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The .308 Family
By Ron Spomer
Offspring of the .308 are accurate, compact and easy to shoot. Rifle cartridges may be inanimate, but they do have families. One of the more prolific is the .308 Winchester family, a well-rounded line of nicely balanced cartridges that are fast, powerful, easy to shoot and justifiably popular. The clan currently consists of the .243 Winchester, .26... READ MORE
The Slug Gun King
By Ralph M. Lermayer
Ithaca’s Deerslayer is back, and this one in 20 gauge shoots as well as the original.
One would think that when a large percentage of the hunting public wanted a product, all of the manufacturers would trip over themselves to provide it, especially in today’s competitive firearms market. Well, factor this: Thirty-five percent of the hu... READ MORE
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
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
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
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
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
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
Those Sweet Single Shots
By Ron Spomer
One-shooters don’t have obvious advantages over repeaters, but there are some. In this age of sub-MOA autoloading AR rifles, why would anyone bother with a single shot? Single shots are not for firepower, efficiency or enhanced productivity. Single shots are for joy. For romance. Challenge. Sometimes, beauty and elegance. A single shot is to ... READ MORE
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
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
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
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
.35s That Survived
By Russell Thornberry
The .35 Whelen, .35 Remington and .350 Rem Mag are the ultimate woods calibers. There were numerous .35-caliber rifle cartridges born in the 20th century, but most of them didn’t live to see the dawning of the 21st century. Surviving .35-caliber cartridges introduced as factory offerings include the .35 Remington (1906); .356 Winchester (1980... READ MORE
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