Outdoor Life - Cleaning & gun care RSS

New Gear: The Rem Squeeg-E Universal Gun Cleaning System

Alex Robinson — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 12:55:01 -0400

When I was a kid learning about firearms and hunting, the basic gun cleaning kit consisted of a set of rickety, aluminum screw-together sections, with an attachment for patches and a metal bristle or two. I don’t know how many times I knocked over the solvent, pushing that patch and attachment into the bottle. Or the number of scratches I made across the rifling, the rods bending and twisting while in the bore!

Wish I had one of the new generation of pull-through, patch-less gun cleaners like Remington's new Rem Squeeg-E Universal Gun Cleaning System.

First you pull a brush and bore cleaner or solvent through the barrel. Then you follow up with the Rem Squeeg-E. Made of form-fitting polymers, the Squeeg-E creates a tight seal inside the bore, flexing just enough to make contact with the bottom of the lands and grooves. Attached to the Rem Flex Rod Cable, the Squeeg-E pushes broken up fouling in front of the seal, quickly cleaning the bore.

This 34-piece system includes all the tools needed to clean almost any firearm, from a .22 caliber handgun to a 12-gauge shotgun. And it is conveniently packed in a green canvas range bag with shoulder strap. The range bag carries up to four boxes of shotgun shells or eight boxes of rimfire or centerfire ammunition.

The Rem Squeeg-E Universal Gun Cleaning system also includes Rem All In Bore Cleaner, a water-based solution that cuts carbon, copper and lead to deliver a high performance, mirror-like finish. Cleaning instructions are included.

MSRP: $79.99.

Field Test: Plano AW Gun Case Offers Supreme Protection

Alex Robinson — Fri, 11 May 2012 11:49:43 -0400

My Plano AW Gun Case went through a field test in the unlikeliest of places: the airport.

I watched as the case poked its nose out onto the baggage carousel, came down the conveyor line and immediately got hung up on the very tight corner. With 30 people between me and the case, I couldn’t get there before a suitcase gave it a bump — my gun case slid off the line, dropped a foot and a half and slammed hard onto the floor.

The results of the test, though, were not apparent until the next day, when I took my two rifles to the shooting range. They were fine and the scopes still dead on. In addition to that drop from the baggage conveyor belt, my guns were transported a lot lately. God knows how badly they've been bouncing around in the bellies of the three separate airplanes it took to get me from Wisconsin to East Texas for a hog hunt.

The Plano AW Gun Case, model 108190, is made to hold two scoped rifles or a pair of shotguns. It’s part of Plano’s All Weather series, which incorporates Plano’s continuous Dri-Loc® seal to keep the case watertight, airtight and dust-proof. Plano’s molded construction is rugged and durable, and the case is equipped with a pressure relief valve, too.

High-density foam in the lid and bottom afford padded protection for your firearms. There are six dual-stage, spring-loaded latches on the outer perimeter of the case. Not only do the latches secure the contents on the inside, they also pull the case tight against the seal to keep the elements on the outside. Two of the latches are lockable with keys.

Finally, the gun case has two wheels so you can pull it along. The wheels work fine on smooth, hard airport but—my only criticism of this otherwise fine gun case—they can catch and tug on surfaces like an uneven parking lot. I wonder if slightly larger diameter wheels might work better.

All in all, this is a great protector for your firearms! Measures 54.625” x 15.5” x 6” closed. It is surprisingly affordable, with a MSRP of $159.99.

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.

Black MZ: New Virtually Non-Corrosive Black Powder Substitute

OL Editor — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 12:50:08 -0400

Smokepole hunters: Alliant Powder just began shipping its new Black MZ™ Black Powder Substitute to stores around the nation. Black MZ is designed to be a clean-burning black powder substitute that will let you enjoy more shots between cleanings.

“Smokeless powder is usually referred to as ‘gunpowder,’” explains Dick Quesenberry, Alliant Powder’s Product Manager. “Black MZ is a black powder replacement or substitute that mimics black powder performance, but has no sulfur and is [therefore] much less corrosive.”
It was also made with very high moisture tolerance. Alliant testing found that Black MZ ignited consistently after 23 days of exposure to humidity and achieved high muzzle velocities, while four other name-brand propellants burned at noticeably lower velocities.

