GunHunter

Troubles with Choke Tubes

Troubles with Choke Tubes

By John Barsness

All sorts of things prevent shotgun chokes from doing what we expect of them. Two pheasant hunters stood together, looking down at a creek bottom. A stiff November wind bent the willows and cattails along the creek, places where roosters might hide. The taller hunter turned to his companion and said, “I’m changing to full choke. That w... READ MORE

How to Read a Ballistics Chart

How to Read a Ballistics Chart

By Ron Spomer

All those columns, numbers and abbreviations become clear as you explore. The majority of hunters are not ballistics experts. Nor do they have to be. Some of the most successful hunters know nothing more about rifles than which cartridge to shoot through it, usually to deadly effect. Many of us, however, become curious, sometimes fascinated by bal... READ MORE

Are Wildcats Worth It?

Are Wildcats Worth It?

By Ron Spomer

Your heart palpitates for a custom chambering, but think before you leap. Forty years ago, as a new shooter and handloader, I was wild about wildcats. Not the furry, spotted kind. The mysterious, esoteric, hot-shooting, custom-formed brass kind. Cartridges like the .22 Varminter, the .224 Clark, the .243 Page Pooper and the .219 Donaldson Wasp soun... READ MORE

Smith & Wesson’s 686 Revolver

Smith & Wesson’s 686 Revolver

By John Haviland

This brother of the Model 19 is great for hunting and plinking. Last summer, I bought a Smith & Wesson Model 686 .357 Magnum revolver, and ever since, I’ve been happily shooting it at the range and in the field. The gun shoots tight groups from the bench and balances well in the hands for accurate offhand fire. It digests a variety of loa... READ MORE

Don’t Sell the .308 Win Short

Don’t Sell the .308 Win Short

By John Barsness

The .308 is a superb whitetail round, but don’t believe it’s too puny for elk, pronghorns, black bears or plains game. Whenever hunters gather around a campfire to discuss big-game cartridges, you’ll hear talk about the .270 Winchester versus the .30-06, some chatter about the 7mm Rem Mag,  .300 Win Mag, .300 Weatherby Mag an... READ MORE

Marlin’s XT Youth .22s

Marlin’s XT Youth .22s

By Richard Mann

The XT series of rimfire rifles are budget models with kid-worthy features. It took a long time for gun makers to come around to the notion they needed to build rifles for kids. Maybe this is because when the generation that is now in charge was growing up, there were few youth guns. They learned to shoot dad’s rifle, even though it did not f... READ MORE

Advanced Scope Mounting

Advanced Scope Mounting

By John Barsness

Prevent ring damage and range problems by following these tips. Many shooters think scope mounting is simple. Just tighten a few screws, and the job is done, right? Well, there’s a little more to it than that. All too often, a new scope runs out of clicks before bullet holes appear anywhere near the center of the target. And sometimes the adj... READ MORE

Going Full Bore

Going Full Bore

By Dave Henderson

They may not be as accurate or flat-shooting as saboted slugs, but wide-bodied slugs continue to dominate the slug market. For the better part of the 20th century, smoothbore shotguns and rifled or full-bore slugs were the only ordnance deer hunters in parts of the Midwest and Northeast could legally use. Back then, slug shotguns had little more th... READ MORE

Trick Out a 10/22 Part 1

Trick Out a 10/22 Part 1

By Dave Henderson

With just a few simple tools, you can build a semi-custom .22 that looks good and shoots great. The Ruger 10/22 rimfire rifle was heralded as a masterpiece in firearm design when it hit the market in 1964. The 5-pound semiauto was easy to work on and featured a 10-round rotary magazine that fit flush in the stock’s action well, precisely at t... READ MORE

Don’t Skimp on Scope Mounts

Don’t Skimp on Scope Mounts

By Richard Mann

“Just any old rings and bases” can be the wrong choice and the weak link that fails at the most inopportune time. There you stand, rifle in one hand and a riflescope in the other. Since duct tape and baling twine are not options, how shall you bring them together? Sifting through the myriad riflescope rings and bases on the market see... READ MORE

Mossberg’s New Lever Action

Mossberg’s New Lever Action

By Clair Rees

The Model 464 is a classic reborn. With so many semiauto tactical rifles introduced over the last few years, it was refreshing to see O.F. Mossberg & Sons resurrect a style many consider out of fashion. The company’s Model 464 lever rifles would seem right at home in the 19th century. When it comes to hunting rabbits and squirrels, one of... READ MORE

Muzzleloader Myths

Muzzleloader Myths

By Ralph M. Lermayer

Voodoo ballistics and other misconceptions still abound in blackpowder shooting. Photo: This double barrel rifle from Traditions provides the fastest second shot possible with a muzzleloading rifle. It’s also deadly accurate with the right load. Prior to the 1980s, hunting with muzzleloaders was confined to a small cadre of traditionalists, h... READ MORE

The .25-06: Deadly on Deer

The .25-06: Deadly on Deer

By Russell Thornberry

In the hands of an experienced hunter, the quarter bore shines. One thing I’ve learned over the years as a hunter and writer is that hunters seldom agree about which rifles and cartridges are best, particularly those used for deer hunting. The truth is, no one caliber can do it all across the whitetail’s vast range:  open prairies,... READ MORE

CZ’s Little Mauser

CZ’s Little Mauser

By Jon R. Sundra

The M1 American is the most attractive rifle in CZ's 527 line of bolt-action sporters. One of the most respected firearms manufacturers in the world is Ceska Zbrojovka, which explains why the company goes by the simple acronym CZ. Based in the town of Uhersky Brod in the Czech Republic, the company’s 200 acres of buildings make it the larges... READ MORE

Field Shooting Effectively

Field Shooting Effectively

By Ron Spomer

When your target of opportunity knocks, you need to answer in seconds. Greg was as enthusiastic as an 8-year-old on Christmas morning. His first pronghorn hunt! He had a new .257 Weatherby Magnum with a Zeiss scope that could shoot a country mile. Back home on the bench, he was punching sub-MOA groups with 115-grain Barnes Tipped Triple Shocks. No... READ MORE

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