures, I decided to test the trigger were spread evenly throughout Winchester.com
pull before taking the Sharp-Tail for their patterns. The results of that

GW_1508_42 6/1/15 2:02 AM Page 42
JANTZ-USA AT KN
JANTZ USA MADE BLADES HANDLE
MATERIAL
Jantz Blades are the highest quality pre-shaped blades available anywhere.
Each of these hollow ground blades are designed by our team and crafted 100% on site at our facility.
Oyster Blade Pattern 65 1 1/2” X 10” Scales below.
Glow
The back is flat.
Designed with beauty and usability in mind, the rounded

and ground tip is perfect for shucking oysters practically Overall length 8 7/16", blade is 3 1/2" x 1 1/8" wide, 5/32"
and safely. Cryogenically treated and razor sharp. Overall thick. Handle Holes 3/16", Thong Hole 3/16". CAT.# THICK PRICE
length 6 3/4”, blade is 2 1/4” x 1.04” wide, .100” thick.
Handle Holes 3/16”. CAT.# STEEL FINISH TEMPER HRC PRICE KI1815 1/8” 10.95
J6508 440C Satin Cryo 57-58 39.95 KI1315 3/16” 15.95
CAT.# STEEL FINISH TEMPER HRC PRICE KI1415 19.95
J6528 D2 Satin Cryo 59-61 39.95 1/4”
J1008 440C Satin Cryo 57-58 29.95 J6589 Damascus Etched Cryo 58-60 99.95
J1089 49.95
Damascus Etched Cryo 58-60
Pattern 51 Desert Camo
Pattern 35
Overall length 6 5/8", blade is 3" x 3/4" wide, 1/8" thick.

Similar to our Pattern 31 with a full hollow grind.
Handle Holes 3/16", Thong Hole 3/16".
Cryogenically treated and razor sharp. Overall length 7
CAT.# STEEL FINISH TEMPER HRC PRICE 5/8", blade is 3" x 1 1/8" wide, 5/32" thick. Bolster Holes CAT.# THICK PRICE
J3508 440C Satin Cryo 57-58 32.95 1/8", Handle Holes 1/4", Thong Hole 1/4". See online for
J3528 D2 Satin Cryo 59-61 32.95 accessories. KI1802 1/8” 8.95
J3558 CPM 154 Satin Cryo 59-60 39.95 KI1302 3/16” 9.95
CAT.# STEEL FINISH TEMPER HRC PRICE KI1402 1/4” 14.95
J3589 Damascus Etched Cryo 58-60 49.95
J5108 440C Satin Cryo 57-58 34.95
Large Caper J5128 D2 Satin Cryo 59-61 34.95
J5148 154CM Satin Cryo 58-59 39.95 Lava Flow
J5178 CPMS 90V Satin Cryo 56-59 99.95
Overall length 7 3/4", blade is 3" x 3/4" wide, 1/8" thick. Pattern 52
Handle Holes 3/16".
CAT.# STEEL FINISH TEMPER HRC PRICE
J8258 CPM 154 Satin Cryo 59-60 34.95
CAT.# THICK PRICE
Small Caper Similar to our Pattern 22 with a full hollow grind. KI1804 1/8” 8.95
Cryogenically treated and razor sharp. Overall length 8 KI1304 3/16” 9.95
3/8", blade is 3 1/2" x 1 3/32" wide, 5/32" thick. Bolster KI1404 1/4” 14.95
Holes 1/8", Handle Holes 1/4", Thong Hole 1/4". See page
Overall length 5 1/8", blade is 2" x 1/2" wide, .100" thick. online for accessories.
Handle Holes 1/8".
Red Pearl
CAT.# STEEL FINISH TEMPER HRC PRICE
CAT.# STEEL FINISH TEMPER HRC PRICE J5208 440C Satin Cryo 57-58 39.95
J8158 CPM 154 Satin Cryo 59-60 29.95 J5228 D2 Satin Cryo 59-61 39.95
J8189 Damascus Etched Cryo 58-60 29.95 J5289 Damascus Etched Cryo 58-60 99.95
Jantz Blades are the highest quality pre-shaped blades available anywhere.
The two blades below are only a portion of our flat ground Jantz Blades. Designed and crafted 100% on site at our facility.
Pattern 31 Pattern 61 CAT.# THICK PRICE
KI1808 1/8” 8.95
KI1308 3/16” 10.95
KI1408 1/4” 13.95
Pattern 31 is flat ground and has optimal edge holding Pattern 61 is flat ground and has optimal edge holding
Green Pearl
capability. Overall length 7 5/8”, Blade Length 3”, width 1 1/8”, capability. Overall length 7 3/4”, Blade Length 3 1/4”, width 1
thickness 5/32”. Bolster holes 1/8”, Handle Holes 1/4”, Thong 1/4”, thickness 9/64” (.140”). Bolster holes 3/32”, Handle Holes
Hole 1/4”. 3/32” and 3/16”, Thong Hole 1/4”.
CAT.# STEEL FINISH TEMPER HRC PRICE CAT.# STEEL FINISH TEMPER HRC PRICE
J3127 D2 Peened Cryo 59-61 31.95 J6127 D2 Peened Cryo 59-61 32.95
J3128 D2 Satin Cryo 59-61 31.95 J6128 D2 Satin Cryo 59-61 32.95
J3147 154CM Peened Cryo 58-59 35.95 J6107 440C Peened Cryo 57-58 32.95
J3148 154CM Satin Cryo 58-59 35.95 J6108 440C Satin Cryo 57-58 32.95 CAT.# THICK PRICE
J3198 1095 Satin Cryo 57-58 24.95 J6157 CPM154 Peened Cryo 59-60 44.95 KI1810 1/8” 8.95
J319K 1095 Black Cryo 57-58 24.95 J6158 CPM154 Satin Cryo 59-60 44.95 KI1310 3/16” 10.95
J3189 Damascus Etched Cryo 58-60 79.95 J6189 Damascus Etched Cryo 58-60 89.95 KI1410 1/4” 13.95
GW_1508_43 6/1/15 2:03 AM Page 43
NIFEMAKING.COM
BLADE STEEL FOLDER ACCESSORIES
Kirinite® is one of the most
stylish resin materials on the
market. Use standard wood
working techniques at slow All steel offered below by JANTZ is made in the USA. Visit www.
working speeds and low knifemaking.com to purchase other widths and thicknesses.
temperatures. Pictures are ® ® Bearings
example only. Other colors
CPM S110V Stainless Steel
CPM S110V is a high alloy martensitic stainless tool steel.
and 5” x 10” slabs available.
Offers better corrosion resistance than 440C or CPM S90V.
Aim hardness is 58/61. Typical chemistry C 2.8, Nb 3.0, Cr
Patriot 15.25, V 9.00, Mo 2.25, Co 2.5.
18” Steel
CAT# THICK WIDE FINISH PRICE
QF118 1/8" 1 1/2" MILL FINISH $ 65.95
QF658 5/32" 2" MILL FINISH $ 98.95
QF718 3/16" 1 1/2" MILL FINISH $ 86.95
QF728 3/16" 2" MILL FINISH $113.95
36” Steel
CAT.# THICK PRICE QF136 1/8" 1 1/2" MILL FINISH $129.95
QF656 5/32" 2" MILL FINISH $195.95 GTC 440C stainless steel thrust ball bearings caged
KI1801 1/8” 8.95 in stainless steel retainers developed by Gustavo T.
KI1301 3/16” 9.95 QF716 3/16" 1 1/2" MILL FINISH $171.95
Cecchini's GTC Knives to reduce friction and failures,
KI1401 1/4” 14.95 QF726 3/16" 2" MILL FINISH $225.95
increase opening time, and easier cleaning. The 100%
®
CPM 20-CV Tool Steel stainless steel construction eliminates the problems
of other thrust bearings that are not 100% stainless.
Toxic Green CPM 20CV is a martensitic stainless steel with exceptionally Sold separately.
good wear resistance and outstanding corrosion resistance.
CAT.# O.D. I.D. BALL DIA. PRICE
Aim for hardness is 58-59Rc. CPM 20CV is a registered
trademark of Crucible Industries LLC. GC101 .354” .157” .062” 1.29
Typical chemistry: C 1.9, Cr 20.0, V 4.0, Mo 1.0, W.6. GC106 .358” .192” .062” 1.29
GC111 .378” .218” .062” 1.29
18” Steel
GC121 .415” .255” .062” 1.29
THICK WIDE MILL FINISH BLANCHARD PRECISION
GC102 .454” .258” .078” 1.29
1/8" 1 1/2" TF218 - $ 36.95 TU218 - $ 42.95 TG218 - $ 48.95
CAT.# THICK PRICE 1/8" 2" TF228 - $ 44.95 TU228 - $ 52.95 TG228 - $ 60.95 Decorative Torx Screws for Pivot Pins
5/32" 1 1/2" TF318 - $ 48.95 TU318 - $ 54.95 TG318 - $ 60.95 Designed and manufactured by JANTZ in our facility.
KI1803 1/8” 8.95
5/32" 2" TF328 - $ 65.95 TU328 - $ 73.95 TG328 - $ 81.95 Use with our threaded pivot barrels. 303 Stainless Torx
KI1303 3/16” 9.95
KI1403 1/4” 14.95
36” Steel head screw, .350” in length and threaded 6-48.
1/8" 1 1/2" TF216 - $ 72.95 TU216 - $ 84.95 TG216 - $ 96.95
1/8" 2" TF226 - $ 93.95 TU226 - $109.95 TG226 - $125.95
Royal Pearl 5/32" 1 1/2" TF316 - $ 90.95 TU316 - $102.95 TG316 - $114.95
5/32" 2" TF326 - $123.95 TU326 - $139.95 TG326 - $155.95 Spinner Galaxy Orchid Turbine
®
CPM REX M4 High Speed Steel
CPM REX M4 HC(HS) is a special purpose high speed steel
exhibiting better wear resistance and toughness. Also
providing enhanced machinability and grindability. Aim Solar Flare Gear Bullseye Cosmos Texas Star
hardness is 63/65. Typical chemistry: C 1.42, Mn .30,
S .06, Cr 4.00, V 4.0, Mo 5.25, W 5.5. CAT.# NAME DIAMETER TORX PRICE
18” Steel FF401 Spinner 1/4” T6 2.49
CAT.# THICK PRICE FF402 2.49
CAT# THICK WIDE FINISH PRICE Galaxy 1/4” T6
KI1807 1/8” 8.95 FF403 Orchid 1/4” T6 2.49
JF428 3/16" 2" MILL FINISH $ 52.95
KI1307 3/16” 9.95 FF404 Turbine 1/4” T6 2.49
JF518 1/4" 1 1/2" MILL FINISH $ 52.95
KI1407 1/4” 14.95 FF271 Solar Flare 5/16” T8 2.49
JF528 1/4" 2" MILL FINISH $ 70.95
JF548 1/4" 4" MILL FINISH $134.95 FF273 Gear 5/16” T8 2.49
FF275 Bullseye 5/16” T8 2.49
Black Pearl 36” Steel FF276 Cosmos 5/16” T8 2.49
JF426 3/16" 2" MILL FINISH $103.95 FF277 Texas Star 5/16” T8 2.49
JF516 1/4" 1 1/2" MILL FINISH $103.95
JF526 1/4" 2" MILL FINISH $139.95 Threaded Pivot Only
JF546 1/4" 4" MILL FINISH $268.95
®
CPM D2 Carbon Steel
CPM D2 is an air-hardening, high carbon, high chromium Pivot barrels are threaded 6-48.
tool steel, heat treatable to HRC 60-62. It offers excellent CAT.# O.D. LENGTH FITS PRICE
CAT.# THICK PRICE
abrasion resistance. Machinable in the annealed condition F85B 3/16” .350” 1/4” 1.95
KI1806 1/8” 8.95 and exhibits minimal distortion on hardening. Typical F88B 3/16” .500” 1/4” 1.95
KI1306 3/16” 10.95 chemistry: C 1.50, Mn .40, Si .40, Cr 12.00, V .95, Mo .90. F96B 1/4” .350” 5/16” 1.95
KI1406 1/4” 13.95
18” Steel F98B 1/4” .500” 5/16” 1.95
THICK WIDE MILL FINISH BLANCHARD PRECISION
Blue Pearl 1/8" 1 1/2" ZF218 - $ 26.95 ZU218 - $ 32.95 ZG218 - $ 38.95 DOWNLOAD OUR
1/8" 2" ZF228 - $ 34.95 ZU228 - $ 42.95 ZG228 - $ 50.95 NEW ONLINE CATALOG AT
knifemaking.com
5/32" 1 1/2" ZF318 - $ 28.95 ZU318 - $ 34.95 ZG318 - $ 40.95
5/32" 2" ZF328 - $ 39.95 ZU328 - $ 47.95 ZG328 - $ 55.95
ZF418 - $ 35.95 ZU418 - $ 41.95 ZG418 - $ 47.95
1-800-351-8900
3/16" 1 1/2"
3/16" 2" ZF428 - $ 45.95 ZU428 - $ 53.95 ZG428 - $ 61.95
36” Steel
JANTZ
1/8" 1 1/2" ZF216 - $ 51.95 ZU216 - $ 63.95 ZG216 - $ 75.95
1/8" 2" ZF226 - $ 65.95 ZU226 - $ 81.95 ZG226 - $ 97.95
CAT.# THICK PRICE 5/32" 1 1/2" ZF316 - $ 55.95 ZU316 - $ 67.95 ZG316 - $ 79.95
KI1809 1/8” 8.95 5/32" 2" ZF326 - $ 75.95 ZU326 - $ 91.95 ZG326 - $107.95
KI1309 3/16” 10.95 3/16" 1 1/2" ZF416 - $ 66.95 ZU416 - $ 78.95 ZG416 - $ 90.95
KI1409 1/4” 13.95 3/16" 2" ZF426 - $ 86.95 ZU426 - $102.95 ZG426 - $118.95
GW BATTLEBORN-44-53.qxp 6/2/15 3:51 AM Page 44
The author fires the Battle

