Outdoor Life - Bolt actions RSS

Merkel’s RX Helix Rifle Features Slick New Action

OL Editor — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:55:24 -0500

Merkel introduces its new linear-bolt-action rifle, the Merkel RX Helix, with an action that cycles in half the length of a conventional system.

While the RX Helix is a straight-pull rifle, it retains the strength and safety of a rotary bolt head with seven locking lugs, as well as a fully enclosed, hard-anodized-aluminum action housing. The RX Helix's linear motion of the bolt handle is transmitted to the bolt head at a ratio of one-to-two by way of a revolutionary transmission gearing system, providing for smooth and fast cycling without the tipping movement found on other straight-pull rifles.

A true takedown rifle for exceptionally easy packing, the RX Helix can be dismantled in a matter of seconds without tools. Weaver rails are integrated into the action, and fast-acquisition iron sights with three-dot rear, and one-dot front fiber-optic inserts are standard. Also features a manual cocking lever on the tang and a direct trigger system.

The RX Helix is available in a standard black configuration as well as four levels of design: Arabesque, Wild Boar, Spirit and Deluxe. An all-carbon-fiber version is also available either with or without a carbon-wrapped barrel. Available in a wide range of popular calibers from .222 Rem. through .300 Win. Mag. Barrel lengths vary according to caliber; additional barrels, bolts and magazines are available for caliber changes.

Starting MSRP is $3,795.

Made in Germany and imported by Steyr Arms.

Bloomberg Anti-Gun Commercial To Air During Super Bowl

OL Editor — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:59:23 -0500

Keep the remote handy during Sunday's Super Bowl telecast because you'll want to mute the volume when Big Nanny himself--New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg--and Boston Mayor Thomas Merino share a couch and lecture unsuspecting football fans about the evils of firearms and, by extension, the dangers posed by the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Bloomberg and Menino filmed a 30-second gun-control commercial Tuesday in New York that will air in the Northeast, not nationally, during Sunday’s big game between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots.

The commercial will show the two mayors sitting on a couch, wearing Giants and Patriots jerseys over their shirts and ties, ribbing each other about New York-Boston sports rivalries, pretending to watch the game, before declaring that one thing they agree on is the need for stricter federal gun control laws.

Both mayors are founding members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which is pushing for a stronger federal background check system on firearms purchases.

With billionaire Bloomberg footing the bill from pocket change, the group had no problem purchasing air time during TV's most watched event. According to TNS Media Intelligence, 30-second commercials during the Super Bowl on CBS are selling for between $2.5 million and $2.8 million.

The lecture-mercial is already drawing criticism from divergent sources, including Boston Herald columnist Michael Graham, whose Feb. 3 column noted a disconnect between the mayors' message and reality.

"The ad will reportedly talk about gun laws and the need for the presidential candidates to address the issue," Graham wrote. "What the ad most assuredly won’t talk about is gun violence itself. Because the last thing these two big-government grannies want you to know is that gun violence is plummeting, even as gun ownership has skyrocketed."

For more, go to:

Bloomberg Appears With Boston Mayor In Super Bowl Commercial Urging Gun Control

Mike Bloomberg, Tom Menino to Star in Anti-Gun Super Bowl Ad

During Super Bowl, for 30 Seconds, 2 Mayors Will Be on Same Side

Mayor Bloomberg Has His Own Super Bowl Ad This Year

NYC, Boston mayors in Super Bowl gun-control ad

Mayors wide of mark

Anti-Gun Protestors Target Starbucks for Upholding the Second Amendment

E-mail Submission — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:01:48 -0500

A nationwide boycott of Starbucks stores and its products will be launched on Valentine's Day to eliminate "the risk of guns in public places and ultimately to bring sane gun laws to the U.S."

This boycott is being called by the National Gun Victim's Action Council (NGAC), a network of 14 million gun victims, and is targeting Starbucks because it allows guns and assault weapons to be openly carried in its stores in 43 states, and concealed and carried in its stores in 49 states.

"Starbucks has the legal right to ban guns but despite having been petitioned by thousands, asked at a shareholder meeting, and a direct appeal made to their Board, Starbucks clings to this policy that puts millions of Americans at risk every day and encourages the spread of guns being carried in public," said NGAC CEO Elliot Fineman in a Jan. 23 press release circulated by the group.

Of course, such reasoning is sheer idiocy, said Seattle Guns Rights Examiner Dave Workman in a Jan. 23 Examiner.com column.

"Starbucks’ sin is that the coffee giant caters to everybody, including legally-armed citizens, whether they carry openly or concealed," Workman wrote. "Starbucks made it plain in 2010 when the Brady Campaign, assisted locally by Washington CeaseFire, that it abides by local state laws and does not discriminate against a certain class of customers. Starbucks has the legal right to serve any customer it pleases, including someone exercising his or her right to bear arms. Fineman evidently doesn’t grasp that."

For more, go to:

Starbucks' "Pro-Gun" Policy Prompts Gun Victims' Advocate Group to Launch Nationwide Boycott on Valentine's Day 2012

More DOJ embarrassment; more Starbucks stupidity; Oly hearings re-scheduled

Call for Boycott of Starbucks on Valentine's Day Over Gun Policy

Starbucks boycott: National Gun Victim's Council boycotts Starbucks on Feb 14

Where Do Romney and Santorum Stand on the 2nd Amendment?

OL Editor — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:51:52 -0500

Since the 2012 Presidential campaign began the day after Barack Obama was elected in November 2008, we've avoided discussing Republican candidates' views on the Second Amendment here on the Gun Shots blog.

There were better uses of your time and this space, especially since some candidates -- Herb Cain, Michelle Bachmann, Jon Huntsman, Ron Paul -- were never more than marginal hopefuls while others, such as Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry, peaked and paled even before the primaries began.

And there was also this: Whoever gets the GOP nod will be far friendlier to the Second Amendment than the incumbent liberal seeking a second term in the White House -- a second term in which he is expected pursue an anti-gun agenda that has been simmering on the backburner since 2009.

But, alas -- and finally -- the primary season did begin on Jan. 3 with the Iowa caucuses. If results there prove prognostic, the race for the 2012 Republican Presidential nomination could shape up to be a contest between former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania (even though Santorum was recently trounced in the New Hampshire primary).

As the links below indicate, there is a great deal of chatter and contention regarding where Romney and Santorum stand on defending your Second Amendment rights.

One alarming note raised by the National Association for Gun Rights Executive Director, Dudley Brown, is that neither Romney or Santorum -- nor Gingrich, for that matter -- have returned a survey seeking answers to questions important to gun owners.

Among questions the survey asks is, as President, if the candidate would: Repeal the Brady Gun Owner Registration Scheme? Oppose the UN "Small Arms Treaty"? Call for a repeal of the Lautenberg Gun Ban and the Criminal Safezones Act?

"My experience shows me that candidates who refuse to return gun rights surveys and answer important Second Amendment questions are almost always hiding something. Hiding anti-gun political views," Brown said.