Quesenberry adds that Alliant developed Black MZ to serve not only hunters, but also cowboy-action shooters and reenactment enthusiasts who load their own black powder cartridges. Comes in 1-lb. canisters.

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.

Cindy Garrison Gets Fit

KristenKeys — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:14:33 -0500

Non-Corrosive Gun Storage

outdoorlife-editor — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:26:31 -0400

Few of life's tragedies exceed the unbearable anguish of uncasing a favorite gun and discovering once-gleaming metal encrusted with rust.

Unfortunately, it turned out the shotgun wasn't his, but his Dad's favorite quail gun. And I wound up getting most of the blame for the misguided affair.

Anyway, now that you know whom I'm talking about, I'll add that the only reason I and a few other guys in our school tolerated him was because his dad owned some land around town that had good hunting for dove, quail and rabbits. As long as we were friendly toward Rip, we got to hunt there. I guess this was a bribe of sorts, because being friendly to Rip didn't always fit into the nature of things, especially on the occasion of his sixteenth birthday when his dad presented him with-you guessed it-a Browning Sweet Sixteen shotgun and a leather case hand-tooled with Rip's name and a maudlin birthday verse. How well I recall the haughty smirk on that kid's face every time he pulled his gun out of its fancy case at our dove hunts that season. Anyway, there came a rain shower during one of our Saturday hunts that pretty well soaked Rip's leather case, which had been left on the hood of his Dad's expensive car. My pals and I took this as a good omen, but none of us could have imagined-Rip least of all-what chemistry was to take place in that leather case. At our next hunt Rip uncased the Browning in his typical lordly fashion and, as usual, we were forced to bear witness. What we beheld, however, was not the bright blue of Browning steel but a ghastly thing layered with crusty rust! Rip took one long, unbelieving look and then sank to the ground in a blubbering fit. Apparently, the soaking of the pretty case activated tanning chemicals in the leather and unleashed something powerfully corrosive. The reason I'm telling Rip's sad tale (aside from the fun of it) is to illustrate how fast your fine gun can be ruined by casual neglect.

After a hard day in the field, it's tempting to set your gun aside and promise yourself to wipe it down later. Don't! "Later" has a way of becoming days and then weeks, and all the while moisture and fouling relentlessly work their mischief. But cleaning your gun for the next hunt and putting it away for months are two quite different matters.

Storing your guns from one hunting season to the next-or even longer- is actually a two-part project: The first step is properly preparing your firearms for storage. The second is storing them so they will be bright and shiny and ready for action months later. Let's discuss preparation first.

Getting Started
Good gun cleaning starts on the inside, mainly in the bore-whether the gun is a shotgun, a pistol or a rifle. Whenever you shoot jacketed bullets in a rifle or handgun, a couple of dismal things begin to happen. First of all, as powder and copper fouling accumulate in the rifling, a decrease in accuracy begins to occur. After prolonged firing without cleaning, this loss of accuracy becomes quite measurable. Happily, a good cleaning almost always restores a barrel to its former accuracy. If the bore isn't cleaned promptly, however, something else ugly begins to happen.

Copper is a born troublemaker with the bad habit of teaming up with other undesirables it finds loafing around in the atmosphere. You can see this when you peek into the muzzle of a neglected gun and see streaks or patches of a greenish-blue crud. Underneath that crud the copper and its unsavory companions ardoing some nasty things to the surface of the bore and will continue to do their evil work for as long as they remain. The same goes for leading in pistol barrels and shot or plastic streaking in shotgun barrels.

Cleaning Tricks
The trick to quick and efficient gun cleaning, especially getting inside the barrels, is to have a way to hold the gun securely so both hands are free to work. There are a few cleaning "cradles" on the market that work well (Midway USA is a good source) and serve other purposes, too, such as scope mounting. A simple and inexpensive gun cradle is made by MTM (makers of the Case-Guard ammo boxes). Called the Rifle Maintenance Center, it sells for about $30 and folds down for compact storage.

Another trick that speeds bore cleaning is to use two cleaning rods: one with a jag for patches and the other with a bronze brush. This way you aren't swapping the jag and brush back and forth on the rod, wasting time and making a mess. I use only stiff, one-piece rods for most of my cleaning, but I also carry a stout pull-through cable in my backpack for emergency cleaning in the field. The new BoreSnake pull-through system works well, too, and is especially convenient for cleaning the often-neglected chambers of revolvers.