Born carbine with the
Weaver 1-3X scope and
ARMS mount aboard.

A Slick and Text & Photos by Paul Hantke
ACCURATE AR-15
After serving the LEO market for years, Battle Born now
offers its top quality rifles and carbines to the public
I
’m sure my friend John Indell could hear the lack of interest in
my voice when he called to suggest that I test and evaluate a
Battle Born AR-15 rifle. Thinking back, I believe my exact
words were, “Oh geez, John, not another AR-15.”
Still, since Indell served with the Naval Special Warfare Group
for years before opening his own shop, I have come to trust his
opinion on all things firearms related, and I felt compelled to
listen while he went on and on about the rifles and the people
who produce them.
Of course, I had reason to listen with a shadow of a doubt. My
experience with the AR-15 (M16) rifle dates back to 1969, and I
have handled, fired, and thoroughly tested dozens of them over
the years in addition to co-authoring a book on the subject.
But in the end, John won out. I agreed to get involved in a test,
and as you can probably tell by the fact that I’ve written this
review, I’m glad I did.

The bolt is hard chromed for corrosion/rust resistance,

lube retention, and easy cleanup.
LE RESOURCE
Battle Born is a custom manu-
facturing shop initially founded to
provide AR-15 platforms to Law En-
forcement (LE) agencies so the
good guys are outfitted with the
best arms available. The Battle
Born AR-15 was conceived in 2008,
with a focus on reliability, accuracy,
overall high quality, and sensible
pricing. After a few years of devel-
opment, this was accomplished.
Extensive testing by the Reno
Swat team against a number of
other major brands resulted in the
Battle Born AR being selected as
part of their standard equipment
because of its outstanding per-
formance and reliability. It’s also on
the Reno Police Department’s list
of approved firearms. The Aimpoint CompM2 rides securely in the Global Defense Initiatives QD mount.
The GDI gear is fairly new and guarantees a phenomenal 0.01 MOA return-to-zero.

GW_1508_47 6/1/15 2:04 AM Page 47
CCP
EMPOWER YOURSELF
The Walther CCP™ houses our breakthrough Soft Coil™ technology. This translates
into less felt recoil and consistent shot placement. We give you the assurance,
that you can rely on Walther, no matter the situation. Something you should
expect from the oldest name in personal protection.
WALTHERARMS.COM
BUILT IN GERMANY
The author takes a break from testing to load his California-compliant magazines, a process that takes a little less time than in other states.

After years of serving that niche

market, the company decided to
expand its scope and began sup-
plying these top-quality rifles and
carbines to the public.
NUTS & BOLTS

The heart of the Battle Born
AR-15 rifle is a flattop receiver cut
from a solid billet of 7075 alu-
minum housing, a direct gas im-
pingement operating system, a
hard-chromed bolt carrier group,
and a fine two-stage trigger that
lets off right around five pounds
every time.
A 17.5-inch, M4 contour barrel
with a 1:9 twist is attached to the
billet receiver and terminates with
an A2 muzzle brake on the rifle’s
business end. The author started with the group at the bottom and then ‘walked’ his shots to the X-
ring using the 1-3 power Weaver scope set on 3X.
The right side of the receiver
features a brass deflector bump be-
hind the ejection port and a forward the carbine is reduced to 32.5
bolt assist in keeping with the inches by compressing the Mag- Made in USA
firearm’s mil-spec configuration. I pul buttstock, which does aid
personally question the wisdom of somewhat when handling the
mechanically jamming a round into firearm in tight quarters. It's also
the chamber once it has exhibited a helpful when you're wearing
Mag Brush for Hi Cap Rifles
problem feeding normally, but this heavy clothing and/or body
Fits 5.56 and 7.62
situation is easily addressed by sim- armor and a shorter length of From the Makers of GTUL
ply not using the forward assist. pull is needed. – Wear eye protection when cleaning magazine –
The bolt release, magazine One issue with many folding

catch, and safety are all in the fa- or telescoping stocks is a very
miliar places, although my rifle has thin top surface that makes it $29.95
the California compliant “bullet pretty hard to get a proper and
button” in lieu of a normal fixture. comfortable cheek weld when
At first glance, the safety might firing. This Magpul unit has a full-
make your heart jump a bit as it has sized recoil spring tube that pro-
icons for Safe, Semi-Auto, and Full- vides plenty of room to do so,
Auto positions, but all the excite- and the stock locks securely in
ment goes away quickly when you all six positions.
discover that the Safety thumb The pistol grip on this Battle
lever is blocked and will only rotate Born carbine is also from Mag-
to the Semi-Auto setting. pul. It features a hinged cap that
locks tight to close the bottom
www.mygtul.com
DIMENSIONS AND DETAILS of the hollow grip, providing stor-
757-647-0805
The 36-inch overall length of age space for emergency parts.

A smooth Samson Manufac-

turing aluminum forend is properly
mounted with cross bolts instead of
just screwing on to the receiver, and
it free-floats the barrel for the best
possible accuracy. This smooth
forend has a rail on top and
threaded holes along its entire
length at the three o’clock, six o’-
clock , and nine o’clock positions.
The carbine ships with one long
(4-inch) and two short (2-inch) rail
sections, which should handle just
about any selection of gear. The Pi-
catinny rail on the flattop receiver
mates to a counterpart section of
rail on the forend, creating a full-
length accessory rail.
VISUAL ACUITY
My carbine wears a set of Mag-
pul folding back-up iron sights that
present a standard AR-15 sight pic-
ture. The front unit adjusts for ele-
vation and the rear for windage, and
The barrel is capped with a ‘Birdcage’ muzzle brake and it features the M4 contour for
mounting accessories. like the original, the rear has a fold-
ing aperture leaf with a larger hole
for fast, close-range work and a
smaller one for more precise shot
placement at longer ranges.
I chose an Aimpoint CompM2
(4 MOA) set in a throw-lever QD
base and mount from Global De-
fense Initiatives in addition to one
of my favorites for the AR platform
– a low-power variable scope, in
this case a 1-3 power from Weaver
on an A.R.M.S. QD base/mount.
SHOOTING THE
BATTLE BORN AR-15
I headed to the range with a se-
lection of ammunition and my
Oehler Model 35 Chronograph. The
velocities for five-shot strings were:
- 62-grain Green Tip at 3,040 fps

The collapsible stock from Magpul locks securely in six positions and allows a good
cheek weld when shooting. average, 41 fps Total Deviation

DOUBLE VISION
“
Two optical set-ups were used while testing the carbine.
The heart of the The first was an Aimpoint CompM2 (4 MOA) set in an incredible throw-lever
QD base & mount from Global Defense Initiatives. The GDI mount is a top quality
Battle Born AR-15 rifle is Made-in-the-USA product that is auto-locking and will adjust for out-of-spec rails.
It allows for enhanced eye relief, and the manufacturer lists an incredible .01 MOA
a flattop receiver cut from return to zero.
That might sound a little fishy, but I just tested one of these mounts on my
most accurate bolt gun and it performed as advertised.
a solid billet of 7075 The second unit was one of my favorites for the AR platform – a low-power
variable scope, this one a 1-3 power from Weaver on an A.R.M.S. QD base/mount.
aluminum housing… The A.R.M.S. base/mount tensions with two large thumbscrews so it wouldn’t hold
a candle to the GDI unit for repeatability, but it definitely got the job done for basic
accuracy testing.
(TD), and 29 fps Standard Devia-

tion (SD)
- RP 55-grain FMJ at 3,071 fps aver-
age, 129 fps TD and 46 fps SD
- Black Hills 52-grain Moly JHP at
3,134 fps average, 45 fps TD and 18
fps SD
- Federal American Eagle 55-grain
at 2,931 fps average, 43 fps TD and
20 fps SD
This was about what I ex-

pected from these loads, and al-
though I was a little surprised at the
somewhat sedate speed of the
American Eagle 55-grain, it was
very consistent and quite accurate.
Ten shots you can cover with a
dime fired from 50 yards while
seated with only an elbow rest on
the bench is certainly nothing to
sneeze at.
The Green Tip 62-grain and the
RP 55-grain were almost as accu-
rate, while the Black Hills 52-grain
HP was the star for the day, shoot-
ing even smaller groups than the
American Eagle while clocking in at
3,134 fps.
WINDING DOWN
I know that the folks who man-
ufacture the Battle Born carbine
might have begun to wonder what
The folding front sight is adjustable for elevation. could possibly be taking me so long