Demand that Romney, Santorum, and Gingrich respond to the survey by contacting their campaign offices in your state.

Meanwhile, in the coming weeks, and especially before the GOP's Aug. 27 National Convention, we will explore each Republican hopefuls' views on the Second Amendment in depth.

For more, go to:

Rick Santorum’s Anti-Gun History

Santorum Favors Gun Control Candidates

RICK SANTORUM ON SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS

Mitt Romney - The Second Amendment

Santorum says 11th-hour robo calls falsely claim he’s anti-gun

Mitt Romney on the Second Amendment

NEWT GINGRICH Defending Second Amendment Rights

Ron Paul Iowa Team Welcomes New ‘Gun Owners for Ron Paul

Mitt Romney Gets Owned on The Second Amendment

December Firearms Sales Shatter Retail Records

E-mail Submission — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:38:31 -0500

Gun sales shattered records on Black Friday and that pace continued through the holiday shopping season as more than 1.5 million instant criminal background checks for firearms purchases were conducted in December, according to the FBI.

In the six days before Christmas, gun dealers submitted nearly half-a-million names for checks on criminal records and mental health issues, with 20 percent coming on Dec. 23, according to the AP. That was the second-busiest gun-buying day in history, topped only by firearm purchases on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.

“The firearms industry is one that hasn’t suffered in this economy,” Larry Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America, told CNBC. “Everyone else is hurting, but not firearms.”

With another presidential election cycle under way, Pratt said 2012 could be a replay of the last election cycle. “I think the same dynamics that we saw in 2008 will come up again.” Pratt points to the fact that gun sales increased strongly after the election of President Barack Obama in 2008, continuing throughout 2009 and into 2010. After a slight dip, sales have been picking up, notably with a record day on Black Friday, which saw the largest single day of FBI background checks.

Final tallies for all of December haven't been released, but the month's gun purchases will eclipse November. As of Dec. 28, 1,534,414 names had been sent to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, The New York Times reported in an editorial.

For the first 11 months of 2011, the FBI did a record 14.6 million checks, an increase of more than 70 percent from the 8.5 million in 2003.

Kentucky led the nation, with more than two-million background checks conducted through November; double the No. 2 gun-check state, Texas. The Bluegrass State, with a population of about 4.3 million, has been tops in background checks the past five years and has the most checks of any state since 1998 -- more than 12.6 million.

For more, go to:

Total NCIS background checks by state Nov. 1998 to Nov. 2011 (pdf)

FBI's state-by-state breakdown through November (pdf)

Firearms Sales Ring in 2012 With a Bang

Retailers surprised but pleased by record gun sales

Record gun checks, sales for Christmas

Happiness is … a warm gun for Christmas

Gun sales break records before Christmas, as FBI reports gun dealers ordered 1.5M background checks in December

FBI: Gun sales up in 2011

Guns a popular Christmas gift in Idaho

Gun sales boom in Kentucky for Christmas

December Gun Sales Break Single-Month Record

All I Want For Christmas Is A Shotgun! Record Gun Sales This Christmas

Bang! Bang! We know what you got for Christmas

Obama spurring one aspect of economy?... December gun sales set all-time record

FBI data indicates gun sales in New Mexico will reach record numbers in 2011

Lock & Load

In Smith and Wesson We Trust (and it looks like Santa does, too)

Video: Death to the Angry Birds

E-mail Submission — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:53:40 -0500

To build up a stronger online community, we've been trying here at Outdoor Life to boost our presence on Facebook. With that in mind, we bring you our first Facebook exclusive video. Click the photo, become a fan and watch this Angry Bird get smoked by a 12 gauge.

Take two cutting-edge high-speed cameras, a dozen rifles, shotguns and muzzleloaders, a truck bed of ammo, a Wal-Mart shopping spree, a 200-yard shooting range, and what do you get? The first Outdoor Life/Field & Stream high-speed video shoot.

We shot .223s, .308s, broadheads and every kind of shotgun shell imaginable at steel targets, paper targets, golf balls, tennis ball and basketballs. We shot PowerBait, glitter tubes, a sleeve of paintballs, apples, and, yes, Angry Birds.

We were the pigs. The pigs had guns. The pigs won. Sort of... As you’ll see in the video (just click the image above) the plush red Angry Bird actually held up pretty well against our volley of Black Cloud No. 2 and a home-defense slug.

This trip to the range, however, wasn’t all about shooting things we thought would look cool. No, there was some editorial intent. So for the next few weeks we’re going to show you, among other things, exactly how a compound bow works and how a muzzleloader fires in super slow motion.

We couldn’t have done any of this without the help of Vision Research. They provided two Phantom high-speed cameras, the v1610 and v711, for our three-day shoot. The $100,000 v1610 captured bullet impacts at 43,400 frames per second. (Digital video and television, for comparison, usually runs around 30 frames per second.) We captured targets exploding, muzzle flash and other fun stuff in color at 19,300 frames per second with the v711.

Now, you may be wonder why sworn enemies OL and F&S are teaming up. Well, the opportunity to use such high-end cameras was so sweet niether brand could pass it up.

Special thanks to Winchester, Federal and Winchester Ammo.

Help Us Pick The Prize for Our Next Caption Contest!

Alex Robinson — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:33:47 -0500

So Outdoor Life is part of a cool contest operated by Crown Royal, sponsor of Field & Stream’s Hook Shots show and maker of the whiskey that comes in a purple bag. The contest is called “Pass the Crown,” and it’s a variation on the Secret Santa gift exchange anyone who’s ever worked in an office is familiar with. Are you lucky enough to have never worked in an office? Then here’s how this works:

Each day from now until Dec. 15 Crown Royal is giving away a prize to a different web site to pass along to its readers. Today is Outdoor Life’s turn, but here’s the catch. Crown’s not telling us which prize they’re giving us right away. Instead, we get a clue, embroidered on one of their famous purple bags,* and we have to guess what prize the clue refers to. Based on that guess, we then get to decide whether to keep the prize in our bag or steal one of the prizes that have already been opened by a different site. Here’s a list of the prizes that have already been opened.

This is where we need your help. Do we keep our prize, or steal one from somebody else? You’ve got until 4 PM this afternoon to weigh in. Check out our clue (below), then post your best argument for keeping the prize in our bag or for stealing a specific prize from another site in the comments section here or on our Facebook post about the contest over at facebook.com/outdoorlife. If you can convince us your argument is best, we’ll go with your suggestion. If you’re not convincing enough, we’ll make the decision ourselves.

We’ll post an update here tomorrow telling you what prize was in our bag, and whether we decided to keep it or not. Keep in mind that any of the five sites who come after us can steal our gift, so don’t get too attached to whatever we end up with!

And last, of course; how will we determine which of our readers wins the prize we end up with at the end of the contest? It’ll be a caption contest, photo and date TBD. Stay tuned!

*Crown is running this contest is to get the word out about the custom-embroidered Crown bags ($9.95), and the free personalized Crown Royal bottle labels (21 and over, only) available at CrownRoyal.com. If you’ve got a Crown-lover in your family, this would make a great gift.