Also, don't forget that these chemical cleaners can leave metal surfaces unprotected, so be sure to follow with a rust preventative. And by the way, if you use a bore solvent that contains ammonia (as many copper-removing solvents do), be sure to follow it with a non-ammonia solvent. Residual ammonia is said to attack steel, including stainless steel.

Long-Term Storage
When putting a gun away for long-term storage I do not lubricate it entirely, but apply only a light coat of lubricant to the exterior. The reason for not lubricating the working parts is that grease and lubricating oils have a way of creeping around where they're not supposed to be, especially if temperatures fluctuate in your storage area. For example, a lube applied to the bolt of an autoloading shotgun may find its way into the fire-control system or even seep into the stock. So save your lubricating chore until you're ready to use the gun again and put the lube where it's supposed to be. There are many good metal preservatives on the market, so take your pick. Some of the new high-tech preservatives that leave a micro-film on the metal are nice if you don't like a greasy look. Apparently they work as well as they claim. Call me old-fashioned, but I like to see the preservative on the metal, which is why I usually use such old-time favorites as Birchwood-Casey's Sheath or RIG grease.

I cut pieces of sheepskin into hand-sized wiping patches and load the fleece with the preservatives. A quick wipe-down with the sheepskin leaves a satisfyingly visible coating on the metal. I do this not just for storage but every time a rustable gun has been handled. Salty fingerprints are a gun's number-one enemy. Do not store guns in fabric or leather cases or in their original cardboard boxes, as they attract moisture. This is why, whenever possible, you should store guns so that dry air circulates around them.

One of the best investments a gun owner can make is a gun safe. Not only does it provide reasonably good protection from theft, but it keeps guns out of the reach of curious young hands and provides a ventilated environment for uncased firearms. If you already own a safe, or plan to buy one, a smart accessory is an electric heating element. Actually, even a light bulb will do. The trick is to put the heat source at the bottom of the safe so that the warm, dry air rises and flows continuously around your guns. In my own gun room, I follow the 65/65 rule for temperature and humidity, which is just about ideal for gun keeping. A heating element is also an excellent idea for traditional closed-door gun cabinets. The best rule for safe gun keeping is to use simple common sense. Just because the way you store your guns is the way you've always stored them doesn't mean it's the best way. So when putting guns away until next season, remember poor Rip's tragedy and don't let it happen to you. e so that the warm, dry air rises and flows continuously around your guns. In my own gun room, I follow the 65/65 rule for temperature and humidity, which is just about ideal for gun keeping. A heating element is also an excellent idea for traditional closed-door gun cabinets. The best rule for safe gun keeping is to use simple common sense. Just because the way you store your guns is the way you've always stored them doesn't mean it's the best way. So when putting guns away until next season, remember poor Rip's tragedy and don't let it happen to you.

Innovations

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

Browning T-Bolt Browning's new T-Bolt Rimfire includes some changes from the original design of several years ago. One is the change in the shape of the T-Bolt handle, which is now somewhat larger and has a swept-back configuration for a more efficient operation.

Browning T-Bolt Double-Helix Magazine Our test team was particularly impressed by this innovative 10-shot "double-helix" magazine. Rather than one rotary spool, it employs two, one over the other, which makes it relatively narrow for its 10-round capacity. It fits flush and the stock doesn't have to be widened through the action area to accommodate it.

Savage Model 12 Left Port With an idea borrowed from the very best benchrest rifles, Savage's new Model 12 Varminter features standard right-hand bolt operation but a loading and ejection port on the left side. This makes loading the single-shot rifle faster and more convenient when firing from a supported rest, such as over sandbags or a varmint rest in the field. The solid-top receiver adds strength and rigidity, a worthwhile accuracy-aiding feature on target/varmint-type rifles.

Remington CTi Autoloader The carbon-fiber receiver shell, or hood, of Remington's very different new autoloading shotgun adds to the gun's distinctive appearance, and it's also a weight-saving innovation.

Magnum Research Receiver Bridge The integral, bridge-like scope base of the Magnum Research autoloader not only eliminates the need for attaching scope-mounting bases, which is a feature that can improve accuracy, but also adds a sculptured, futuristic profile to the receiver. This is a receiver that was designed with both looks and function in mind.