Hantke ran a variety of ammo through the carbine, including: Federal 55-grain Ballistic Tip, American Eagle 55-grain Ball
(FMJ), 62-grain “Green Tip”, Federal 55-grain Tactical, Federal 69-grain HP Match, Federal XM193 55-grain Ball (FMJ), and
Black Hills 52-grain Moly HP Match.
to do this write-up. The reason is down if you do your part. one of — if not the — most accurate
this was one of the few times in It is well made, fitted, and ARs I have ever tested. GW
almost thirty years that I have finished, balances just right in
elected to go back and confirm the hands, and is easy to handle.
that I could consistently repeat a I have yet to experience any mal-
stellar performance.
It is quite common for me
functions while firing several
hundred rounds of different am-
CONTACT
make multiple trips to the range to munition through the gun.
try and make a test gun shoot well My old eyes caused me U.S. Firearms Academy, LLC
when I am not having any luck at some slight vertical stringing (775) 826-2626
that endeavor, but this is one of with the open sights, but one- BattleBornUSA.com
the few times that I chose to go hole groups are common with
back and re-test a weapon to con- the scope and a simple rest, and Magpul Industries Corp.
firm the outstanding initial per- breaking clay pigeon pieces on 877-4MAGPUL
formance was not just a fluke. the back berm at over 60 yards Magpul.com
Readers are quick to call “BS” while doing fast offhand drills
to outrageous claims (and rightly with the Aimpoint is both easy Global Defense Initiatives, Inc.
so), but it turns out this kind of ac- and fun. (951) 303-0443
curacy is an easy trick with this To net it all out…right out of GDIEngineering.com
carbine and it will not let you the box, the Battle Born gun is

GW_1508_53 6/1/15 2:05 AM Page 53
MAKE ROOM.
THE NEXT-GENERATION SUBMACHINE GUN HAS ARRIVED.
The standard was set in 1964. We think 50 years is long enough. Introducing the SIG MPX™
in 9mm, the new benchmark for reliability, adaptability and safety. Prepare your vault.
Non-NFA variants available.
Experience it for yourself at

SIGEVOLUTION.COM/ SIGMPX
GW FREEDOM-54-63.qxp 6/2/15 4:01 AM Page 54
Xtreme FREEDOM
Text & Photos by Dr. Martin D. Topper. Factory Photos Courtesy of Howell Munitions and Technology
Freedom Munitions and Xtreme Bullets

offer high quality at a reasonable price
F
or those who may not be aware,
Freedom Munitions and Xtreme Bullets
sell first-rate ammunition and compo-
nents at prices that I haven't seen for at least
five years. If this fact makes you as curious as
it made me, you’ll understand why I visited
Howell Munitions and Technology (HMT, the
parent company) and toured the facilities in
Lewiston, Idaho to see first-hand how they
are able to accomplish this.

Freedom Munitions
produces a wide variety of
high-quality ammunition
for the shooting sports.

HMT’s Jansen Jones provided attendees with a briefing on the full line of HMT products at the beginning of the HMT
seminar in Lewiston, ID.
VERTICAL INTEGRATION optimum production levels. Their overall length, both of which are
HMT keeps their prices com- machines can run 24 hours a day important for smooth functioning.
petitive by doing as much work as when necessary with very little But quality control does not
possible in-house rather than out- down time. end there. Each lot of ammunition
sourcing tasks to other manufactur- In addition, HMT's commit- is run on a single machine so all car-
ers. As part of this vertical ment to quality allows the com- tridges in that lot are uniform, and a
integration strategy, HMT designs pany to build ammunition to random sample of each lot of am-
and makes its own loading machin- tolerances that are half of those al- munition is tested for pressure and
ery, manufactures most of the bul- lowed by SAAMI. There are numer- velocity in SAAMI standard test bar-
lets and cartridge cases it uses, ous built-in quality checks on the rels. Data from HMT ammo are then
conducts tests on finished products production line. Unlike some other compared to the results from firing
in its ballistics lab, and sells its firms' products, Xtreme Bullets are sample rounds produced by SAAMI
products directly to customers. re-swaged after plating to ensure in the same barrels. This ensures
HMT even has its own shipping op- proper diameter and heel dimen- that HMT's ammunition is within in-
eration that sends products across sions. Bullet core weight variation is dustry specifications for interior
the country. kept down to within .02 to .03 and exterior ballistics.
This simple yet effective ap- grains, and the powder level in each Finally, 100% of all cartridges
proach dates back several decades. case is measured by fiber optics. are visually inspected before they
In 1967, HMT began making reload- These quality controls are critical to are boxed and shipped just to be
ing machines for ammunition com- accuracy. All primed cases are in- sure that the ammunition that goes
panies, and their experience spected for high primers, and all out the door fully meets HMT's rig-
ensures HMT equipment runs at loaded ammunition is measured for orous standards.

PRODUCT LINES
HMT produces a number of dif-
ferent product lines under both its
Xtreme Bullets and Freedom Muni-
tions brands. Xtreme Bullets pro-
duces several lines of cast bullets
for cowboy and general-purpose
shooting. Bullets in the Cowboy line
are cast to a hardness of 15 on the
Brinell scale and bullets in the Hard
Cast line register 18 Brinell.
Bullets in the Copper Plated
line have lead cores that are 3% an-
timony to reduce deformation on
firing and usually have a .003-inch
plated copper jacket to help pre-
vent leading. Xtreme also makes a
Heavy Plate line of bullets with con-
cave bases and copper-plated jack-
ets that are .008 inches thick for
those who desire a heavier jacket.
Xtreme even makes a traditional HMT employee places finished brass in a block to ensure that case dimensions are proper.
This HMT loading machine adds powder, checks powder levels and seats bullets
to the proper depth, ensuring a quality product.

This HMT employee checks a random sample of formed lead bullet cores to ensure they are of proper weight
before they are copper plated.
55-grain .223 FMJ bullet for use in able. When was the last time you Win. Mag. made by Fiocchi. In some
.223 Rem. and 5.56 NATO rifles. were able to buy 50 rounds of qual- of the other five rifle calibers, Free-
Last, but not least, Xtreme Bul- ity remanufactured 9mm ball for dom also currently offers several
lets offers new and recycled car- only $9? Fiocchi loads as well as loads pro-
tridge cases in several popular duced by Igman, a manufacturer of
pistol calibers and recycled cases THE LARGEST LINE quality ammo in Europe.
for .223 Rem. and .308 Win. Recy- Freedom's largest line of am- The next handgun ammo line is
cled pistol brass is made from munition is comprised of new and Hush subsonic. Hush is factory new
once-fired brass that only comes remanufactured rifle and pistol am- ammo made especially for sup-
from indoor ranges. This helps to munition produced under the "Free- pressed pistols. It comes in 9mm
ensure the cases are as clean as dom Munitions" name. This line of Parabellum and .45 ACP. The 9mm
possible. Much of the rifle brass ammunition is mostly loaded with load has a 147-grain JRN Xtreme
comes from military ammunition Freedom's Xtreme bullets, however, bullet and a muzzle velocity of 990
that HMT recycles under military for some applications the Freedom fps. The .45 ACP load features a
contracts. This makes HMT a major line may contain bullets by Hornady 230-grain Xtreme bullet and a muz-
ammunitions recycler. or Sierra. Freedom Munitions hand- zle velocity of 860 fps.
Freedom Munitions produces gun ammunition includes many of The newest line of cartridges
ammunition in nine handgun and the most popular medium and big from Freedom Munitions is Super
five rifle calibers. The least expen- bore cartridges for revolvers and Match. This line uses Xtreme plated
sive line is called Blaster, which is a semi-automatics. hollow point bullets designed to
line of remanufactured ammo in- Rifle ammo in this line includes deliver maximum accuracy. It's cur-
tended for training. It is loaded with five popular calibers for modern rently offered in 9mm, .40 S&W and
the same care as all other Freedom sporting rifles and long-range tacti- .45 ACP. The .40 S&W and .45 ACP
ammunition, except that it doesn't cal rifles. In addition, Freedom does loads are loaded to "major" power
have the same level of exterior fin- carry some cartridges from other factor levels and the 9mm load
ish. The price is more than reason- manufactures, recently selling .300 easily makes "minor."

GW_1508_59 6/2/15 1:19 AM Page 59
This HMT employee does a final quality check when she transfers loaded ammo into individual boxes before shipping.
TEST PERFORMANCE
Load Name Velocity ES Energy Ave. 15-yd. Group
Freedom Munitions 965 fps 43 fps 304 ft-lbs 4.5"

9mm 147-gr. Super Match
Freedom Munitions 955 fps 11 fps 365 ft-lbs 2.96"

.40 S&W 180-gr. Super Match
Freedom Munitions 787 fps 98 fps 316 ft- lbs 3.33"

.45 ACP 230-gr. Hush
Five-shot groups fired at 15 yds. using an MTM Front Sight rifle rest and Leupold Kenai spotting scope.
Velocity was the average of 5 shots measured 15 feet from the muzzle with a Shooting Chrony chronograph.

I was lucky enough to receive

some of the first boxes of this new
ammo when I toured the Freedom
Munitions factory this Fall. The
Super Match 9mm 147-grain PHP
functioned very well in a SIG P226
X5 and later in a SIG P938.
Last, but not least, Freedom
also makes an Xtreme Slug load for
use in shotguns. This is a 2.75-inch
12-gauge load that has a 1-ounce
Foster-type Xtreme rifled slug and
is available in either plain lead or
copper plated lead. The case is
plastic with a brass head and the
slug has a stated muzzle velocity of
1540 fps.
In addition to the slug load, the
Freedom Munitions web-site also
occasionally offers shotgun ammu-
nition from other manufacturers
like Fiocchi and Remington.
SHOTS FIRED
After I returned from my visit, I
was able to perform live-fire testing
at the Flagler Gun and Archery Club.
This involved firing Hush in .45 ACP
Xtreme bullets are primarily formed from a continuous roll of lead wire that is and Super Match in 9mm and .40
3% antimony.
This electro-plating bath plates Xtreme bullets to either .003 inches or .008 inches, depending on their intended use.

Freedom Munitions' .40-calibur S&W Super Match ammo performed very well in the author's Ruger SR40.
S&W. Three different handguns

were bench-rested and fired at a
distance of 15 yards. The guns se-
lected were a 9mm SIG P938, a .40
S&W Ruger SR40 and a .45 ACP
caliber S&W M325 Thunder Ranch
revolver. The SIG is a hideout gun
and the Ruger is a standard service
pistol. The S&W M325 is a Perform-
ance Center gun with a very good
action, but none of these would be
mistaken for target guns.
Three five-shot groups were
fired for each load using an MTM
Front Sight rest. Five rounds in each
caliber were also chronographed
with a Shooting Chrony to measure
muzzle velocity.
Accuracy tests favored the two
longer-barreled handguns over the

3-inch SIG, which has both a short pistols designed for target shooting.
barrel and a fairly stiff trigger. Its Velocity results were good, with CONTACT
best group was a little over 3 all of the loads producing expected
inches, while the S&W Thunder velocity and energy levels. In addi-
Freedom Munitions
Ranch revolver and Ruger SR40 tion, Super Match had good ex-
(208) 746-3668
semi-auto both shot best groups treme spreads, giving the type of
FreedomMunitions.com
around an inch smaller. The Ruger consistency expected of target am-
and S&W both produced average munition. The extreme velocity
Howell Munitions and
15-yard groups around 3 inches. The spread (ES) for .40-calibur Super
Technology
SIG had a 15-yard average group of Match was only 11 fps and the 9mm
(208) 743-7418
4.5 inches, which is considered ac- ES came in at a quite reasonable 43
HowellMunitionsAndTechnology.com
ceptable for a pistol designed for fps. The full set of performance
close quarters shooting. data is contained in the chart.
Leupold Scopes
A number of the groups fired by
both semi-autos displayed a single FINAL NOTES
(800) 538-7653
flyer that opened them up. This ten- When I returned from my trip to
dency to place four of the five shots HMT, I called a friend to tell him
MTM Case Gard
in a group and have a single flyer is about Freedom Munitions, but he
(937) 890-7461
often seen with semi-auto pistols. was way ahead of me and replied, "I
I'd previously used the SIG P226 X5 bought 5,000 rounds of their 9mm. Shooting Chrony
target pistol to fire a set of test tar- Good stuff!" (905) 276-6292
gets using the same box of 9mm Whether you buy a box or a pal-
Super Match. The X5 produced a 3- let, Freedom Munitions and Xtreme Xtreme Bullets
target average accuracy of just Bullets have the built-in quality to (800) 482-2103
under 3 inches at 25 yards, indicat- deliver good performance at an in- XtremeBullets.com
ing Super Match is capable of ex- credibly reasonable price. GW
cellent accuracy when used in
Enable Your Ideas with a PCNC Mill