Sniper School: Master the Trigger

Alex Robinson — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 09:28:34 -0500

On day one of my four-day sniper training course the instructor knelt down next to me and said "Young man, I love ya, but I'm going to beat the hell out of you if you don't stay with your trigger."

I was lying prone on the frozen ground at Sniper Country, a 50,000-acre shooter's paradise in Utah, and I had just sent a .338 Lapua round 300 yards down range into the center of an 18 by 24-inch steel plate. I was pretty pleased with the shot, but the instructor was clearly not impressed (however he didn't actually beat the hell out of me). My offense was what I did after I squeezed the trigger. Instead of hanging in there and following through, I allowed my index finger to slip out of proper position as the rifle charged into my shoulder.

With all of the sexiness Hollywood has created around long-range shooting (see Shooter, Enemy at the Gates, Sniper) it's easy to forget that one of the most important aspects of accurate shooting is also one of the most fundamental: pulling the trigger correctly. You can get away with fairly sloppy trigger form if you're simply trying to poke holes in a target at a few hundred yards, but if you're aiming for precision long-range shooting at targets out past 300 yards, the connection between you and the trigger must become sacred.

Here are some things I learned from shooting instructor Jacob Bynum about the not so simple act of pulling the trigger.

90 is the magic number
Your finger should make 90 degree angles with the rifle. This will ensure that you pull the trigger straight back and don't send the bullet veering off to the left or right. If you jack the trigger even slightly to the left or right it will send your bullet off target horizontally. The best way to make sure that you're at 90 is to look at your finger nail and make sure it is pointing perpendicular to the direction you're shooting and stays that way after the shot.

Dry fire is your friend
Dry firing is free, easy and essential to better shooting. Get behind your rifle, aim it at the target and squeeze the trigger like normal. This will allow you to truly analyze your form without having to worry about recoil. It's also a good way to get familiar with your trigger and keep you from flinching.

Don't slap it
We've all been there: there's no rock solid rest, the target is in the scope but the crosshairs are moving in small circles on and off the target. There's no time to get a better rest, it's now or never. The natural thing to do is wait until the crosshairs hover back over the target and then jump on the trigger. This will generally work for close range shots, but if you want to go deep you need to keep your trigger squeeze consistent just like if you were shooting from the bench. This is where all that practice dry firing comes in. By now you know exactly when your trigger will fire. Time your squeeze so that it will fire just as your crosshairs cover the bullseye.

Don't let it surprise you
Old wisdom says that you should squeeze the trigger until it goes off and the shot should surprise you. According to Bynum, this is what you tell a kid who just started shooting in order to keep him from flinching before the shot. A really good marksman knows exactly when his gun is going to fire and is ready for the recoil but doesn't flinch in anticipation of it.

Follow through
This is what I spent three days working on. Pulling the trigger and holding it through the shot. It's easy to let your finger jump off the trigger or hook around the trigger so your finger nail is pointing back toward you instead of perpendicular. The best advice I got on this was from Brent Wheat, a veteran police officer and freelance gun writer: Pull the trigger and mentally count to one before taking your finger off.

It sounds simple, but just like everything else in long-range shooting, it takes a lot of practice to master.

Come back to outdoorlife.com for more blogs, galleries and video from my trip to Sniper Country.

Nosler M48

EricAichele — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 11:09:06 -0400

Nosler, the maker of damn fine bullets, also makes damn fine rifles. But while most hunters have at one point or another used Partitions and Ballistic Tips, not nearly as many have had a chance to give the rifles a shot because they are assembled in the same quantities that Ferrari produces racecars.

Unlike Italian Supercars, though, Nosler’s rifles are becoming more affordable as time goes on because the company has sought out ways to take the best features of its custom line of guns and turn them into more affordable semi-custom rifles.

The result is the M48 Custom Sporter, which I reviewed here (see also photo gallery here), and the newer and even more affordable TGR rifle, which will be reviewed in our annual test of new rifles and shotguns in August.

As I say in the video review of the rifle (below) it is one impressive hunting tool and chambered in 6.5-284 Norma it is enough to make a grizzled hunter swoon. At least that is the effect it had on me.

Nosler M48 Video Review

EricAichele — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 11:05:35 -0400

Shooting Editor John B. Snow talks about Nosler M48 and gives us a show of the mechanics that make this rifle work.

Click here for the Gun Test Article >>

Click here for the Hands on Photo Gallery >>

Gun Test: Nosler M48

EricAichele — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 23:58:01 -0400

The company’s first rifle, the Nosler Custom, was not intended for the masses. Nosler limited production to 500 per “series,” with each series available in one chambering only. There have been just three series to date—the most recent was in .338 Win. Mag.—and should you stumble across a spare $4,195 in your sofa cushions, you can take one home.

Click here for the Hands on Photo Gallery >>

Click here for the Hands on Video >>

Overall Rating:

REPORT CARD
Performance: A
Design: A+
Price/Value: B+

Verdict: A distinctive, well-balanced and beautifully built hunting rifle that exhibits superlative attention to detail in its design, looks and performance.

Had Nosler stuck to this business model, its rifles, nice as they are, would have remained a niche curiosity and certainly would never have had the chance to enjoy the widespread success of the company’s renowned hunting bullets.

However, Nosler’s ambitions extended beyond being a boutique gun maker. Since the launch of Nosler Custom, the unit that makes the rifles, the company has expanded its line to include the Model 48, which comes in both sporter and varminter onfigurations, and the just-launched TGR, short for Trophy Grade Rifle. (Look for the TGR in Outdoor Life’s exclusive test of new guns in the August issue.)

While not cheap by any means—the Model 48 lists for $2,995 in a short action, the TGR for $1,745—these rifles are not out of reach for the rifleman looking to invest in a high-quality hunting tool. But three grand is still three grand, and that’s a lot of coin to part with. What does that money buy, exactly? In the case of the M48 I tested, which was chambered in the excellent 6.5–284 Norma, the answer is quite a lot.

Special Features - Smart Bolt Design
The well-designed geometry of the cocking ramp on the M48 adds to the smoothness of the action. Knurling on the bolt handle provides positive grip.

Sculpted Stock
The scalloped area above the trigger guard helps the rifle transition from the flat of the magazine floor plate to the rounded grip in a graceful fashion.

Bulletproof
The stock, made of Kevlar and carbon fiber, weighs just a pound and a half but is super-strong and tough.

Action!
Compared to most rifles, the M48 has a greater percentage of its weight concentrated in the action. This augments the rifle’s excellent handling characteristics. The designers of this rifle understand hunting.

6.5–284 Norma
Loaded with the elegant and accurate 6.5mm bullets, this round is an excellent choice for all but the biggest game.

Built Tough
The M48 is not a showpiece—it is built to withstand scree fields, weeklong downpours, ice and all the other nastiness that goes with serious hunting. The metal, including all interior surfaces, is finished in a non-reflective, ceramic-based coating called CeraKote, which provides excellent corrosion protection and resistance against wear. The stock is protected as well, with a textured paint commonly used in various industrial applications. This gives it a slightly rough finish, which provides a sure gripping surface even when the gun is wet.