Kimber Choke Tubes Kimber's screw-in choke tubes are virtually invisible when in place because of the absence of telltale wrench notches characteristic of other choke tubes. The choke tubes are inserted and removed with a compact, cone-shaped tool that friction-fits the inside of the tube. Removal of the tube was easy, even after several hundred rounds, because of the slick chrome plated surfaces of both the barrels and the tubes.

Marlin Accuracy To improve the accuracy of the new 336XLR rifles, Marlin has returned to a traditional style of cut-rifle barrel making, the same style used on many top-grade competition benchrest rifles.

Shooting Innovations Some of 2004's smartest firearms products

outdoorlife-editor — Fri, 30 Apr 2004 20:00:00 -0400

Digitally Gauge Your Trigger's Pull

The trigger pull of any type of firearm is an important factor in how well you can shoot it, which is why I constantly rant and wail about gunmakers who deliver rifles with ridiculously heavy pulls. Though a number of factors contribute to a good trigger pull, the most measurable is the actual finger pressure on the trigger required to fire the gun. This pressure is commonly expressed in pounds and ounces (kilograms in the metric world) and is easily measured with trigger gauges. Typically, these gauges have a trigger hook attached to a spring that indicates the pull weight on a calibrated scale. (Naturally, you test this with an unloaded gun.)

Since trigger pulls are seldom uniform from pull to pull, it is necessary to make several test pulls and to take an average to determine trigger weight. This is just one of the reasons why Lyman's Electronic Digital Trigger Pull Gauge is a big and very welcome improvement over old-style spring gauges. The Lyman gauge reads pounds and ounces in big, easy-to-read LCD numerals and is accurate to a tenth of an ounce. It also automatically calculates the average weight of up to 10 pulls. ($59.95; 800-225-9626; www.lymanproducts.com)--Jim Carmichel

Cut Out The Lawyers

The battle between precision-minded shooters and the lawyers of gunmakers continues to escalate, with the legal departments apparently resolute that the triggers of their rifles be hard to pull in order to forestall potential lawsuits. One of the results of this ongoing failure to communicate has been the introduction of aftermarket trigger mechanisms that replace factory triggers and can be adjusted to pulls that are measured in ounces rather than pounds.

The Timney Manufacturing Company, one of the oldest and best-known replacement trigger makers, now offers a trigger mechanism for Remington Model 700 rifles that is easily and safely adjusted down to a pull weight of about 3 ounces. (The sample I installed on a Model 700 could be adjusted from 2.5 ounces to 15 ounces.) The unit also fits certain other Remington rifles, such as models 40X, 721 and 722, as well as the numerous specialty actions designed for Remington Model 700-style triggers.

The Timney unit has independent adjustments for weight of pull, overtravel (backlash) and sear engagement. A gunsmith is not needed to install this trigger mechanism. The Timney unit does not have a safety, a matter of scant concern to varmint or target shooters. ($128.50; 602-274-2999; e-mail: timneymfg@aol.com)--J.C.

NO. 9 AND THEN SOME

Now in its 101st year, Hoppe's is still celebrating its centennial. Its most recent introduction is the Elite line of gun-care chemicals, which includes Gun Cleaner liquid, Bore Gel, Gun Oil and an all-in-one Field Cleaner. Hoppe's won't reveal exactly what's in these new secret formulas, but it says the Elite products were originally developed to clean F-16 fighters for the U.S. Air Force, so customers are in good company. The products are the result of a partnership with Pantheon. ($7.20 for a 2-ounce bottle of Elite Gun Cleaner; $6.78 for a 2-ounce bottle of Elite Gun Oil; 503-722-5797; www.hoppes.com)

A Shorter .25/06

Once again, Winchester Ammunition has come out with a new super-short cartridge. The .25 Winchester Super Short Magnum (.25 WSSM) has ballistics comparable to the .25/06 yet is nearly an inch shorter. The cartridge is available in Winchester's Supreme line in 85-grain and 115-grain Ballistic Silvertip bullets. The 85-grain load will achieve muzzle speeds of 3,470 feet per second and the 115-grain will go 2,990 fps at the muzzle. The .25 WSSM is available in Browning's A-Bolt rifle line. ($29.45 for 20 Supreme Ballistic Silvertip cartridges; 800-945-1392; www.winchester.com)