Discerning gunsmiths and manufacturers know there’s only one 2011 Pistolsmith of
the Year - SDM
choice in CNC for affordable precision: Fabricating Inc.
The Tormach PCNC 1100. uses his PCNC
to customize a
357 Magnum.
Take aim at your most demanding machining needs
- engraving, milling, threading, reaming, and boring. Big
or small, Tormach hits the bullseye to deliver for you. $8480 (plus shipping)
Every PCNC 1100 features:

■ 1100 lbs cast iron construction
■ Ground P4 ballscrews and single
shot lubrication
■ Computer controlled spindle speed
and direction
■ PTFE bonded slideways (similar to Turcite®)
■ Precision R8 spindle - 100 to 5000 RPM
with vector drive technology
■ Easy to use in manual or automatic modes
Shown here with

optional stand,
LCD monitor,
The author test fired three loads machine arms,
from Freedom Munitions in three Product information and online ordering at and accessories.
different handguns. The ammo www.tormach.com
functioned well in each gun.

GW HUNTER-64-69.qxp 6/2/15 4:09 AM Page 64
TODAY’S
HUNTER
Mule Deer
HUNTING TIPS Text & Photos by Thomas C. Tabor
The whitetail’s high-climbing cousin

can challenge flatland shooters
T
o the casual observer the various species
of deer may appear to be similar, but the
two most common species found in North
America, the whitetail and the mule deer, are
markedly dissimilar in many ways, and that
includes how those species are best hunted.
Unlike the whitetail, which is commonly found
throughout North America and even in some
foreign countries, the mule deer (muley) is truly a
phenomenon of the American west. In most cases
the muley resides well west of the Mississippi
River and at much higher elevations than its white
rump cousin.
While the whitetail is a grazer by nature,
living largely on the grasses and light vegetation,
much of the muley's diet consists of twigs, small
limbs, leaves, various types of woody stems and
even sagebrush when food is scarce. The mule
deer prefers the high country’s thinly forested
land and open terrain where many agricultural
crops struggle to survive.

Even when on level ground a

hunter must always think in
terms of the path that the
bullet will be taking.

TODAYʼS HUNTER
“ A mule deer may

linger a moment longer
before taking flight,
often just enough time
for the hunter to squeeze
off a shot.
KNOW YOUR TRAJECTORY

Because the muley typically
prefers higher elevations where
vegetation and the cover it provides
is sparse, shots are often long;
therefore, knowing your rifle and
ammunition’s potential out to 400
yards can be crucial.
I would never encourage any
hunter who feels uncomfortable in
shooting long range to attempt to
do so, but if you feel confident in
making those shots a trajectory
chart taped to the buttstock of your
rifle may be helpful.
Published trajectory data can
be beneficial, but actual live fire
practice at those established dis-
tances will provide data that are
more precise. Along with trajectory
drop in 100-yard increments, it's
also good to include wind drift val-
ues in your chart.
Tom sometimes takes along a toy whistle to help distract a fleeing muley.
SHARP ANGLE SHOOTING

CURIOSITY KILLED The mule deer typically reacts The steep terrain habitat of the
THE BUCK in a similar manner, but with a mule deer can create its own set of
All animals have an inherent major difference that can be taken shooting challenges.
sense of curiosity, but how they advantage of by a hunter. Like the First, you must recognize that
handle that inquisitiveness can vary whitetail, the mule deer is also a the trajectory drop of the bullet is
greatly. Upon sensing danger, a very inquisitive animal and when not based on the actual distance
whitetail deer may remain frozen in the level of danger has been as- the bullet travels, but rather on the
position for a time, particularly if sessed, they too, will flee. However, horizontal equivalency. In other
they feel that their presence has a mule deer may linger a moment words, if your shot is at 400 yards
gone unnoticed. When that danger longer before taking flight, often but the animal is deep in a canyon
has been confirmed, they will just enough time for the hunter to below you or high overhead on a
quickly vanish. squeeze off a shot. ridge top, the trajectory drop com-

Off-season shooting practice using various types of rests can be beneficial when it comes time for the actual hunt.
pensation would be considerably

less than that of the 400 yards.
Being cognizant of that fact
and adjusting for that difference
can be key to your shooting suc-
cess. Some advanced rangefind-
ers and even a few binoculars are
now coming out with those calcu-
lations built into their displays,
making accurate compensations
a whole lot easier.
Equally important in steep
angle shooting is the path that
your bullet will take upon impact.
Using our earlier example, for an
animal located deep in a canyon
bottom it may be necessary for
your bullet to enter high in the
back of the deer rather than be-
hind the shoulder to ensure it im-
pacts the heart and lung area.
For an animal on a ridge top,
the reverse would be true; the
bullet might have to enter deep in
the brisket area of the deer. Fur-

TODAYʼS HUNTER
This fine muley buck was caught on the open hillside pausing just a bit
too long before vacating the area.
ther complicating these shots is the Because quality is so impor-

fact that the visual depth of the ani- tant when it comes to binoculars, I
mal will be reduced from those obser- would encourage all hunters to pur-
vation points, which equates into a chase the best quality glass they Using binoculars to glass the open areas
smaller target to shoot at. feel they can afford. and even around the edges of the forested
terrain can be much more productive than
simply exploring on foot.
GLASSING TAKE A REST
Using your hunting time wisely I know of very few hunters that
will always allow you to be more are capable of accurately placing against. A fence post will do; a
successful in the field. One of the their shots when shooting off-hand tree trunk will work; or even a large
best ways is by glassing with good at long range and I will be the first boulder can suffice as long as you
quality binoculars. to admit that my own off-hand pad the surface so it doesn't turn
Using binoculars to scour the shooting leaves a lot to be desired. out to be a 'hard-on-hard rest'
countryside will allow you to cover When your rifle barrel is waving that can adversely affect the flight
significantly more area than simply around like you are trying to catch a of the bullet.
hoofing around it. Then, once deer butterfly, you can't expect to hit Another alternative is to
have been spotted, you will be much your intended target. mount a bi-pod on your rifle that’s
better equipped to develop a hidden Because of this, the first thing I long enough to be used for shoot-
approach using whatever cover is look for when deer have been spot- ing either in the sitting or the
available to you. ted is a place to rest my rifle on or prone position.

MULEY CALIBERS
The rifle caliber that you select for mule deer hunting may be somewhat
dependent upon the type of terrain you intend to hunt and your abilities to shoot
well at long ranges.
If the area you will be hunting lends itself to shorter range shooting, or if you
feel uncomfortable shooting at longer distances, a rifle in the category of a 30-06
or .308 Winchester may suffice.
However, in many areas of the West, potential shots at 400 or even 500 yards
can be common for mule deer and flatter shooting cartridges might be a better
choice. In these situations you might do well to choose a 7mm or .30 caliber
magnum. But if you are a little recoil shy, a .270 Winchester or even a little .243
could suffice. Both of these cartridges provide a little flatter trajectory than either
the '06 or the .308 Winchester.
When smaller calibers are chosen it becomes more important to only shoot
the best hunting style bullets and, of course, proper bullet placement becomes
even more critical. And for longer range shooting it is imperative that your rifle
be equipped with a good variable-power scope with an adequate degree of
magnification.
RUT HUNTING other potential breeding mates.

Planning your hunt during the This roaming activity can result
rut, which usually occurs some- in a great deal of movement of
where around mid to late Novem- both the bucks and does and
ber, makes good sense in many that can work very favorably for
ways. All other times of the year the the hunter.
muleys live a fairly mundane life es- A great way to hunt during
sentially divided between eating the rut is to locate a good stand
and resting, but during the rut dra- that provides some degree of
matic changes occur. concealment and a good field
At this time of the year the of observation and let your
bucks become so preoccupied in binoculars do the work for you.
their desires for breeding that they While some hunters believe
frequently throw caution to the that mid-day is a poor time for
wind for the sake of finding does in hunting, mid-day during the rut
estrus. The bucks stay constantly can end up being just as pro-
on the move, wandering through ductive as early morning or late
the herd looking for a doe that is evening because of these in-
ready for breeding. tense movements.
If none is found then he will Even deer like to get lucky
move on in an attempt to locate at least once a year. GW
Because much of the mule deer's habitat is lacking in nutritious vegetation, much of
their life is spent eating.

GW RELOAD-70-75.qxp 6/2/15 11:56 PM Page 70
RELOAD

Revisiting
a LEGEND
Text & Photos by James E. House
Reloading the 30-06 Springfield
A
lthough it started life as a military
cartridge, the 30-06 Springfield has
been the benchmark of big game
cartridges for over a century. After all, the “06”
refers to the year of introduction, 1906.
The predecessor to the 30-06 was an older
cartridge known as the 30-03 to denote the
year of its introduction. Originally developed as
a military cartridge designed to fire a 220-grain
bullet, the bullet weight was reduced to 150
grains and the case neck shortened slightly
because less support was needed for the
shorter bullet.
The range of factory ammunition available
in 30-06 Springfield caliber is the widest of any
centerfire caliber. I remember seeing factory
loads with bullets ranging from 110-220 grains,
as well as the Remington Accelerator varmint
round that utilizes a 55-grain bullet held in a
plastic sabot.
Over the years, the 30-06 has been highly
developed and rifles of every conceivable type
have been chambered for it. In fact, I know a
doctor who uses a 30-06 double barrel to hunt
deer. The 30-06 is truly a world cartridge with
rifles and ammunition available almost
everywhere you can imagine.
The 30-06 can be loaded

effectively with a variety
of propellants.

