Outdoor Life - Modification RSS

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.

Easy Fixes to Win a Three Gun Shooting Competition

Alex Robinson — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 10:46:07 -0400

Competition shooting runs in cycles, and right now it’s 3-gun’s time to shine. If you love to shoot but have not tried 3-gun yet, you are behind the curve. Three-gun is action-packed shooting that leaves everybody giddy with excitement. The best part is, you probably already have the guns you need to get started.

Here are a few suggestions on how you can pimp them out to make them a bit more competitive. The most popular division is Tactical Optics, so we’ll look at the semi-auto guns for that class.
Most of this is bolt-on equipment and easy for a do-it-yourself installation. Rifle
If you have an AR-15 in the M-4 carbine style, you have a decent foundation for getting started. The AR-15 is the ultimate “kit” gun, and there are a lot of aftermarket parts that will get you in the game.

Muzzle Brake

Most shooters wonder why you would need a recoil brake on a rifle shooting the .223 Remington cartridge. It’s because 3-gun is a game of speed. The shooter who hits all the targets the fastest wins. You will engage multiple targets, and many of them will require two hits or more each. So, if you can control the recoil, you can control the sights and you can get back on target faster.
There are a lot of very good brakes on the market. A few years back I did a test of several and can say that they all worked well. I doubt you could go wrong with any brand-name brake. My competition rifles all have JP Compensator brakes, and I am very pleased with the performance.

Installing a muzzle brake is easy. Unscrew the flash hider and install the brake tightening against a crush washer until it’s lined up correctly. Most shooters like to cock the brake angle slightly to allow for a right- or left-handed shooter.

Scope Selection

The Tactical Optics division allows one optical sight, and it is universally installed on the rifle. The traditional choice for most shooters is a 1–4X scope. A true 1-power scope allows the shooter to keep both eyes open when engaging close-range targets. The 4X is enough magnification for most of the longer targets. Of course, this depends on the region.

In the Northeast, where I live, targets beyond 300 yards are rare, but in the Western states, that’s just getting started. West of the Mississippi a shooter may be faced with hitting targets at 500 yards or more. So, some shooters will pick a higher magnification scope and find a way to cope with the “in-your-face” close-range targets.

My rifle has the new Swarovski Z-6i, 1-6x24 with the BRT reticle. The illuminated dot is visible in daylight and with the scope on 1X, I can easily shoot with both eyes open, even though I am cross-dominant. During the 2011 Rocky Mountain 3-gun competition, I used this scope on targets out to 600 yards and never once felt handicapped by the 6X magnification. I also shot some targets so close I left powder burns on the cardboard.

You will be called on to move the scope power ring very fast as you transition from target to target. The MGM Switchview lever clamps on the power ring of the scope and allows you to change magnification very fast.

Scope Mount

Mounting a scope on an AR-15 rifle can be a challenge. It requires that the scope be positioned high, and getting it far enough forward is often a problem. You will need a mount designed specifically for an AR-15 rifle that extends the front ring forward of the receiver. Mounts from Larue Tactical, JP Enterprises, Warne and Safariland are a few that I have tried and can recommend.

Any rifle is only as good as its trigger. If you have a “mil-spec” rifle, do yourself a big favor and install a new trigger. There are a lot of good drops in triggers like the AR-15 Gold or Timney. Or if you prefer a conventional-style trigger, the JP is the gold standard. Their new model is easy for anybody with 10 working fingers to install.

Bolt Release

You should have a tactical bolt release to allow easy access to lock back the bolt and to release it after a bolt-lock mag change. Or check out the Magpul B.A.D. (Battery Assist Device) lever. This cool little tool lets you do it all with your trigger finger.
A tactical, oversize lever on the charging handle is another “must.” That’s so you can hit it fast to work the bolt  on your gun with one fast motion.

The options for bolt-on swag are infinite for an AR-15 rifle, but these will get you in the game.

Shotgun
Unlike a double-barrel quail gun, your 3-gun shotgun must serve multiple masters. Targets might be stationary or moving, close or far, big or small, single or multiple—often all in a single stage. The gun will need to handle birdshot, and sometimes buckshot, and must be able to hit small targets at long range with slugs.

Magazine Extension

The first bolt-on shotgun addition will be a magazine extension. The Tactical Optics division allows a 9-shot capacity, which means an 8-shot magazine.

There are plenty of good magazine extensions on the market, and a stroll through Google will show a staggering number of options. But don’t shop on price alone. You only need to see one tube fail, spewing ammo, springs and parts during a match, to know the value in the term “trouble-free.” My Benelli M2 shotgun has a rugged Nordic Components metal magazine extension, and I can honestly say it takes a licking and keeps on ticking.

Sight Conundrum

Sights are a trickier thing to deal with. Some top shooters use only the bead on the shotgun, while others use elaborate adjustable sighting systems.
I don’t like anything too big in front of my eye to distract me from shooting at moving targets, yet I need more than a bead to hit the slug targets. My choice is a set of low-profile fiber-optic sights. They are available from TruGlow, HiViz and a few other companies.

Other Options
The shotgun will need an extended charging handle and oversize bolt-release button. The bolt release will require gunsmithing to install, as it requires drilling and tapping a screw hole.

Some shooters like to install an oversize safety button, and a lot of shooters will bevel the magazine loading port to help “funnel in” the shells while loading.

Handgun
Most competitors use a high-capacity 9mm handgun. Mine is a SIG Sauer P226 X-five competition, but if you have a Glock, M&P, SD or any other high-capacity gun, you can work with it.

Trigger Tweaks

The biggest favor you can do yourself is to make sure you have a very good trigger. It’s best not to mess with the trigger yourself, but instead take it to a good gunsmith. Ask for a 3-pound pull weight, but be prepared to accept 4 pounds. If he can shorten the reset, that will help as well.

Sights

It’s also important to have sights that you can pick up very quickly. I like fiber-optic sights with contrasting colors. You might be happier with a white dot or even night sights. The important thing is that you can pick them up very fast and that they are adjusted so your bullets strike at the point of aim. Dawson Precision is an excellent source for handgun sights.

Grip Tweak
It’s important that the grip fits you well and that you can reach the trigger correctly. If you have big hands, you might put in an extension, while short-fingered shooters will want to be a bit closer to the trigger. Some guns come with several blackstrap options so you can try them to find one that fits your grip well. Most popular guns also have a wide range of aftermarket grips and grip accessories.

You might also consider adding a beveled magazine well, or modifying your existing mag well to aid in fast reloads.

Polish
Some shooters like to polish the internal parts, but if a pistol runs well, does not jam and is accurate, I like a hands-off approach. I think that the single most important thing a handgun (or any competition gun, for that matter) must do is go bang every time you pull the trigger. The more you mess with a functioning handgun’s operating parts, the more you increase the odds of introducing problems with little potential gain. If it works, don’t fix it. I believe in an ammo-gunsmithing approach to this chore. If you burn enough ammo, the parts polish themselves.

Range Time
The very best thing you can do with your guns is shoot them. Get them tweaked out so they work and fit you well, and then spend your money on ammo. The cold, hard truth is that practice is what litters the path to the winner’s circle.

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.

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.