Speedier Rimfire Cartridges

The venerable .22 Long Rifle (LR) has a new competitor. The .17 Mach 2 (left), developed by CCI and Hornady, is a rimfire cartridge that propels a 17-grain bullet at 2,000 fps at the muzzle (depending on the load, the .22 LR exits the muzzle at around 1,100 fps). CCI necked down its Stinger .22 LR case to create this darling little squirrel round. The cartridge is due out by late summer. (Around $8 for a box of 50; 800-627-3640; www.cci-ammunition.com)

Speaking of speed, that other .17-caliber rimfire, the .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire (HMR), is out in a faster load. Remington Premier .17 HMR ammunition is now offered in a 17-grain AccuTip bullet that has a muzzle velocity of 2,550 fps. This new offering surpasses the .22 Win. Mag. and the .17 Mach 2 by over 500 fps. (Around $17 for a box of 20; 800-243-9700; www.remington.com)

It's What's Inside That Matters

Back when there were no gray hairs in my mustache, I was of the innocent notion that I could peer into the ends of a gun barrel and pretty well judge its condition and overall quality. But the first time I looked at the real inside of a bore through a magnifying borescope, I realized that my education on why some barrels shoot well and others don't was truly about to begin.

A borescope is an optical instrument with lenses inside a slender rod that lets you peek into places you couldn't see otherwise. It's essentially the same tool that doctors use for endoscopic surgery. The first time you look into a gun with a borescope, you don't see the shiny surfaces you expect. Instead, you see the rough edges and tool marks that come from manufacturing, improper cleaning and accumulated powder and copper fouling. Most of all, a borescope shows how good the chamber and barrel actually are.

Until recently, borescopes were mighty expensive gadgets. The one I bought a few years ago set me back over six grand. There's no longer any need to spend that kind of money. A fine borescope called the Hawkeye starts at a suggested retail of only $585 ($785 for the top model). The Hawkeye comes in a fitted hard case and is a professional-grade instrument in every way. (From $585; 800-536-0790; www.gradientlens.com)--J.C.

For complete comments and more gear info, go to www.outdoorlife.com/gear

Safe Keeping How to make sure your guns stay sparkling clean in storage

outdoorlife-editor — Wed, 31 Mar 2004 19:00:00 -0500

Few of life's tragedies exceed the unbearable anguish of uncasing a favorite gun and discovering once-gleaming metal encrusted with rust.

The gun-storage tragedies I've endured range from falling gun racks to corroded bores, but for sheer disaster none come anywhere near that which befell one of my boyhood chums by the name of Rypton (we called him Rip). He's the same kid, by the way, that I wrote about a while back who had me "custom fit" the stock of his Browning Superposed to cradle his chubby cheek [December/January 2001]. Unfortunately, it turned out the shotgun wasn't his, but his Dad's favorite quail gun. And I wound up getting most of the blame for the misguided affair.

Anyway, there came a rain shower during one of our Saturday hunts that pretty well soaked Rip's leather case, which had been left on the hood of his Dad's expensive car. My pals and I took this as a good omen, but none of us could have imagined--Rip least of all--what chemistry was to take place in that leather case. At our next hunt Rip uncased the Browning in his typical lordly fashion and, as usual, we were forced to bear witness. What we beheld, however, was not the bright blue of Browning steel but a ghastly thing layered with crusty rust! Rip took one long, unbelieving look and then sank to the ground in a blubbering fit.

Apparently, the soaking of the pretty case activated tanning chemicals in the leather and unleashed something powerfully corrosive. The reason I'm telling Rip's sad tale (aside from the fun of it) is to illustrate how fast your fine gun can be ruined by casual neglect. After a hard day in the field, it's tempting to set your gun aside and promise yourself to wipe it down later. Don't! "Later" has a way of becoming days and then weeks, and all the while moisture and fouling relentlessly work their mischief. But cleaning your gun for the next hunt and putting it away for months are two quite different matters.

Storing your guns from one hunting season to the next--or even longer--is actually a two-part project: The first step is properly preparing your firearms for storage. The second is storing them so they will be bright and shiny and ready for action months later. Let's discuss preparation first.

GETTING STARTED

Good gun cleaning starts on the inside, mainly in the bore--whether the gun is a shotgun, a pistol or a rifle. Whenever you shoot jacketed bullets in a rifle or handgun, a couple of dismal things begin to happen. First of all, as powder and copper fouling accumulate in the rifling, a decrease in accuracy begins to occur. After prolonged firing without cleaning, this loss of accuracy becomes quite measurable. Happily, a good cleaning almost always restores a barrel to its former accuracy. If the bore isn't cleaned promptly, however, something else ugly begins to happen.