RELOAD
Even though my Remington
700 has a strong, modern action, I
still prefer to keep my loads for the
30-06 in the moderate range.
Frankly, I have no need for a more
potent rifle and neither do many
others. That is why the ammunition
companies produce full power
loads as well as reduced loads that
have about the same power as a
30-30 Winchester.
“ I would have no
hesitation to increase the
charges by a grain or so in
my rifle, but loads must be
developed carefully for
each individual rifle.
FOR EXAMPLE
For this project, I chose several
All loads were tested in this Remington 700 with a 3-9X Leupold VX-II scope. bullets that span the range from
110-180 grains and powders that
SUCCESS FACTORS 250 grains. The 30-06 case has a are readily available. There is no
For medium to large game, the generous capacity, and although need for anything exotic when load-
cartridge performs well with bullets the bullet diameter is rather large, ing the 30-06.
in the 150-180-grain range, espe- the most appropriate powders are I used Winchester cases
cially because a wide selection of those having medium-slow to slow trimmed to a length of 2.484 inches
premium bullets is available. burning rates. There are at least two and primed with Winchester large
Loaded with a Swift A-Frame, Tro- dozen suitable powders, including rifle primers. Velocities were meas-
phy Bonded Bear Claw, Nosler Par- IMR 4064, 4320, 4895, and 4350; ured at 10 feet from the muzzle
tition or other superb projectile, Winchester 760; Alliant RL 17 and using a Competition Electronics
there is little to be gained by going 19; Accurate 4350 and Hodgdon ProChrono chronograph.
to a heavier, slower bullet. H414, H380, and H4350. The data listed in the table
In spite of the vast selection of Originally, the pressure maxi- show that the loads are, as in-
factory loads, it is by judicious hand mum for the 30-06 was about tended, on the moderate side.
loading that the 30-06 achieves its 45,000 psi and that level is still ap- Knowing that many 30-06 rifles
true potential. The 30-06 is the propriate for older rifles. However, have been around for a century
best-selling series of reloading dies, keep in mind that there are some makes me hesitant to show hotter
evidence that plenty of shooters 30-06 rifles still around in the loads even though they would be
take advantage of its flexibility. grandfather or great grandfather perfectly safe in modern rifles.
Bullets are available in weights age group and some were never as Older Springfield 1903s did not
from less than 100 grains to around strong as modern rifles. have modern heat-treated steel

GW_1508_73 6/7/15 11:41 PM Page 73
Another quality of
offering
ffer
e ing
Int
Introducing
roducing Eng
Engaged
aged Spor
Sports
ts from
from Engaged
Engaged Media!
T
The
he ult
ultimate
imate collect
collection
ion of ssports
por ts ttitles
itles
6 issues for only $15.99
SA
SAVE
AV
VE
67%
Engaged Spor ts is now
available on Apple Newsstand,
and, Google Plaay,
Kindle and PC/Mac.
Engaged Sports brings magazines for the die-hard sports fan. Wiith
player reports, insider information, eye-catching action, rare archival
photos, and little-known stories from your favorite sports, you now
have what it takes to get in the game.
SUBSCRIBE ON
Available on app stores below ENGAGEDMEDIAMAGS.COM/EEM-3247 AND GET 1 ISSUE FREE
You
o can also purc
p hase single issues for only $4.99.
Online For questions on downloading the magazine apps contact 800-764-6278.
(Win/Mac) For a full listing of our digital titles, visit www.engagedmediamags.com/digital today!
Ge One Issue FREE!

Get
SA
AVE
V 75% on Annual
Ann Subscription
SUBSCRIBE NOW
To Your Favorite Gun World Magazine
Just log on to
ENGAGEDMEDIAMAGS.COM/EEM-2088
OR
SCAN QR CODE BELOW
*12 issues for only $14.99

Available on app stores below
Single issues are alsoatavailable at $3.99.

For questions on downloading the magazine apps contact 800-764-6278.
Online For a full listing of our digital titles, visit www.engagedmediamags.com/digital today!
(Win/Mac)
RELOAD
and an old Winchester Model 95 no hesitation to increase the propellants. All of the powders
lever action should not be stressed. charges by a grain or so in my rifle, gave excellent results.
However, the loads listed are per- but loads must be developed care- Although these are by no
fectly adequate for most hunting fully for each individual rifle. means the only powders suitable
situations, except for use on large The powders used in this proj- for loading the 30-06, they are ca-
game such as elk or moose. ect include some old classics, but pable of bringing out the best in this
If I were assembling loads that Alliant Reloder 17 and Hodgdon CFE classic caliber.
required more power, I would have 223 represent some of the newer
Bullets used in load testing included (left to right) the 110-grain Hornady SP, 125-grain Remington PSP, 125-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip,
130-grain Hornady SP, 150-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip, 150-grain Winchester Power Point, 165-grain Swift A-Frame, 168-grain Sierra HPBT,
and 180-grain Hornady SP.
RESULTS OBTAINED USING A 700 REMINGTON 30-06 SPRINGFIELD WITH A 22” BARREL
Bullet Length, in. Powder Charge, gr. Velocity, ft/sec Group, in.
110 gr Hornady S.P. 3.177 IMR 8208 XBR 51.5 3199 1.88
125 gr Remington PSP 3.050 Hodgdon CFE 223 53.0 2966 1.12
125 gr Nosler Ball.Tip 3.258 Hodgdon CFE 223 53.5 2947 0.87
130 gr Hornady S.P. 3.175 IMR 4064 51.0 2894 1.43
150 gr Nosler Ball. Tip 3.246 Alliant Reloder 17 54.2 2743 0.92
150 gr Winchester Pr. Pt. 3.180 Win 760 55.0 2737 1.83
165 gr Swift A-Frame 3.177 IMR 4350 53.5 2577 1.06
168 gr Sierra HPBT 3.300 IMR 4350 53.5 2582 1.44
180 gr Hornady S.P. 3.230 Win. 760 51.0 2472 1.10
Average velocity is for 5 shots. Group size is for the four closest shots.
These loads were safe and reliable in the author’s rifle, but neither the author nor the publisher accepts any
responsibility for their preparation and use by others. These loads should be approached with caution.

PRACTICALLY PERFECT years, the 30-06 Springfield shows

CONTACT My practice is to consider its versatility using the loads as-
groups in terms of the majority of sembled in this project. It is quite
the shots rather than simply meas- capable of performing many func-
Alliant Powder uring the distance between the two tions just as well as some of the
800-379-1732 widest shots. With this in mind, it is more exotic magnums.
AlliantPowder.com apparent from the data that all of There is a reason why a newly
the loads gave excellent accuracy in introduced rifle is usually available
Barnes Bullets, LLC a basic sporting rifle. in 30-06 Springfield caliber — it
800-574-9200 As has been the case for many works. GW
BarnesBullets.com
Competition Electronics
815-874-8001
CompetitionElectronics.com
Hodgdon Powder Co., Inc.

913-362-9455
Hodgdon.com
Hornady Manufacturing Company

800-338-3220
Hornady.com
Leupold & Stevens

800-538-7653
Leupold.com
RRA 1911-A1 PS2300
BASIC LIMITED PISTOL
Nosler, Inc. MSRP: $1950*
800-285-3701
Nosler.com
Remington Arms Company, LLC

INTRODUCING THE
800-243-9700 RRA .45 ACP 1911 PISTOLS
Remington.com RRA’s legendary steel-framed 1911’s are back
and performance-tuned for accuracy and reliability.
Sierra Bullets
888-223-3006
SierraBullets.com
RRA 1911-A1 PS2000 1911 POLY PS5000
NM HARDBALL POLYMER
MSRP: $2550* MSRP: $925*
Winchester Ammunition
Winchester.com RRA 1911 QUICK SPECS: CALIBER: .45 ACP RRA MATCH ALUMINUM SPEED TRIGGER
RRA FORGED NM OR POLYMER FRAME WITH CUSTOM FEATURES
* Prices are subject to change. VISIT: WWW.ROCKRIVERARMS.COM PERFORMANCE TUNED.

GW HANDGUNS-76-83.qxp 6/3/15 11:18 PM Page 76
HANDGUNS
Keep Those
While on his hands and knees

praying to the God of Lost Parts,
Workman’s faith waned. He
ordered replacement parts instead.

HANDGUNS RUNNING Text & Photos by Dave Workman
Take care of your guns and

they’ll take care of you
I
f you shoot guns long enough,
something is likely to go haywire.
Such was the case with one of my
prized Smith & Wesson Model 19 re-
volvers, one of the guns recently fea-
tured in my “retirement gun” column.
This was a rather embarrassing
moment, because I made this vintage
2½-inch Model 19 S&W revolver fa-
mous and our relationship goes way
back. I think the gun did it just to
teach me a lesson, that both of us are
getting older.

GW HANDGUNS-76-83-cx-p78.qxp 6/10/15 11:16 PM Page 78
HANDGUNS
Maintaining your carry handgun sometimes requires adding replacement parts. In this case, it was the retaining nut on a Smith &
Wesson revolver’s cylinder release.
After over 30 years of service

and shooting countless .38 Spe-
cial and .357 Magnum rounds
without complaint, the little S&W
had a slight malfunction. The re-
taining nut on the cylinder release
latch popped off, allowing the un-
restrained latch to drop on the
shelf of my shooting stall.
Even with my nose scraping
the cement floor, I could not find
that tiny nut. I packed up my
range gear and went home to hit
the S&W forums for a quick solu-
tion, then emailed Smith & Wes-
son. Five days later, a couple of
those little rascals showed up in
the mail.
Fortunately, I have two Model
19 revolvers, and I cannibalized
the latch nut off the 6-inch model
to keep my 2½-inch gun in service
until the new nut arrived.

MAINTENANCE The tech at S&W suggested a driver. For good measure, I gave it a
IS THE MORAL drop of Loctite Threadlocker Blue good twist to make sure it was nice
Now, that’s not much of a story, 242 removable nut and bolt locker and tight.
right? The hell you say. to secure the offensive nut, so it A couple of days later, I was
Guns are machines, complete won’t vibrate off from endless recoil back at the range, running strings of
with moving parts, fasteners, and pounding pulses. full-house reloads powered by a
things that can break or fall off. Like This is important: Blue Loctite healthy charge of Alliant 2400
any other machine, a firearm re- “glues” threaded fasteners in place, pushing a 125-grain Nosler JHP
quires periodic maintenance to but you can disassemble the parts down the bore. With that load, my
keep things running smooth and if necessary. Red Loctite perma- little snubby shoots a tad high at 25
prevent issues down the road. nently bonds fasteners that will yards, but it’s dead-on at 50 yards.
We’re pretty good at cleaning never require service – ever.
our guns, but not as diligent on the Incidentally, several years ago I TOUCHING UP
preventive maintenance front. obtained a set of magnetic hollow- If you carry a blue steel hand-
If you plan to keep a favorite ground gunsmith screwdrivers from gun, the bluing will eventually wear
handgun running, you need to give it Wheeler Engineering. These are in- off where the gun contacts the hol-
a once-over now and then to make dispensible when you’re doing rou- ster – holster wear. At some point,
sure all the screws are tight on tine maintenance. you may want to touch up the blu-
parts like the frame and the ad- Not wanting another loose part ing. I use Birchwood Casey Super
justable rear sight; anything that treasure hunt, I put a bit of Blue Blue, a cold blue formula that works
screws in can unscrew at just the Loctite on the threads and installed reasonably well, provided you fol-
wrong moment. the nut with a magnetic screw- low the directions.
A drop of Loctite Blue removable

thread locker helps secure small
fasteners. Reassemble parts over
a paper towel to catch any drips
– or dropped parts.