The action combines many proven features that have been blended together with the same thoughtful care a Highland distiller gives his whiskey. And, like a fine Scotch, the end result is smooth, strong and satisfying. The two-lug design, with its 90-degree bolt lift, cocks easily on opening and the bolt rides along the raceway like a skater on ice. It uses a push-feed mechanism with a plunger-style ejector and has a large machined extractor of the Sako or AR type. Cut into the underside of the bolt are two substantial oval ports to vent gas down into the magazine, should one of your handloads go nuclear.

Those large ports also make it easier to clean out the inside of the bolt body in case the rifle takes a mud bath. A quarter-twist on the bolt shroud releases the firing pin mechanism, so servicing the bolt in the field is a breeze.

Machined into the underside of the action is a large recoil lug that has a sloping front face, which helps it snug tightly against the rear of the precisely cut mortise in the stock. The bedding between the action and the stock is well executed and even, with no overruns, and the barrel is fully free-floated.

All that smart design wouldn’t count for much if the rifle didn’t handle and perform well. The excellent accuracy of the rifle—five-shot groups with Nosler’s Custom ammunition in 120-grain Ballistic Tip averaged 0.983 inches, with the smallest group measuring 0.658 inches—can be attributed in part to the quality of the hand-lapped barrel from Pac-Nor and the crisp adjustable trigger from Timney, which on my sample broke at just above 3 pounds.

Excellent handling
The M48 is neither too light nor too heavy—it tips the scales unscoped at 6 lb. 11 oz. But there’s more to the story than just the readout on a scale. The barrel has been cut down to a light sporter profile. (As an aside, one of the most appealing features of the rifle is its pure hunting lines. There’s nothing “target” or “tactical” about it.) And the stock—an engineering marvel constructed of Kevlar and carbon fiber—barely weighs a pound and a half. Yet it’s so strong you could use it to beat a Cape buffalo to death. What this means is that a larger proportion of weight is concentrated between your hands, adding greatly to the rifle’s lively feel. It moves, shoulders and swings very well.

The rifle has a distinctive look, too. The flat edges on the receiver and the bolt shroud are a carry-over from the action on the Custom model. The designers chose that look initially out of necessity. The Custom comes with integral bases machined into the action, and they felt (rightly so) that the action would look awkward without some more “heft” on its sides. The M48 doesn’t have integral bases, so they could have gone with a round look. I’m glad they didn’t. The world is awash in round hunting rifles, and the M48’s attractive profile is one more reason it stands out.

By the Numbers
Name:	Nosler M48	Caliber	6.5-284 Norma
Capacity:	4 + 1	Weight:	6 lb. 11 oz.
Finish:	Matte	Stock:	Synthetic
Barrel Length:	24 in.	Rate of Twist:	1 in 9 in.
Overall Length:	44 1/4 in.	Trigger Pull:	3 lb. 2 oz.
Price:	$3,195	Contact:	nosler.com
Accuracy
Best Group:	.658 in.	Avg. Group Size:	.983 in.*
** Average of six 5-shot groups at 100 yards with Nosler 120-gr. BT.

Nosler M48 Hands On

EricAichele — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 14:29:49 -0400

Sunstein on Hunting and Animal Rights

Brian Lynn — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:01:24 -0400

In the Gun Shots blog, John Haughey, and by proxy, Alan Clemons, does a great job outlining the danger Cass Sunstein, Obama's pick to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (for which he might be confirmed as early as today), poses to hunting and how/why hunting and firearm organizations oppose his nomination.

I thought I'd take it a step farther and provide you with the source material, straight from the horse's mouth, and some of the highlights from his University of Chicago White Paper (along with some of my own comments), entitled "The Rights of Animals: A Very Short Primer".

We can build on existing law to define a simple, minimal position in favor of animal rights: The law should prevent acts of cruelty to animals.

My 2 cents: This is what makes "smart" AR folks so dangerous. Unlike the "dumb" ones (PETA), the "smart" ones (think: HSUS) work the system and establish society's first step on a slippery slope. Pass one law or use ambiguous language in a bill upon which to build a future case for your position.

If the suffering of animals matters—and every reasonable person seems to think that it does—we should be greatly troubled by these limitations. The least controversial response would be to narrow the “enforcement gap,” by allowing private suits to be brought in cases of cruelty and neglect. Reforms might be adopted with the limited purpose of stopping conduct that is already against the law, so that the law actually means, in practice, what it says on paper. Here, then, we can find a slightly less minimal understanding of animal rights. On this view, representatives of animals should be able to bring private suits to ensure that anticruelty and related laws are actually enforced.

My 2 cents: So now you build the law upon the minimal position to "prevent cruelty to animals" and jump to allowing animals to bring personal lawsuits. 1. The ambiguousness of "cruelty" opens the door to all manner of regulation; what's pampering to one person is cruelty to another 2. In theory it's absurd, in practice it's been abused and has made a mockery of the Endangered Species List. "Representatives" can and do already bring suit on behalf of animals (see Andrew McKean's blog on wolf hunting and note the list of plaintiffs).

The very idea might seem absurd. But it is simpler and more conventional than it appears. Of course any animals would be represented by human beings, just like any other litigant who lacks ordinary (human) competence; for example, the interests of children are protected by prosecutors, and also by trustees and guardians in private litigation brought on children’s behalf.

My 2 cents: Might seem absurd? It is absurd. And dangerous. Power is being given to a radical group of people upon which judicial law will be written and common sense eroded. Comparing animals to children is also a favored tactic of AR people. I like Carl Cohen's rebuttal to this approach when he writes that the test for moral judgment "is not a test to be administered to humans one by one,"but should be applied to the capacity of members of the species in general."

We might ban hunting altogether, at least if its sole purpose is human recreation. (Should animals be hunted and killed simply because people enjoy hunting and killing them? The issue might be different if hunting and killing could be justified as having important functions, such as control of populations or protection of human beings against animal violence.)

My 2 cents:And there it is. Although posed as a hypothetical ("we might"), taken in context with his other statements and writings, it's obvious Sunstein is anti-hunting. To his second point, hunting isused to control game populations and protect human beings; take a look at the number of cougar attacks in California since lion hunting was banned for proof. Additionally, his use of the word "justified" is scary in that it suggests some type of judicial sanctioning and approval/proof of populations needing control and/or human protection; upon which hunters would run into judicial precedent written in favor of animal rights/protection. Of course, targeted game species would be represented in court by humans and the whole mess is tangled in the judicial system (per the wolf debate, et al), becoming costly, time consuming and ultimately unsustainable for hunters.

In his conclusion, Sunstein makes this statement:

There is no good reason to give public officials a monopoly on enforcement; that monopoly is a recipe for continued illegality.