Copper is a born troublemaker with the bad habit of teaming up with other undesirables it finds loafing around in the atmosphere. You can see this when you peek into the muzzle of a neglected gun and see streaks or patches of a greenish-blue crud. Underneath that crud the copper and its unsavory companions are doing some nasty things to the surface of the bore and will continue to do their evil work for as long as they remain. The same goes for leading in pistol barrels and shot or plastic streaking in shotgun barrels.

CLEANING TRICKS

The trick to quick and efficient gun cleaning, especially getting inside the barrels, is to have a way to hold the gun securely so both hands are free to work. There are a few cleaning "cradles" on the market that work well (Midway USA is a good source) and serve other purposes, too, such as scope mounting. A simple and inexpensive gun cradle is made by MTM (makers of the Case-Guard ammo boxes). Called the Rifle Maintenance Center, it sells for about $30 and folds down for compact storage.

Aerosol-type cleaners are great for cleaning trigger mechanisms, especially those of autoloading shotguns that tend to become gunky. Some cleaning aerosols are pretty powerful stuff, however, so be sure to use them in a well-ventilated area. Outside is safest. Also, don't forget that these chemical cleaners can leave metal surfaces unprotected, so be sure to follow with a rust preventative. And by the way, if you use a bore solvent that contains ammonia (as many copper-removing solvents do), be sure to follow it with a non-ammonia solvent. Residual ammonia is said to attack steel, including stainless steel.

LONG-TERM STORAGE

When putting a gun away for long-term storage I do not lubricate it entirely, but apply only a light coat of lubricant to the exterior. The reason for not lubricating the working parts is that grease and lubricating oils have a way of creeping around where they're not supposed to be, especially if temperatures fluctuate in your storage area. For example, a lube applied to the bolt of an autoloading shotgun may find its way into the fire-control system or even seep into the stock. So save your lubricating chore until you're ready to use the gun again and put the lube where it's supposed to be.

There are many good metal preservatives on the market, so take your pick. Some of the new high-tech preservatives that leave a micro-film on the metal are nice if you don't like a greasy look. Apparently they work as well as they claim. Call me old-fashioned, but I like to see the preservative on the metal, which is why I usually use such old-time favorites as Birchwood-Casey's Sheath or RIG grease.

Do not store guns in fabric or leather cases or in their original cardboard boxes, as they attract moisture. This is why, whenever possible, you should store guns so that dry air circulates around them.

If you already own a safe, or plan to buy one, a smart accessory is an electric heating element. Actually, even a light bulb will do. The trick is to put the heat source at the bottom of the safe so that the warm, dry air rises and flows continuously around your guns.

In my own gun room, I follow the 65/65 rule for temperature and humidity, which is just about ideal for gun keeping. A heating element is also an excellent idea for traditional closed-door gun cabinets.

The best rule for safe gun keeping is to use simple common sense. Just because the way you store your guns is the way you've always stored them doesn't mean it's the best way. So when putting guns away until next season, remember poor Rip's tragedy and don't let it happen to you.

Quick Tip

BOTTOMS UP Storing your guns with their muzzles down ensures that any muzzle lube will make its way out of the muzzle rather than into the fire control system or the stock.

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

Blackpowder Tips How to get centerfire accuracy from your muzzleloader

outdoorlife-editor — Sun, 31 Aug 2003 20:00:00 -0400

The old "possibles" bag sure ain't what it used to be. Back when I first started burning black powder, the process of loading a muzzleloading rifle was about as complicated as mixing up a batch of hoehandle cornbread and seemed to take nearly as long. This was especially true if you figured in the time spent melting lead, casting bullets, cutting sprues and prowling about fabric shops in search of cotton cloth of the right weave and thickness to make tight patches for best accuracy with round, lead bullets.

Nowadays these gentle joys have pretty much gone the way of bustles and high-button shoes. The three innovations that have most changed the way we load, shoot and hunt with muzzleloading firearms--aside from the now nearly ubiquitous in-line ignition rifle--are sabot-encased bullets, one-piece pelletized propellants and shotshell primers. Predictably, each of these rankle tradition-minded purists, but to hunters who view the special blackpowder seasons only as a few more days of hunting, they have been little less than a godsend.