GW HANDGUNS-76-83-cx-p78.qxp 6/10/15 11:17 PM Page 80
HANDGUNS
Pachmayr Signature wrap-around

grip and set my prized stag panels
aside carefully. Before installing re-
placement grips, give the frame a
wipe with an oily cloth and leave a
bit of film on the steel.
Workman favors magnetic hollow-ground screwdrivers to hold small parts. Notice the Years ago, I had two good pals,
blue Loctite inside the nut.
both of whom carried stock Light-
weight Commanders with Pach-
Degrease the surface with de- If it’s real dirty, get a can of mayrs grips. In competing against
natured alcohol (or similar residue- Blast and Shine and shoot the in- these guys in club matches, it
free solvent), then buff the spot to nards with a jet of aerosol to knock struck me that they probably knew
be re-blued with #0000 super fine down thick grime. Use a toothbrush something I didn’t.
steel wool. Rinse with cold water, and Hoppe’s No. 9 solvent for de- I’ve used Pachmayr grips on my
dry thoroughly, dab on the blue (I tailed crevice cleansing. After the .41 Magnum Ruger, S&W revolvers,
like using cotton swabs) and wait scrubbing, it’s a quick shot of Blast a classic Colt Diamondback and
about 30 seconds. and Shine, followed by a drop of oil Python, and I experienced good re-
Rinse in cold water, dry it off, spread thinly with a patch and your sults with every gun. They are im-
and brighten the newly blued area handgun is back in business. pervious to the weather and the
by lightly buffing with another piece molded checkering is truly non-slip.
of #0000 steel wool. GOT GRIPS? By the way, you can keep Pach-
Repeat the process for a This might be a good time to mayrs looking like new by scrubbing
deeper blue finish, and complete swap out the factory grips for the textured surfaces with a light
the job by wiping the surface with something more weather resistant. shot of WD40 and a toothbrush.
an oily patch. I have a slightly customized Colt
Lightweight Commander that has WINTERIZATION
CRUDDY JOB worn a set of genuine stag grips Winterizing your semi-auto isn’t
Take the grips off and clean in- since I took delivery many years difficult, but involves a trick I
side the grip frame. Far too many of ago. They look great, feel good in learned from the late Richard
us don’t think of this, and we cer- dry weather, but have little wet Neimer, gunsmith extraordinaire at
tainly should. Like it or not, crud ac- weather traction. Olympic Arms. He built one gun for
cumulates inside the grip frame Practicality finally trumped me and tricked out three others,
over the years. pretty, and I put on a brand new and they all still run great.

In the kind of muggy, damp

weather known to people who live
along the Pacific Coast, the Gulf
Coast or the lower East Coast, use a
toothpick to spread a thin film of
white lithium grease on the slide
rails instead of oil. The grease is
highly water-resistant and super-
slick, both good things for wet-
weather guns.
Aerosols are dandy, and a little
can of synthetic gun oil can go a
long way. I give my pistols a little
squirt of that stuff when I do a full
cleaning, and I strongly recommend
them to anyone who isn’t comfort-
able completely field-stripping a
semi-auto for maintenance.
HODGDON’S
‘NEW’ CFE POWDER
After tightening the nut, wipe off excess Loctite for a tidy job. Being a reloader of many years,

HANDGUNS
Back at the range after his misadventure, the Model 19 went through full-house loads and everything stayed put!
I am always on the lookout for a National Match 1911 and my Light-

new propellant, and a few months weight Commander, I managed to CONTACT
ago Chris Hodgdon sent me a sam- roll a tin can around at 25 yards
ple of CFE pistol powder. You may shot after shot.
Smith & Wesson
have read about this powder else- CFE (which stands for Copper
(800) 331-0852
where in the magazine, but here is Fouling Eraser) is interesting stuff. It
Smith-Wesson.com
my take on it. burns clean, and anybody who re-
Having developed reliable members the “old days” of cleaning
Loctite Brand - Consumer Products
loads with other Hodgdon propel- up after an extended session and
(800) 624-7767
lants (HP38, H110, TiteGroup), I was finding little yellow grains of pow-
LoctiteProducts.com
reluctant to start messing with suc- der residue knows the importance
cess. Reading up on the subject, I of that. As the name implies, I didn’t
Lyman Products Corporation
found CFE seemed quite versatile, notice any copper fouling in the
including loads recommended for bore or chambers of either my auto
(Pachmayr)
the .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .45 or revolver.
(800) 225-9626
ACP and even the .45 Colt. Recommended data is avail-
Pachmayr.com
Experiments with Rainier Bal- able online or in Hodgdon’s Annual
listics 200-grain plated round nose Manual. For the shooter who wants Hoppe’s
.45-caliber bullets for the .45 ACP to avoid a repeat of the recent am- (800) 423-3537
and CFE revealed that a 6.4-grain munition shortage, reloading may Hoppes.com
charge worked well with my guns be the smart way to go. With reli-
and shooting styles. able new propellants like CFE, Hodgdon Powder Company
At the range, this less-than- homegrown ammunition can lead (913) 362-9455
maximum load was dead-bang ac- to many hours of enjoyment at the Hodgon.com
curate. Out of my Springfield bench, and on the range. GW

GW_1508_83 6/2/15 1:08 AM Page 83
GW SMITH-84-93 cx EJM-87 6/8/15 4:19 AM Page 84
GUNSMITHING
Building the
REMINGTON
VARMINT RIFLE
Text & Photos by Steve Sieberts
Cleaned, Reassembled, and Crazy

Accurate – and We’re Not Done Yet
L
ast month, we were able to remove the barreled
action from the stock and thoroughly inspect our
spot bedding job. Finding no voids, gaps, air
pockets or pinholes, the work seems solid.
Now we’ll clean up the whole works, then install
the Match grade trigger, and mount the new scope.
Then it’s off to the range to see how much the rifle’s
accuracy has improved over its out-of-the-box baseline.

The author dry firing the project

rifle and getting ready to sight in.
It takes a little practice to get
used to the high quality of the
Jewell trigger, which has a clean
one-pound pull weight.

GUNSMITHING
When I initially bedded the rifle I placed some bedding material on the front and rear guard screw areas of the stock, so the fit of the
floorplate was snug, as it should be. Here, I’m reinstalling the floorplate and checking for fit.
THE DIRTY WORK

It’s true, nobody likes to clean
up, but we have to before moving
on to the more interesting areas of
the project.
The first task is to remove the
modeling clay we used to keep the
epoxy from flowing into the gas
port, trigger slot, and other places
we didn’t want it getting into. Then,
remove all of the bedding tape.
Make sure that the barrel is free
floating by scraping out the epoxy
that flowed in front of the recoil lug
and remove the tape from the bot-
tom of the recoil lug.
After taking off the tape and
the modeling clay, use a good sol-
vent and an air hose to clean any
remaining traces of release agent Installing the Jewell Match trigger, along with bedding the rifle, will go a long way to-
ward getting the rifle to shoot one-hole groups. The trigger is fully adjustable for sear en-
residue from all the metal parts, in-
gagement, weight of pull and overtravel without removing the barreled action from the
cluding the floorplate. stock, making adjustments fast and easy.

Now that the metal is pretty

much cleaned up, we can shift our
efforts to the stock by stripping off
the masking tape as we move on.
Before we begin our next chore,
be acutely aware that there must be
no stock-to-metal contact anywhere
on the front and rear guard screws;
wood touching the bolt handle is for-
bidden as well.
With those key points in mind,
let’s get out the carbide bits and
grind away any overflowed epoxy so
it’s even with the wood. Don’t worry
about accidently grinding into the
wood; we’ll go back later and seal
the wood.
Next, drill out the guard screw
holes using the drill press and a
17/64-inch drill bit, if available. As
long as the bit that you’re using is This area where the bolt release lever on the trigger pushes up on the bolt release is a
good spot to use a little bit of dry graphite lubricant.
slightly larger than 1/4-inch, things
should be fine. We are not drilling to
a specific dimension, we just need a sear spring onto the shop floor. from Brownell’s has the standard
clearance hole. If this happens — and it will if safety located at the top right, and
So far, we’ve cleansed the metal you mess with factory triggers long the bottom bolt release is in the
components, tidied up the stock and enough — you’ll be doing the “gun- original Remington factory location.
drilled out the stock screw holes. The smith’s crawl” on your hands and Depending on the type of gun
fun steps are next, so let’s start re- knees looking for small springs, pins you’ve decided to work on, you can
assembling the rifle. and whatnot that fall out of the gun choose from several safety and bolt
and onto the floor. The spring or release options.
STOCKLESS TRIGGER part always flies into an obscure In addition, our Jewell trigger
INSTALL & FUNCTIONALITY corner, making your time looking for can be adjusted for sear engage-
In the July issue, I mentioned re- it exponentially longer. ment, weight of pull and overtravel
placing the factory trigger with the The Jewell trigger that I ordered without the need to remove the rifle
outstanding Jewell trigger. One of
the Jewell trigger’s practical fea-
SSK
tures is that it’s a captive trigger. CUSTOMS: Revolvers, single
shots, semi autos, bolt guns
This means that the sear is con-
and suppressors. Over 400
tained within the trigger housing, calibers including Whispers,
HANDCANNONS
creating an easy to install unit, JDJ’s and B & M. Rechambering
rather than a bunch of individual
and rebarreling services. Mouse
to Mastadon killers. Settle
pieces to assemble. back and enjoy our website. No
Don’t get me wrong; the fac- boring guns allowed.
tory trigger isn’t difficult to rein-
stall, it’s just that you have to use SSKINDUSTRIES.COM
a little more care so the sear 740-264 0176
doesn’t flop open and dump the

GUNSMITHING
Here I’m using the wood scrapers to get out the epoxy in front of the recoil lug.
from the stock, which is really con- receiver installed into the stock, it’s
venient. still easier with it out of the stock.
To install the Jewell trigger, in- So, cock the rifle and place it on
sert the front trigger retaining pin Safe, pull and release the trigger,
first to hold the trigger on the re- and move the safety from Safe to
ceiver. At this point, I use a “helper” Fire. The gun should NOT fire.
punch to line up the bolt release Open the bolt and retract it as
and bolt release spring while I drive if ejecting a spent shell, then slam
in the rear trigger retaining pin. the bolt home and drop the bolt
The pins have a flat end and a handle one time. The rifle should
tapered end, and it really doesn’t stay cocked; if it fires, you need
matter which way they go in, be- more sear engagement.
cause we aren’t doing a full bed- Use your trigger pull gauge to
ding job on the rifle. It will matter set the weight of pull exactly where
later, however. you want, or leave it at the Jewell
Once the rear retaining pin is in factory setting. The Jewell trigger is
place, it’s time to do a function set from Jewell at 1 pound and I’ll
check. Even though we can make leave it there.
adjustments to the trigger with the I could adjust it higher, but why

would I do that? This is a varmint STOCKING THE ACTION If you have to push the guard
rifle and lighter is better. If this trig- Now that the trigger is in, the screws into place, the holes are too
ger was going on a tactical rifle, and next steps include reinstalling the small. No problem, just stop what
we installed a bunch of them when magazine box and patiently work- you’re doing, take off the stock and
I was building rifles for the Govern- ing the spot-bedded stock onto the drill the holes again with a larger
ment, we always set the triggers for receiver assembly. This should be a drill bit.
“
about 2.5 pounds. Law enforce- very tight fit, so you’ll have to wig-
ment triggers should be set to 3 gle the stock a little to get it up into
pounds for liability reasons. the receiver.
Our Jewell trigger
During the function checks, The stock-to-receiver dimen- can be adjusted for sear
there was a bit too much trigger sional tolerances are much closer
engagement, weight of
overtravel for my tastes. For a than on a factory-fresh firearm,
varmint rifle, I can set it very close which greatly improves the accu- pull and overtravel
without worry. racy potential of our rifle. And im- without removing the rifle
A tactical rifle trigger would be proving the accuracy is why we are
set differently, as we will discuss in going through the trouble of bed-
from the stock…
upcoming articles. When I start ding the rifle.
building the tactical version of our With the stock in place, turn the After the guard screws have
base rifle, you will see how much rifle upside down and insert the dropped easily into their holes, snug
tactical rifles and varmint rifles guard screws in the stock. The them up with an Allen wrench, then
have in common, as well as the dif- screws should easily drop into the use a torque wrench to tighten the
ferences between them. holes you drilled earlier. screws to about 50 inch-pounds.
I’ve installed the front trigger retaining

pin, and now I’m using a “helper” punch
to hold the trigger parts in place so I
can drive in the rear retaining pin. As I
drive in the retaining pin, I’ll pull out the
helper punch.