My 2 cents: Sunstein is advocating that the government and our legal system is ill-equipped and unable to handle the enforcement of current laws and therefore private citizens should be able to file suit on behalf animals in order to keep them safe from harm. At this point I'm going to take the AR approach: put this in terms of humans. When George W. Bush brought about the Patriot Act after 9/11, one section of it caused an outcry and was removed (and rightly, so, in my opinion). That section charged and gave individuals certain powers of state and would promote spying upon neighbors/clients, promoted false allegations and a whole string of other complications. Now, Sunstein believes we should give similar powers to the public, and by proxy aggressive, radical groups, in the interest of animal rights? That's not just a recipe for the end of hunting, but a quagmire for society in general.

SHOT Show 2009: New Rifles

Brian Lynn — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 09:11:31 -0500

Here's a sneak peek at this year's hottest new rifles!

The Model 70 Is Back in Action!

outdoorlife-editor — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 20:00:00 -0400

When Winchester shut down it's New Haven plant a year and a half ago it spelled the end of two iconic firearms, the Model 94 and the "Rifleman's Rifle," the Model 70.

Since that day, there has been massive speculation about when (not really if) those two firearms would come back into production.

As of today, the Winchester Model 70 is back and the biggest news is that it is being made in the United States-not overseas as many had prognosticated-in a factory down in Columbia, South Carolina that makes machine guns and sniper rifles for the military. I got to spend a day at the range with the new Model 70 at its unveiling and came away with the following impressions:

New Trigger
The most notable feature on the new Model 70 is its new trigger, one that is adjustable down to 3 pounds, though the triggers will come preset from the factory with a 3 3/4 pound pull. (If a heavier trigger pull is your thing you can set it to break up to a maximum of 5 pounds.)

The trigger itself is a simple thing, incorporating just three pieces. Winchester calls the trigger the M.O.A., rightly linking the need for a good performing rifle to have a good trigger, which the M.O.A. certainly is.

As the illustration shows, the actual trigger, called the "trigger piece" by Winchester, is a lever that bears against a pivot-or "actuator"-that supports the sear, which in turn retains the firing pin. As the trigger pushes against the actuator, the actuator moves out of engagement with the sear. The sear then drops, allowing the firing pin to travel forward. Simple.

One benefit of this design is that there is zero takeup in the system. Likewise, while there is a certain amount of creep and overtravel-you need both for a mechanical trigger to function-the perception on the part of the shooter is that there is none. You get nothing but a clean break when you pull the trigger. This trigger feels very, very good. And for shooters who find the addition of safety levers to the trigger itself unsightly-a la Savage Arm's AccuTrigger-the lines of the M.O.A. are neat and clean.

Barrels
Of course, the other major factor when it comes to achieving top accuracy is a quality barrel. The barrels on the Model 70s are cold-hammer forged, a process by which a billet of steel is molded around a mandrel at unbelievable pressures as it is stuck by a series of massive hammers. The mandrel has the rifling pattern on it and during the hammering process the lands and grooves are impressed into the interior surface of the barrel.

Guaranteed Accuracy
Do the rifles come with an accuracy guarantee? Yes. In its promotional material Winchester says, "you can expect 1 MOA accuracy for three-shot groups from your Model 70 using a properly managed barrel, quality match ammo and superior optics under ideal weather and range conditions."

My experience shooting the Model 70 with a variety of factory ammo at targets out past 300 yards indicates that shooters can expect top-notch accuracy.

Three-position Safety
The new Model 70 comes with a three-position safety that has been redesigned to be smoother and easier to operate. The way Winchester's engineers accomplished this boils down to this: When the gun is put on safe, the firing pin is moved out of contact with the sear. This is the way the old safeties worked too. What's different in the new design is that the firing pin needs to travel less to separate from the sear. Because the swing of the three-position safety is the same as it was before, and it is moving the firing pin less, it operates with greater mechanical advantage. Viola! A smoother operating safety.

Control-round Feed
The new Model 70s incorporate the pre-'64 style controlled-round feed.

Four Grades
The Model 70 will be introduced in four different trims-Featherweight Deluxe, Sporter Deluxe, Extreme Weather SS and the top-of-the-line Super Grade. For pricing and specs, see here.

The Super Grade comes stocked with better walnut that includes a cheek piece framed by a sculpted shadowline. It is available in two calibers. In .30-06 it comes with a 24-inch barrel and a published unscoped weight of 8 pounds. In .300 Win. Mag. the rifle has a 26-inch barrel and tips the scales at 8 1/4 pounds. The MSRP on the '06 is $1,149 while the .300 Mag. carries a suggested retail of $1,199.

Available When?
Winchester is ramping up production to deliver the new Model 70 by June 2008. Stay tuned.

A Wide Range to Pick From

outdoorlife-editor — Wed, 31 May 2006 20:00:00 -0400

The rifles wetested this year are a clear indication of the diverse approaches to firearmmanufacturing around the world and the diverse ways gunmakers perceive whathunters and shooters want, need and will buy. It's a constant challenge formanufacturers to come up with exciting new models, but at the end of the yearthe ones with the most success are the ones that do what they know how to dobest.

Case in point:This year's Editor's Choice, the first lever-action rifle ever to win tophonors (see opposite page), won simply because it does what it is supposed todo exceedingly well.

Beautifullyturned out rifles such as the centerfire bolt rifles by CZ, Kimber and Sakowarm our hearts and earn our gratitude. They're proof positive that thetraditions of fine gun making are alive and well. And for that we arethankful.

BROWNINGT-BOLT

CALIBER: .22 LRTRIGGER PULL: 3 LB. 11 OZ. ACCURACY* (IN.): .761 (AVG.) / .350 (SMALLEST) AMMO:REM. ELEY MATCH EPS *AT 50 YARDS

It's long beensomething of a mystery that Browning's original 1965 T-Bolt was not moresuccessful. The rifle, made in Belgium's FN Browning plant, offered slicklyfinished metal and wood, good accuracy and reliable operation, along with allthe other nice features of a good Browning. Yet it was discontinued after onlynine years. Perhaps the operation of a nonrotating bolt handle was too radicalfor those times. Well, the T-Bolt is back, and about the only similaritybetween this one and the original is the T-Bolt locking system. You operate itby simply pulling the bolt handle straight to the rear and then pushing itforward again to feed a fresh cartridge. This latest T-Bolt, made in Japan,differs from the original in several ways. It has a somewhat larger, swept-backhandle, a restyled stock (which has good checkering) and a truly innovative"double-helix" 10-shot magazine. It works like Ruger's 10/22rotary-spool magazine, but with two smaller spools, one on top of the other. Asa result, its magazine is 1.4 inch narrower than Ruger's, permitting a trimmerstock contour around the action. For this and a number of other reasons, thenew T-Bolt should be more popular than the original.

FINAL SCORE: F G[VG] E

Retail: $611

Performance:***

Design: ***

Price/Value:***

800-333-3288;browning.com

TESTERS'COMMENTS

Functionsbeautifully

I want one!