The trappings that delight traditionalists--such as bullet casting, arguing about the merits of using spit vs. tallow to lube patches and pouring precise measures of propellant charges from a flask or powder horn--are only bothersome impediments to hunters concerned with getting on with their hunting in the quickest and simplest way. This is why the saboted bullet is rapidly becoming the projectile of choice among non-traditional muzzleloader hunters.

The convenience of Hodgdon's pelletized Pyrodex is self-evident. Instead of measuring loose propellant into a muzzleloader's muzzle, you simply drop in one or more pellets, depending on the caliber, bullet weight and velocity you want. Tedious measuring is eliminated. Of course, you should read the instructions first to have a clear understanding of what you're doing.

PRIMER PROS AND CONS

The use of modern shotshell primers, rather than traditional percussion caps, falls into the "why-didn't-someone-think-of-this-sooner" category. In addition to having a more intense flame and surer ignition, they are manufactured to exacting tolerances that tend to ensure better shot-to-shot ignition uniformity, which, of course, is a handmaiden of good accuracy.

The downside of shotgun primers is that whereas fired percussion caps are easily removed from the nipple--usually by a quick flick of your fingernail--shotshell primers tend to expand tightly into the pocket recess and often require a sharp-edged tool to pry them out. This can slow the reloading process, unless you use a handy tool such as that offered by Traditions Performance Firearms, which has a stiff pry blade on one end and a primer holder on the other. Hopefully, future muzzleloading rifles designed for shotshell primers will incorporate automatic primer extraction, as does the "E-Z Tip" extractor on Thompson/Center's Encore ML barrel.

Shotgun primers are not interchangeable with percussion caps, but some in-line rifles with percussion-cap ignition can be converted to shotshell priming by changing the breech plug. If you already have an in-line, you might want to check this out. Remington, for one, offers a three-way conversion that lets you use shotshell primers, Number 11- or musket-size caps.

From the standpoint of accuracy and downrange performance on game, the main focus in muzzleloading circles of late has been on sabots. In case this is new to you, a sabot (taken from the French word for shoe--and perhaps best known for the act of rebellious French workers who caused work stoppages by tossing their wooden sabots into industrial machinery, thereby committing sabotage, which provides a clue to the correct pronunciation of "sabot") wholly or partially encases a bullet, protecting it from the rigors of actual contact with the rifling while providing a tight gas seal. Upon exiting the muzzle, the sabot separates, leaving the bullet to fly free. Saboted bullets are nothing new, having long been used in military ordnance.

THE SABOT REVOLUTION

Saboted bullets are a natural for muzzleloaders because they simplify and expedite the loading process. Best of all, good-quality copper-jacketed hunting bullets can be united with a sabot, thus putting penetration and expansion on a par--or very nearly so--with that of centerfire rifle bullets.

But progress, especially a radical innovation such as the saboted conical bullets for muzzleloaders, brings with it new problems. When saboted bullets first appeared they were mostly considered an experimental novelty, even by their makers. Accordingly, the first on the market were thin-jacketed pistol bullets encased in plastic sabots. Predictably, penetration and expansion were sometimes erratic because the bullets had actually been designed for the lower velocities of handguns, not the higher impact speeds of rifles generating muzzle velocities upward of 2,000 feet per second.

This was a short-term problem, however. Makers of premium bullets caught on to the growing trend and designed bullets specifically for muzzleloaders. Nowadays blackpowder hunters have their pick of such premium bullets as the Barnes solid copper hollow-pointed MZ, Nosler's Partition and other good rounds.

ENHANCING ACCURACY

A more lasting problem, however, has been unsatisfactory accuracy with saboted bullets. One of the most common problems is simply loading the wrong bullet in the wrong rifle. By and large, the muzzleloading rifles marketed a short generation ago were meant to shoot patched, round, lead bullets. Accordingly, the rate of rifling twist was rather slow (one turn in 60 inches or even slower is common), since round bullets don't require a lot of spin to fly true. By comparison, your favorite centerfire .270 or .30/06 has a twist of 1 in 10 inches.

The slower rifling of older blackpowder rifles gets to be a problem with longer conical bullets, which need a faster spin to stabilize for best accuracy. This is why many modern muzzleloading rifles have a twist rate of 1 in 28 inches or thereabouts.