GUNSMITHING
Sixty-five inch-pounds is a to pop open, dumping out your

good setting for a pillar bedded ammunition at the most inoppor-
rifle, but this is just spot bedding, so tune time.
we don’t want to compress the The routine function tests re-
stock too much with over-tightened vealed that this rifle was interest-
fasteners. Fifty inch-pounds is usu- ing, and could require extra
ally perfect, but all rifles are differ- attention. The bolt release was
ent and experimenting with guard binding on the trigger guard slot,
screw torque values could help you so I filed off material to open up
get the very last bit of accuracy space for the bolt release to work
from your gun. properly, resolving the problem.
After the bolt release was fixed,
PROBLEMS FOUND another issue reared its ugly head.
The rifle is reassembled, mean- When function testing the as-
ing we need another round of func- sembled rifle, I found that if the
tion checks to make sure things still bolt was cocked with the safety in
work as they should. the Safe position, moving the
Cock the rifle and test the safety lever from Safe to Fire
safety, then manipulate the bolt re- caused the rifle to fire – without
lease to verify proper function. touching the trigger.
Check to make sure the floor- This is one of the most dan-
plate locks and unlocks with both gerous real-world scenarios, and
an empty magazine box, and a full good troubleshooting techniques
one. You do not want the floorplate can make a bad situation go away.

DIAGNOSIS actly where the stock and trigger

AND TREATMENT were rubbing together, but the
First, I wanted to find out if the Kutzall bit quickly relieved the area
Safe to Fire malfunction occurred and all was good.
only after we reassembled the ac- Once I removed the area on the
tion and stock. I performed a func- stock that was causing the trigger
tion check without the stock, and safety to bind up, I sealed the wood
since it was not working properly, with a good polyurethane sealer to
my guess was the trigger was bind- keep moisture out of the wood. If
ing on the stock. moisture enters the wood through
So I decided to do another an unsealed spot, the stock will
function check, and the safety was warp and swell, undoing the close
only malfunctioning with the stock fit we achieved by bedding the rifle.
on the rifle, which indicated to me Finally, once the rifle was back
that the trigger must be binding on together, the barrel got a good
the stock. scrubbing and patching out with
The next step is to look for Shooter’s Choice bore solvent. I al-
areas on the stock and the trigger ways clean the rifle barrel first be-
where it might be binding. Shiny fore installing the scope to avoid
The Nightforce NXS 8x32x56
is an outstanding and very spots on the wood or the trigger damaging the optical coatings with
versatile scope for either
can reveal sources of contact. stray solvent.
varmint or tactical use. There
are many reticle options to It took me a while to locate ex- The scope is the Nightforce
suit any need.
Find us on
Discover the
world of firearms at
your fingertips.
This 1/4x28 TPI tap precisely
cleans epoxy from the guard screw
threads and also retouches the
threads in the receiver, making
them uniform. My threads were a
www.facebook.com/gunworldmagazine
little undersized.

GUNSMITHING
downrange next, giving up a sizzling
0.380-inch five-shot group. This
would turn out to be the best group
of the day.
The last groups were also my
handloads, using the Hornady 50-
grain Z-Max zombie bullet. I shot
two groups with that load and both
were under an inch, coming in at
0.627 inches and 0.923 inches.
To put these numbers in per-
spective, before I started to work on
this rifle, the groups averaged
around 1.25 inches. After this trip to
the range, four of the eight groups
CONTACT
The Clymer finish reamer and the Go headspace gauge in SAAMI-spec 22-250 are pre-
cision ground tools that will be used to set the final chamber dimension and headspace
when we rebarrel the rifle with the short-chambered Shilen Match barrel. Remington Arms Company, LLC
800-243-9700
NXS 8x32x56. It’s a bit large for a away, then precisely measuring the
Remington.com
walking rifle, but an excellent bullet holes in the paper target to
choice for long-range varmint and quantify accuracy.
Nightforce Optics, Inc.
predator hunting. The first groups I fired were to
208-476-9814
Our scope has the NP-2DD reti- get the rifle on paper and see if
NightforceOptics.com
cle, which is just a simple fine dot there were any issues. The Federal
with three tapered lines converging American Eagle had 1.5-inch groups
Brownell’s Inc.
almost onto the dot. It makes for an for five shots, which was about
uncluttered sight picture. The field what I expected.
800-741-0015
of view was bright, and adjust- The next group was the factory
Brownells.com
ments were crisp and precise. Hornady ammunition, which per-
formed well with the box-stock
Berger Bullets
SHOOTING & MEASURING rifle. This time, groups had shrunk 714-441-7200
Shooting the rifle at the range to less than 1 inch, with the 50-grain BergerBullets.com
was a blast. Conditions were excel- V-Max coming in at 0.979 inches.
lent, with temperatures in the 70s This was followed by the Fed- Federal Premium Ammunition
and a light swirling breeze. The rifle eral loaded with the 60-grain 800-379-1732
is a lot of fun to shoot, and since Nosler Partition, which didn’t shoot FederalPremium.com
the 22-250 generates such little re- as well as I thought it would, group-
coil, firing 30 to 40 rounds in 90 ing five rounds at 1.587 inches. I Hornady Manufacturing Company
minutes is easy and enjoyable. Ac- think the bullet is a bit too heavy for 800-338-3220
quiring and holding the aiming the 1:14 twist of the factory barrel. Hornady.com
point was easy using the Nightforce I’ll be interested to see what this
8x32 scope. load can do once I install the 1:7 Redding Reloading
Each of the range tests con- Shilen barrel. 607-753-3331
sisted of firing a five-shot group My 52-grain Berger flat base Redding-Reloading.com
into a target located 100 yards Match varmint handloads went

gun. By adding the new barrel, along

with a few other tricks, this rifle will
be even more of a tack driver than it
already is.
One thing I noticed when dry fir-
ing prior to shooting was the jump of
the rifle when the firing pin slammed
home. I could really see the reticle
jump when the firing pin fell. I’ll ad-
dress this issue later on in the build.
Kutzall carbide bits are I’m pretty happy with the proj-
aggressive cutting tools to
quickly remove material ect so far. It has proven that a little
from nearly any substrate. bit of bedding work, a decent trigger,
good ammunition and high-quality
were under an inch, much better working with the Redding neck-siz- optics go a long way toward making
than what the rifle could do before ing die could make this rifle really a precision rifle.
the spot bedding job and new trig- sing, even before we install the I hope I’ve also shown that
ger. The accuracy is improving. match grade barrel. Remington rifles respond well to a
Remember, I haven’t even However, load development is small amount of very basic bench
started working on load develop- an ammunition-refining topic, and work, making Remingtons popular
ment. Experimenting with powders, we’re mainly concerned with the platforms for custom rifle builders.
primers, and seating depths, and rifle, so we’ll keep working on the GW
Get Your official gun world T-Shirt Today!
only
Front
$19 .95
plus s&H
back
BUY THEM ONLINE AT ENGAGEDMEDIAMAGS.COM OR CALL US AT 800-764-6278

100% Pre-Shrunk Cotton * Black Shirt with Gold and Grey Screen Print

GW PRODUCTS23-94-97.qxp 6/4/15 11:34 PM Page 94
The SWFA SS 6x42mm Tactical

Riflescope offers a great combination
of image quality, solid construction
and affordable pricing. It would make
a great addition to any tactical bolt
action or modern sporting rifle.
Affordable
mending that I try out the SWFA line,
as he uses a 10xSWFA scope on his
personal .308 sniper rifle. The fact
EYES & EARS

that he trusted SWFA on his personal
rifle made my decision an easy one. I
contacted SWFA to see about getting
a T&E scope to try out.
Text & Photos by Tim Stetzer OPTIC OPTIONS

SWFA has about 20 different op-
SWFA’s SS 6x42 Tactical Riflescope is a tions in optics ranging from compact
quality, flexible optic at a reasonable price patrol rifle scopes all the way up to 5-
20x50 tactical scopes. I wanted
something a little more than a com-
I spent a good number of years scoped rifles were a Marlin .22 Mag- pact patrol rifle scope but didn’t want
focusing on pistol and shotgun num, my old Ruger M77 and my anything too extreme either, so I
shooting, or semi-auto modern dad’s Remington 788. ended up going with an SWFA SS
sporting rifles using red dots. More Clearly, I needed something a 6x42mm Tactical Riflescope along
recently, I have been taking the time bit more suited to the tactical rifles with an SWFA S.S.A.L.T. 30mm Scope
to get back to the bench and really I’ve been shooting, so I started look- Mount. I liked the simplicity of the
see what the rifles I am shooting ing around at what options were fixed 6x and that was plenty of mag-
are capable of. After making the out there. Now, I’m a police officer nification for the ranges I’d be shoot-
choice to begin, I realized I had a in my day job and my partner is on ing at, basically 300 yards and in.
distinct dearth of quality optics for the SWAT team, so I asked him for I soon found out that SWFA of-
this purpose. In fact, my only suggestions. He ended up recom- fers an excellent quality optic at a

very reasonable price. The 6x42 I

tested runs for $299.95 and the
mount an additional $59.95. So for
well under $400 you’ve got a great
setup with a mil dot equipped tacti-
cal scope that offers excellent opti-
cal quality and great light gathering
ability with its big 42mm diameter.
The large tactical turrets made
for easy adjustment and can be set
to zero once you are sighted in.
These scopes are rated for use on
anything up to a .50 caliber, so the
M4 style 5.56 FN-15 that I used for
testing was no issue at all as far as
recoil goes.
SWFA has a good set of acces-
sories available as well, including
lens covers, sun shades, flash kills
and levels. I found the S.S.A.L.T.
mount to be rock solid and easy to
install on the FN’s rail. It’s sized for
a 30mm scope body but comes
with 1-inch inserts so you have
some options if you decide you
want to switch out scopes once you
The author paired up the SWFA SS 6x42 Tactical Riflescope with an FN-15
have the mount. for range testing and they proved to be a formidable combination.
CONTACT
SWFA Inc.
(972) 726-7348 (SCOPE-IT)
SWFA.com
The SWFA SS 6x42 riflescope surely helped the author make the most out of
the FN-15 he used for testing.

When I joined the police force I ac-

tually bought a very good set of
battery operated shooting muffs
that allowed me to hear clearly
while still protected my hearing.
I soon found, though, that I still
didn’t like wearing muffs. The bat-
The Otis Ear Shield is an affordable, lightweight solution that combines good hear- teries were dead half the time and
ing protection with the ability to still hear range commands and conversation.
they ended up sitting unused in my
gun cabinet. I went back to just
Otis Ear Shield offers revolutionary using ear plugs, which is a subopti-
hearing protection at unexpected prices mal solution for someone who al-
ready has hearing damage. So it
After a little over three decades to hear radio transmissions and was with great interest that I heard
of shooting as a civilian, in the mili- everything else that what was going about the new Ear Shield from Otis
tary, and as a police officer, coupled on around me. Technologies earlier this year.
with working on the flight line in the When shooting I typically just On paper, the Otis Ear Shield
Air Force Reserves, I probably shot with plugs because I didn’t like sounded like just the thing I had
shouldn’t be surprised that I have how shooting muffs interfered with been looking for: a lightweight
tinnitus. While I did wear full ear getting a good cheek weld when headset with a set of foam earplugs
muffs when working around air- shooting rifles and I wanted to be attached. The headset itself is ad-
craft, I never doubled up with ear able to hear range commands, so I justable and folds for compact stor-
plugs because I wanted to be able only used one layer of protection. age and carry.