Very goodtrigger

Nicelycontoured stock

Magazine easyto load and feeds beautifully

CZ 550 HUNTER

CALIBER: .300WIN. TRIGGER PULL: 2 LB. 6 OZ. ACCURACY* (IN.): 2.134 (AVG.) 1.512 (SMALLEST)AMMO: WIN. 180 GR. BST *SMALL GROUP FIRED WITH HANDLOADS

Picking up CZ'supscale 550 Hunter and working the bolt, you'll be reminded of the slick butbusinesslike feel of the fine commercial Mausers of generations past. It'sobvious that its Czech makers wanted to capture the look and feel of old-worldgun making, but with a few modern features added. Most impressive about the 550Hunter is the metalwork, the oily smooth feel when the bolt is cycled and acontrol-fed cartridge snakes into the chamber.

The single-settrigger is so light and crisp at 2 pounds 6 ounces that there is really no needto set it for its 5.5-ounce touch-off position. The stock has the full, manlyfeel that's needed for magnum calibers. The wood on our test rifle was goodwalnut but not at all enhanced by the humdrum checkering pattern, which seemedat odds with the rifle's otherwise classic features.

Given the rifle's8½-pound weight and its almost varmint-contour 24-inch barrel, we anticipatedexceptional accuracy, but with groups running as large as 3 inches with180-grain factory ammo and 1½ inches with target-grade loads, the 550 we testedwasn't as accurate as we had hoped.

FINAL SCORE: F G[VG] E

Retail:$1,100

Performance:***

Design: ***

Price/Value:***

800-955-4486;czusa.com

TESTERS'COMMENTS

Heavy enoughfor caliber and comfortable to shoot

One handsomerifle

Greattrigger

A lot of gunfor the money

Shot betterwith Jim's handloads

CZ ZKM 453

CALIBER: .22 LRTRIGGER PULL: 3 LB. 4 OZ. ACCURACY* (IN.): .558 (AVG.) .472 (SMALLEST) AMMO:REM. ELEY MATCH EPS *AT 50 YARDS

During the fewyears that the Czech-built rimfire rifles have been available in the U.S., theyhave become favorites not only of plinkers and small-game hunters but also inthe increasingly popular rimfire benchrest games. Their popularity can beattributed to a combination of appealing prices and accuracy equal to or evenbetter than that of more costly rifles. The new ZKM 453 we tested was noexception. Aided by a set trigger that fired at a 5.5-ounce touch, it delivereda series of 50-yard five-shot groups averaging just slightly over a half inchwith Eley target ammo.

With itsmedium-heavy barrel, single-set trigger and wood stock, this latest CZ can bestbe called an all-purpose sporter-target crossover. Our test team found that itsplain looks were more than offset by its smooth functioning and ease ofoperation.

This no-nonsenserifle should appeal to plinkers and hunters, and even to serious rimfireaccuracy buffs.

FINAL SCORE: F G[VG] E

Retail: $365

Performance:***

Design: ***

Price/Value:****

800-955-4486;czusa.com

TESTERS'COMMENTS

Functioned welland shot accurately

Not too fancy,but it can shoot

A tremendousvalue

Hard to beatfor sheer functionality

A tack driverat 50 yards

KIMBER 8400CLASSIC

CALIBER: .270WIN. TRIGGER PULL: 2 LB. 4 OZ. ACCURACY (IN.): 2.541 (AVG.) 1.225 (SMALLEST)AMMO: WIN. 130 GR. BST

If any one worddefines Kimber's rifles it's "classic," meaning classic lines andhand-cut checkering on pretty wood, along with trimly contoured metal andmechanical features you'd expect on far costlier custom rifles.

Beginning withits near legendary rimfire rifles, Kimber expanded into short-actioncenterfires with its 84 series and this year has introduced a full-lengthaction for cartridges of .30/06 length, which include the .25/06, .270 Win.,7mm Rem. Mag., .300 Win. and .338 Win. Mag.

As expected, ourtest sample was a pretty thing to look at and handle, with a crisp trigger pulland slick operation, all of which earned it high scores from our panel ofshooters.

But Kimber alsohas a reputation for accuracy to uphold and in this category our rifle in .270caliber proved little more than an also-ran. With good Winchester ammo,five-shot groups ran to 3 inches, and even with carefully constructedmatch-grade handloads, it never cracked the MOA barrier.

FINAL SCORE: F G[VG] E

Retail:$1,087

Performance:***

Design: ****

Price/Value:***

800-880-2418;kimberamerica.com

TESTERS'COMMENTS

Lovely to lookat, but only so-so performance

Definitelypreferred the handloads to factory ammo

Accuracy wasnot as good as I expected

Great wood

MAGNUM RESEARCHMLR 1722

CALIBER: .17 MACH2 TRIGGER PULL: 4 LB. 4 OZ. ACCURACY (IN.): 2.092 (AVG.) 1.291 (SMALLEST) AMMO:CCI 17 GR. V-MAX

"This suredoesn't look like Granddaddy's rifle" is one of the reactions you'llprobably have when beholding this truly 21st-century example of rifle designand engineering in a .17 Mach 2—caliber autoloader. The multicolored (availablein a number of different color combinations) open-panel "crutch"-stylethumbhole stock is, if anything, a beautiful example of modern sculpture, andthe carbon-fiber barrel reduces total weight to less than 5 pounds.

Along with thestock styling, the folks at Magnum Research have also combined beauty andpracticality with a striking-looking scopemount bridge that's machinedintegrally with the receiver. And it feels as good as it looks, whether you'reshooting from a rest or offhand.

Our maincriticisms were occasional jamming and difficulty inserting and releasing theRuger 10/22 clip (the bottom metal and trigger unit is all Ruger). Groups at 50yards were excellent, but they really opened up at 100 yards, which wassomewhat surprising.

FINAL SCORE: F G[VG] E

Retail: $729

Performance:***

Design: ***

Price/Value:***

800-772-6168;magnumresearch.com

TESTERS'COMMENTS

What a fun gunto shoot!

Sexy stock andreceiver

Magazine istough to insert and remove

Differentlooking, but cute

Nice trigger.Deadly accurate at 50 yards

REMINGTON 750WOODSMASTER

CALIBER: .30/06SPRING. TRIGGER PULL: 4 LB. 3 OZ. ACCURACY (IN.): 2.719 (AVG.) 1.750 (SMALLEST)AMMO: FED. 165 GR. NOSLER PART., REM. 150 GR ACCUTIP BT

Ever since 1906,when it introduced its Model 8, a square-backed, John Browning—designedself-feeding big-game rifle, Remington's autoloaders have been considered Kingsof the North Woods. The passing century saw several models and variations ofRemington autoloaders, all of which had well-earned reputations fordependability. The new 750 will no doubt continue this tradition and willcertainly appeal to hunters who like the speed and convenience of anautoloader. Though this latest Woodsmaster is most recognizable by its revisedstock styling and checkering pattern, it also has enough mechanicalimprovements to be considered a wholly new model. Among them is an improved gassystem that makes the rifle compatible with a wider range of caliber offerings,from .243 to .35 Whelen. Our sample worked flawlessly with the various makesand bullet weights in .30/06 that we tried, with groups averaging about 2½inches with Remington's 150-grain AccuTip load.