When the bullet is matched to the barrel and properly loaded, the accuracy of saboted bullets can challenge that of a good centerfire hunting rifle. When OUTDOOR LIFE did a landmark evaluation of muzzleloading rifle performance a few years back [June 1996], we found some saboted bullets capable of achieving the Holy Grail of accuracy--three shots inside an inch at 100 yards.

FOUL PLAY

Another problem presented by sabot-encased bullets is "plastic scrub" fouling. Traces of plastic stuck tight in the bore build up into hard-to-remove, accuracy-spoiling deposits. Shotgunners discovered this nuisance when plastic shot cups appeared and have long since learned that a stiff brush and elbow grease is the most effective way to get it out.

Plastic scrub fouling is even more of a problem for blackpowder hunters, because the plastic accumulation of only a few shots welds itself tightly to the bore and measurably degrades accuracy. Worse yet, the solvents typically used to remove the fouling of black powder have little effect on plastic fouling. So the best way to get it out is with a stiff copper brush of the correct size and a powerful solvent such as that used to remove smokeless powder and copper fouling from centerfire rifles.

GO NATURAL

Pursuers of best accuracy from their muzzleloaders tell me that they clean after every shot when accuracy testing with saboted bullets. Also, manufacturers advise cleaning between shots when customers complain about bad accuracy. Obviously a hunter can't stop to clean his rifle when he needs to make a quick follow-up shot. A natural lubricant can reduce the plastic scrub problem.

The reason for using natural rather than petroleum-based lubricants is because natural lubes are mainly water-soluble and dissolve when the barrel is cleaned with water or the usual muzzleloading cleaning solvents. Petroleum-type lubes, however, resist water, so what you might end up with is a mess of water-resistant fouling.

CHECK THE BARREL

Recently I checked the actual bore diameter of a few supposedly .50-caliber rifles and found variations of a few thousandths of an inch smaller or larger than true .500 inches. This doesn't necessarily mean that any of those barrels will be less accurate or develop less velocity than a "true" barrel, but it does point out the need to match the size of your saboted bullet to your barrel.

Accuracy tests with undersized sabots and/or oversized bores have demonstrated, time and again, that a loose fit sometimes leads to miserable performance, even when bullet and barrel are of otherwise top quality. So if you've been getting poor accuracy from your rifle with sabots, try another, somewhat larger size. Like barrels, sabots vary somewhat in size and can be checked with a micrometer.

The flared, obturating "skirt" on sabots may also give you a false sense of a tight fit. What you really want is a close fit against the tops of the lands for the full length of the sabot. With a bit of practice you'll be able to feel when a sabot fits right when you push it home with the ramrod. Another way to check is by inspecting sabots after firing. The rifling imprints should be even around the sides. If they are uneven or indicate a cocked, uneven position against the lands, you need to change bullets or improve your loading technique.

TIP

SWITCH PRIMERS Fitting shotgun-type primers is facilitated using this dog-bone tool. If you are plagued with excessively tight shotshell primers, switch brands. There are slight differences in dimensions from brand to brand and the way they expand.

TIP

GET THE RIFLING RIGHT Sabot-encased bullets, pelletized propellants and shotgun-style primers are three innovations that have greatly enhanced the accuracy of modern blackpowder rifles. If you're planning to buy a muzzleloader for hunting and intend to use conical saboted bullets, be sure the rifling is compatible.

TIP

BUTTER THE BORE After loading the rifle, but before priming, lightly lubricate the bore with a natural-type lubricant such as lanolin or T/C's Bore Butter. This will reduce the tendency of plastic to adhere to the bore.

TIP

CHECK BEFORE YOU BUY Before you buy a new muzzleloader, go to the store with a handful of machinists' plug gauges so you can determine the true bore diameter and thus match the bullet or sabot-encased bullet with the correct bore size for best accuracy.

TIP

KNOW THE REGS Before buying one of the latest-style muzzleloaders, be sure to check your state's hunting regulations. The laws concerning blackpowder hunting are complex and confusing in some states; certain types of rifles and ignition systems might be prohibited.

TIP

MATCH YOUR ROD When you're ramming conical bullets down the bore, you can hold them in truer alignment by using a ramrod tip contoured to match the shape of the bullet's point.