The one thing you’ll notice expect with regular plugs of muffs. I With the combination of com-
right away is that the “arms” of could clearly hear conversations not fort and function, and the added
the headset are rather thick and just between myself and my buddy bonus that you never have to worry
rectangular. This is because they but also the other group shooting about batteries, the Ear Shields
house a sound reduction cham- further down the bay from us. With from Otis Technology are a real
ber, which Otis states is the key that said, the rifle fire was more winner. Even better is the fact that
to reducing incoming noise to a than amply quieted even when I they are extremely affordable, sell-
safe level while still allowing the was adjacent to the shooter using ing for only $19.99 for the 26 dB
shooter to hear normal conver- the spotting scope, a spot which model and $24.99 for the 31 dB
sation and range commands. can often be unpleasant due to the model. At those prices I can afford
The Ear Shields are available in noise and blast. to buy a couple more pairs to stash
two sound reduction levels, one More importantly, at the end of in my various range bags and to
at 26dB and the other at 31dB. the day, I realized that I never found leave at work so that I always have
Considering my prior hearing the hearing protection uncomfort- a set handy. GW
damage I opted to try out the able. I was able to hear clearly, and I
31dB model. never once felt that the noise level CONTACT
I took the Ear Shields with from gunfire was too high. I also
me on my next trip to the range never had a plug slip loose, and I
and used them during a 4-hour didn’t need to keep adjusting the Otis Technology
session shooting AR-15's and head set as I often have to do with OtisTec.com
AK's along with some oddball regular earplugs.
vintage surplus rifles. I have to
say that I walked away from the
session extremely impressed.
First off, the Ear Shields are in- Advertiser Index
deed very lightweight and com-
fortable. Typically, when wearing
Battenfeld Technologies 27 Major Surplus & Survival 13
plugs or muffs I tend to take
them out or pull them off in be- Black Hills Ammunition 81 Redding Reloading Equipment 67
tween shooting because they Browning 37 Rio Grande Custom Grips 57

bug me. They aren’t necessarily
CZ-USA 39 Rock River Arms 75
comfortable, I can’t hear, and my
ears get sweaty with muffs. Davidson's 3 Sig Sauer 53
The Ear Shields were differ- Del-Ton 11 SSK Industries 87
ent. I tended to forget I was even
Dillon Precision 33 Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. 2, 100
wearing them. At one point dur-
ing a longer break I did have Edwards Recoil Reducers 29 Tormach LLC 63
them out of my ears but still had
European American Armoury 23 ULTIMAK 89
them resting on my head. When
GTUL 49 Umarex USA, Inc. 69
we went hot again I was looking
around for the Ear Shields and Hogue Grips 79 Vista Outdoor - Fed. Ammunition 99
couldn’t find them until I realized
Jantz Supply 42-43 Walther Arms 47
they were still over the top of my
ball cap. Les Baer Custom, Inc. 7
As far as actual function,

they work extremely well. While The advertiser index is provided as a service to
Gun World readers. Gun World is not responsible
noise is slightly muffled it was for omissions or typographical errors on names or page numbers.
not to the degree you come to

GW BACK-98-99 6/5/15 12:12 AM Page 98
BACK PAGES
ent for the original unveiling—ade-

quately and understandably held in
the bedroom of the HS suite—was
Duke Roberts. Being a police officer
and not prone to payola in the form
of the free booze Donovan and staff
had been dispensing as they ex-
plained the wonders of their new
offering, we returned to the West
Coast and informed Roberts he had
been selected to wring out the gun
when it arrived.
“Meantime, Lomax had made it
known that there were only a few
test models available, but before
departing the party, Jack Lewis had
cornered him in a closet and threat-
ened to spill a martini on his new
suit if we were not promised a sam-
ple right away. Since the substance
of those drinks would no doubt
have dissolved the fabric, leaving
him naked in the closet, Lomax was
properly frightened, but asked to
have the gun returned within two
weeks of arrival so he could pass it
Our August 1965 cover featured High Standard’s “new”
military target pistol and a customized Peruvian Mauser. on to another writer who was less
threatening in his demands.”
A High STANDARD
For the record, Roberts (a long-
time law enforcement columnist
and editor in addition to his duties
for the Pasadena police force) liked
By Craig Hodgkins
the 18-degree grip angle on the
front strap, mused about the pros
Just when I was convinced that “We got our first look at High and cons of using Derlin — a highly-
the advertising and marketing Standard’s new “military” line of stiff thermoplastic — on the fol-
“strategies” of the mid-1960s — as .22 automatic target handguns dur- lower and floorplate and
played out so convincingly (and en- ing the NRA bash in Washington, questioned the strength of the rear
joyably) in the recently completed D.C.,” the article opened, “when Bill sight support, but overall rated the
Mad Men series on AMC — were ex- Donovan, Ed Lomax and Bob Matt gun as a potential top target pistol.
aggerated at the very least, I came were pouring drinks during an infor- But truthfully, the results of
across this introductory passage to mal-type formal cocktail party Roberts’ review became a bit sec-
an unsigned review of High Stan- aimed at writers and editors. ondary after reading those opening
dard’s “latest and greatest” in our “About the only member of the paragraphs. I couldn’t keep my
August 1965 issue. Gun World staff who was not pres- mind off my next writer’s event. GW

GW_1508_C3 6/2/15 12:33 AM Page C3
Six-division USPSA National Champion Julie Golob fires 50,000 rounds each
season. When she carries, she chooses 380 Micro HST®. The 99-grain bullet’s exclusive
design delivers dynamic expansion and penetration for full-size terminal performance
from a compact platform.
federalpremium.com
GW_1508_C4 6/1/15 2:34 AM Page C4
W I T H R E D F I E L D® R E V O L U T I O N™ R I F L E S C O P E
Power Bedding ® Integral Bedding Blocks
Flush-Fit Rotary Magazine

Visible,
Accessible
and Easy-to-
Actuate
Tang Safety
One-Piece, Three-Lug Bolt with 70˚ Throw 100% American-Made Redfield ® Revolution™
Provides Ample Scope Clearance 3-9x40mm Riflescope
Ruger Marksman
Adjustable ™ Trigger
Provides a Crisp
Release with a
User-Adjustable 3-5
lb. Trigger Pull
Consider it another American Revolution. The 100% American-made Ruger American Rifle ®
has been paired with the 100% American-made Redfield ® Revolution ™ 4-Plex ™ Riflescope, creating a new
American icon. Available in most popular calibers, this winner of the 2014 Guns & Ammo Rifle of the Year maintains all the features
of the standard Ruger American Rifle ®. The riflescope offers resettable stainless steel finger-click Accu-Trac ™ adjustments, 4-Plex ™ reticle for
combination of speed and long-range precision and a Rapid Target Acquisition eyepiece. Complete with the Redfield ® full lifetime warranty, the
Revolution ™ offers best-in-class durability, image quality and field of view – all in a waterproof, fog proof and shock proof package.
WINNER OF THE 2014 GUNS & AMMO RIFLE OF THE YEAR
RUGER.COM/AMERICANRIFLE ©2015 Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. 032715

Digital Subscriptions are NOW
AVAILABLE for all of our Titles!
Subscribe today and Save up to 79%!
Choose from the titles below:
Romantic Homes Cottages & Bungalows Flea Market Décor Victorian Homes
Only $14.99 for 10 Issues Only $12.99 for 6 Issues Only $15.99 for 4 Issues Only $11.99 for 4 Issues
SUBSCRIBE NOW SUBSCRIBE NOW SUBSCRIBE NOW SUBSCRIBE NOW
Diesel World Ultimate Diesel Builder’s Guide Street Trucks Drag Racer
Gun World Bow & Arrow Hunting American Survival Guide World of Fire Power
Contact us at 800-764-6278 with any questions, or for help placing your subscription.
Visit us at engagedmediainc.com for a full listing of our titles.

Gun World 2015

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Gun World 2015

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Gun World 2015

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

GW-15-08-COVER_final 6/8/15 3:22 AM Page US_C1

AWESOMELY ACCURATE BATTLE BORN AR-15

Patriotic Power for All 0 74470 03105 5

THE ONE RIFLE TO HAVE IF YOU COULD ONLY HAVE ONE

RUGER.COM/SCOUTRIFLE ©2015 Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. 032615

Cavalry SX Combo 2 Barrel Set 686 Silver Pigeon 1 A400 Xtreme KO

Citori 725 Field BPS Hunting M87 Pump

BBL: 26” t5ISFF*OWFDUPS%4$IPLF5VCFT 'VMM .PE *$

Model 500 Turkey / Deer

Get Your Instant Quote at www.galleryofguns.com

©2015 DAVIDSON’S, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

CONTENTS AUGUST 2015

14 Best of Both 34 The Sharp 54 Xtreme Freedom

Photo by Mike Dickerson

4 GUN WORLD | AUGUST 2015 www.gunworld.com

Photo by Dave Workman

8 New Products 84 Gunsmithing

12 Ask the Experts 94 Eyes & Ears

64 Today’s Hunter 98 Back Pages

Photo by Thomas C. Tabor

www.gunworld.com AUGUST 2015 | GUN WORLD 5

EDITORIAL, PRODUCTION & SALES OFFICE

6 GUN WORLD | AUGUST 2015 www.gunworld.com

When we decided to build our own line of

Les Baer Custom .308 Cal/7.62mm

Also available: Les Baer Custom 1911 Pistols

See our entire line of

The new and improved e-caller from Foxpro may

8 GUN WORLD | AUGUST 2015 www.gunworld.com

www.gunworld.com AUGUST 2015 | GUN WORLD 9

A closer look at the TX-1000’s color

10 GUN WORLD | AUGUST 2015 www.gunworld.com

For those of you who do, Del-Ton has a complete line of

Del-Ton is a manufacturer of quality AR-15-style

16’’ M4 Riﬂe Kit (RKT 100) / MSRP: $510

Our August Expert:

12 GUN WORLD | AUGUST 2015 www.gunworld.com

CMMG’s new MK47 ‘Mutant’

14 GUN WORLD | AUGUST 2015 www.gunworld.com

CMMG’s goal with the MK47

www.gunworld.com AUGUST 2015 | GUN WORLD 15

16 GUN WORLD | AUGUST 2015 www.gunworld.com

www.gunworld.com AUGUST 2015 | GUN WORLD 17

“ The Mutant looks a lot

The Mutant sports quality

Mutant I tested (MK47 AKM) came pearance of an AK-47.

18 GUN WORLD | AUGUST 2015 www.gunworld.com

The Mutant sports a Magpul

www.gunworld.com AUGUST 2015 | GUN WORLD 19

The Mutant may accept bulky

The MK47’s beefy bolt carrier

CMMG MK47 MUTANT RIFLE 7.62X39

LOAD AVG. MUZZLE AVG. 100-YARD BEST 100-YARD

Federal Fusion 123-gr. 2383 1.15 0.80

Hornady 123-gr. SST 2374 1.52 1.30

Winchester PDX1 120-gr. 2341 1.00 0.77

20 GUN WORLD | AUGUST 2015 www.gunworld.com

“ The only traditional

www.gunworld.com AUGUST 2015 | GUN WORLD 21

Competitive Edge Dynamics

BBL: 26” t5ISFFOWFDUPS%4$IPLF5VCFT 'VMM .PE $