FINAL SCORE: F G[VG] E

Retail: $732

Performance:***

Design: ***

Price/Value:***

800-243-9700;remington.com

TESTERS'COMMENTS

Comfortable toshoot

Not a badchoice for a semi-auto

Pointsnicely

Shoots good foran auto

Liked thestock's styling, especially the forend grip

SAKO 85

CALIBER: .338FEDERAL TRIGGER PULL: 3 LB. 9 OZ. ACCURACY (IN.): 3.319 (AVG.) 2.044 (SMALLEST)AMMO: FED. 185 GR. BARNES TSX

As dedicated Sakofans will tell you, the Finnish-made rifles are probably the most highlyevolved bolt-action rifles in the world. By that, they mean Sakos have evolvedfrom the beautifully built, hand-finished and delightfully accurate rifles ofthe 1950s to the highly engineered—and still—accurate—machine—produced riflesof today.

Like Sako rifleswe've tested in the past, this one had a superslick action, a crisp 3½-poundtrigger pull and a detachable box magazine that fed reliably. Different thistime, however, is that Sako has partnered with an American ammo maker tointroduce a new caliber: the .338 Federal. You'll be hearing more about thisnew round, but basically it's a .308 Win. case necked up to .338 caliber.

The test ammo wasloaded with 185-grain Barnes Triple-Shock X-Bullets. Given the accuracypotential of the Sako rifle, the .308 case and most .338 bullets, it shouldhave been a winning combo. But as our accuracy tests showed, it wasn't, withgroups consistently over 3 inches and 4-plus inches not uncommon.

FINAL SCORE: F G[VG] E

Retail:$1,595

Performance:***

Design: ***

Price/Value:***

800-237-3882;berettausa.com

TESTERS'COMMENTS

Buttery smoothaction

Crisp triggerand very nice wood

Riflefunctioned well but groups were a bit disappointing

Feeds like adream

SAVAGE M12 LRPVARMINTER

CALIBER: .223REM. TRIGGER PULL: 1 LB. 15 OZ. ACCURACY (IN.): 1.142 (AVG.) .826 (SMALLEST)AMMO: WIN. 50 GR. BST, WIN. 64 GR. POWER-POINT SP

With a reputationfor accuracy that is increasingly envied by other rifle makers, Savage pushesthe envelope ever further with an RBLP (right-side bolt with left-side loading/ejection port) action. This configuration has long been used on top-drawercustom bench-rest actions because it makes single-shot feeding faster and thesolid receiver top adds support for heavy varmint/target-type barrels. Thesefeatures, along with Savage's light-pull AccuTrigger and a synthetic,wide-forend varmint-style stock should move the new M12 to the top of thevarmint class. Our test rifle however, a preproduction sample, in .223 Rem.,had a couple of easily correctable problems: One was a failure to eject, andthe other, a barrel with rate of twist that checked out at 1 in 8 inches.That's too fast for the light 40- to 55-grain bullets usually used for varminthunting, and which we used in our tests. Thus, accuracy was not as good as itmight have been. A 1-in-12-inch barrel, such as Savage uses in its .22-250rifles would be a big improvement. We're told this is already in the works.

FINAL SCORE: F G[VG] E

Retail: $967

Performance:***

Design: ***

Price/Value:***

866-233-4776;savagearms.com

TESTERS'COMMENTS

Greattrigger

Closing bolt islike shutting door on high-quality safe

Love left-handfeed for quick loading

Did not groupas well as expected. A slower barrel twist would really help

WEATHERBY MARK VPISTOL

CALIBER: .22-250TRIGGER PULL: 3 LB. 14 OZ. ACCURACY (IN.): 1.907 (AVG.) 1.106 (SMALLEST) AMMO:FED. 55 GR. SIERRA BLITZKING

Compact FiringPlatform (CFP) is Weatherby's long name for its bolt-action Mark V handgun.Guaranteed to deliver 1½-inch three-shot groups with a cold barrel and choiceammo, our .22-250 test sample proved capable of fulfilling this promise, withsome of our test groups running close to an inch for five shots. At the rangemost of our 5-shot groups ran closer to 2 inches, however.

Some of our testteam shooters commented that group sizes and shootability would have beenimproved if the overly stiff 3-pound 14-ounce trigger had left the factoryadjusted to a lighter pull.

The strength andaccuracy of the short-version of Weatherby's Mark V action is well-known andwell tested, and in a handgun configuration it lived up to its reputation. Itmakes an excellent platform for a magazine-fed hunting handgun. The rigid,pillar-bedded Fibermark stock also earned high praise from our test team forits superior ergonomics—the molded grip, in particular, allowed our shootinghands to assume a natural and comfortable position.

FINAL SCORE: F G[VG] E

Retail:$1,499

Performance:***

Design: ***

Price/Value:**

800-227-2016;weatherby.com

TESTERS'COMMENTS

Very ergonomicgrip

Comfortable toshoot

Trigger pullway too hard

A neat pistolfor prairie dogs

WINCHESTERSXR

CALIBER: .300WIN. MAG. TRIGGER PULL: 5 LB. 3 OZ. ACCURACY (IN.): 2.893 (AVG.) 1.786(SMALLEST) AMMO: WIN. 180 GR. BST

When matchedagainst some of the company's famous bolt-action cousins of yesteryear,Winchester's autoloading centerfire hunting rifles don't have a comparabletrack record in quality. And perhaps the challenge of developing a centerfirethat lives up to the standards of the family is why the European branch of thegun-making complex that makes shotguns and rifles with the Winchester brandcame forth with this latest entry.

What thedesigners have wrought is distinctly European in flavor, and might appeal toyounger shooters—or those shooters who have no preconceived notions about whata Winchester should look like. Appearances aside, while the test rifle was easyto operate, it failed to impress the members of our team with its accuracy.

We might alsosuppose that a lighter caliber would have performed better. To be fair, though,as our testing progressed the rifle settled down and groupings improved fromthe initial 6-inch patterns to a more acceptable 13.4-inch to 3-inch range.

FINAL SCORE: F G[VG] E

Retail: $839

Performance:***

Design: ***

Price/Value:***

800-333-3288;winchesterguns.com

TESTERS'COMMENTS

Easy tooperate

Trigger wasn'tbad

Shot prettywell for a semi-auto

Groups improvedas testing progressed

OUTDOOR LIFEEditor's Choice 2006

MARLIN 336XLR

CALIBER: .30-30WIN. TRIGGER PULL: 5 LB. 11 OZ. ACCURACY (IN.): 1.245 (AVG.) 1.000 (SMALLEST)AMMO: HRN. 160 GR. EVOLUTION

What can be saidwhen a lever-action "thutty-thutty" outperforms three high-qualitybolt-action rifles? Well, you might say that lever rifles just aren't supposedto shoot that way. At least that's what we've been told or learned firsthandfor a century and then some. This latest version of Marlin's tried and true—forover a half century no less—Model 336 can hardly be called a completely newrifle. But it incorporates enough new features to qualify for our new guntests, and we're glad it did because it gave us a new perspective on theaccuracy capability of a lever rifle. And by accuracy I'm talking about the200-yard five-shot group fired by Executive Editor John Snow that measured awee 1.892 inches and 100-yard groups that averaged close to an inch.

While some ofthis exceptional performance can be credited to Hornady's new Lever Evolutionammo, with its pointy, soft-tipped bullets (so as not to recoil-fire in a tubemagazine), let's not forget the three basic rules of rifle accuracy: (1) A goodrifle will fire good ammo well; (2) a good rifle might even fire bad ammofairly well; (3) a bad rifle will not fire any ammo well. Meaning the Marlinhad what it takes to begin with. A big contributor to the Marlin'saward-winning accuracy was its 24-inch stainless-steel barrel. The 336 alsoearned extra points from our scorers for slick operation and flawlessfeeding.

FINAL SCORE: F G[VG] E

Retail: $874

Performance:****

Design: ***

Price/Value:***

203-239-5621;marlinfirearms.com

TESTERS'COMMENTS

Rebirth of thelever rifle

This riflefunctions beautifully and shot very well

A really goodlittle rifle

Awesomeaccuracy

OUTDOOR LIFEGreat Buy 2006

SAVAGE 93R17

CALIBER: .17 HMRTRIGGER PULL: 2 LB. 11 OZ. ACCURACY (IN.): 1.354 (AVG.) 1.000 (SMALLEST) AMMO: HRN. 17 GR. V-MAX

Any rifle in .17HMR is fun to shoot, and almost always accurate. But when we fired our firstgroups with this latest Savage .17, our team knew we were shooting somethingespecially good.

Long sufferingfrom a reputation for having the worst triggers in the rifle industry, Savageutterly reversed its standing with its revolutionary adjustable AccuTrigger,which is now a mainstay on all Savage rifles. But that's just one of thereasons the 93R17 ran away with our Great Buy award. The sleek, laminated woodthumbhole stock, unlike some thumbhole stocks, is gracefully sculpted. Thewide, vented forearm rides the bags like a benchrest rifle and, quite honestly,looks like it belongs on a far more expensive rifle.

Add amedium-heavy stainless-steel barrel that delivers five-shot groups as small asan inch at 100 yards, then price it a tad under $400, and what you have is agreat buy.

FINAL SCORE: F G[VG] E

Retail: $399

Performance:****

Design: ***

Price/Value:****

866-233-4776;savagearms.com

TESTERS'COMMENTS

The AccuTriggeris always great

I wish the gripwere slightly fuller

Functions well,shoots even better

I loved thisrifle

THE RATINGS Excellent: **** Very Good: *** Good: ** Fair: *

Pillar-Bed Your Rifle Follow these simple steps to improve your rifle's accuracy

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 30 Sep 2003 20:00:00 -0400

One of the surest ways to enhance the accuracy of a bolt-action rifle is the relatively simple gunsmithing trick known as pillar bedding.

The process is called pillar bedding because the rifle's action is supported on non-compressible "pillars" that are rigidly bedded in the stock to help eliminate accuracy problems stemming from faulty, action-stressing, metal-to-wood fitting.

Recently Darrel Holland, a manufacturer of accuracy-enhancing gun accessories, introduced a complete system (priced at $289) that makes the process virtually foolproof, even for beginners. The key to Holland's system lies in replacing your original stock with a stiff, laminated stock that comes completely finished on the outside and pre-inletted for the pillars and custom fitting of your barreled action. The Holland stocks come in both a hunter style and a wide-forend varmint/target style such as the one I used in this Saturday-morning project. Contact: Darrell Holland Gunsmithing, P.O. Box 69, Powers, OR 97466; 541-439-5155; www.hollandguns.com.

What You Need The Holland pillar-bedding system includes about everything needed to make the project fast and simple. Shown here are the Holland aluminum pillars, the resin bedding kit, the syringe for injecting the bedding epoxy into the inletting, the release agent (which keeps the action and other metal parts from being permanently glued into the stock), and even rubber gloves to keep your hands free of epoxy during the final bedding. The Holland pillars also include a new set of action screws that fit the pillars better than the original action screws. The laminated wood Holland stock comes pre-shaped, finished and ready to shoot after the pillar bedding is complete. The action inletting of the stock is pre-cut for fitting the pillars and includes recesses in the inletting for the bedding epoxy.

1 The first step in stock preparation is roughing and enlarging the inletted areas to make room for the epoxy bedding compound. This also ensures better adhesion, since epoxy doesn't adhere well to oiled or finished surfaces.

2 Here I am attaching the pre-finished aluminum pillars to a Remington Model 700 action. Attaching the pillars before fitting them into the stock assures proper alignment of the pillars when the bedding job is complete.

3 Once the aluminum pillars are attached to the action, apply a coat of five-minute epoxy to the pillars before inserting them into the stock. Be sure to keep any epoxy from reaching the guard-screw holes underneath.

4 When the five-minute epoxy hardens, the pillars are firmly attached to the wood. Now detach the action, leaving the pillars perfectly aligned for proper action fit later. The plastic tape in the barrel channel prevents the epoxy from adhering to the channel ahead of the action. Likewise wrap the barrel with tape to prevent epoxy from adhering and to ensure a "free-floating" fit.

5 After removing the trigger assembly, press modeling clay into the recesses to block out any epoxy that might flow into the small openings. This will make cleanup easier after the bedding epoxy hardens. Next, spray the complete action with a coating of bedding release so that the epoxy will not adhere to the metal.

6 Spray an epoxy release agent on the receiver to ensure that it will not be glued fast to the bedding when the epoxy hardens. Be sure to spray the release agent both inside and outside the receiver to prevent any of the epoxy from adhering. If necessary, reapply the release agent until the metal parts are evenly coated.

7 An easy and virtually mess-free way to apply the prepared bedding compound is to use the syringe supplied with the Holland pillar-bedding kit. (It's somewhat like decorating a cake.) Stuff the magazine and trigger recesses with paper towels to prevent excess epoxy from flowing into these areas and to make cleanup easier.

8 Allow about 24 hours for the epoxy to harden. Once the epoxy has cured, remove the barreled action. Remove the paper towels that stuffed the trigger and magazine openings, then file the edges where the epoxy overflowed until they are smooth.

9 Here is a perfect pillar bedding/epoxy bedding job. All you need to do now is drop the barreled action into the stock and secure the locking lugs. I used a thicker Holland recoil lug, as shown here, which is a worthwhile upgrade for the Remington 700 action.

10 With the barreled action in place, the bedding pillars and epoxy are completely hidden. The inletting is so close that the wood-to-metal fit looks like the hand-fitting of a skilled stockmaker. Except for the wait for the epoxy to cure, the job took only a few hours.

For more on shooting, go to www.outdoorlife.com/shooting