Rifle November/December 2020

As a youngster in the mid-1950s living in relatively remote logging country, I built a ground blind out of willows and assorted brush that allowed me to sit on the edge of a somewhat open area and watch for wildlife. There was plenty to watch for – rabbits, squirrels, birds, blacktail and whitetail deer or whatever. It didn’t seem to matter what color my clothes might be, as long as I managed to be still, although I asked Mom to tie-dye a sweatshirt, something like black-and-white photos I’d seen of Fred Bear wearing with a dark and light random pattern that resembled nothing in nature I knew of. ...Read More >

There is a whole lot to like about rifles: the way one balances and feels in the hands and against the shoulder, cherished inherited hand-me-downs from family members, lever actions that have a somewhat interesting history, fine walnut-stocked bolt actions and repeatable accuracy. The list can go on and on, depending on a hunter’s taste. A few personal examples include my late father’s 1958 Marlin Model 336 .30-30 carbine that spent much of its time in the mountains of Montana before I even knew it existed. Then there is the first rifle I took to Africa, a custom Remington Model 700 .270 Winchester built by High Tech Customs in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and third, a Remington Custom Shop Model 700 6.5 Remington Magnum that I was lucky enough to help craft. ...Read More >

Brian’s daughter-in-law, Aurora, takes aim with a Marlin 1894CB Cowboy Carbine chambered in .45 Colt.As many readers know, I grew up on remote cattle ranches near the Oregon and Idaho borders. I was the youngest of 11 children, and we all worked l... ...Read More >

As a rule, gun writers can get loaner firearms on consignment for a set period of time. Some companies stipulate three months, others six months. At the end of the time period, we have the choice of paying for the guns, admittedly at an attractive discount, or returning them to the company. Personally, it is a rare bird that I purchase. However, not long ago I spent my hard-earned gun writer bucks on one such bird. ...Read More >

The reason for interest in tang sights may be debatable, but among collectors it is certainly a rarity. The number of sporting rifles originally carrying tang sights is small, even though the top tangs of virtually all single shots and lever actions were drilled for such sights until at least World War II. Then too, many of these sights have been removed by later owners (easily seen by blue wear or missing plug screws) because they didn’t understand the sight’s proper use. I have even been told that some auction companies remove tang sights to sell as a separate “lot,” putting profit ahead of preserving an historical artifact. It seems humans are continually finding new ways to demonstrate their ignorance. ...Read More >

Each spring, I await the emergence of local Columbia ground squirrels as anxiously as others anticipate the turkey season opener. I frequently travel days to reach eastern Oregon or shoot “gophers” in southern Idaho. I own two tricked-out Ruger 10/22 rifles, each including $1,000 worth of aftermarket parts to maximize accuracy. So, it was no surprise that I gravitated to the rifle used in this optics evaluation. Ruger’s new American Rimfire Long-Range Target is a serious .22 LR, but I needed a scope. ...Read More >

While it’s enjoyable to have a rewarding career during your life, it’s even nicer to find something better to do when you retire. Such is the case of Wayne York, who runs Oregunsmithing in Pendleton, Oregon. Formerly an Oregon State Trooper, York was a gunsmith prior to his service in law enforcement and continued in it afterward, making Oregunsmithing a go-to place when a quality firearm is needed. ...Read More >

In 1896, an American architect framed a rule of design that was to have an extraordinary influence, its effects felt to this day in almost every corner of life. "Form ever follows function,” is an excerpt from a longer quotation by Louis Sullivan, known as the “father of the skyscraper,” and just as skyscrapers have taken many forms – some beautiful, like the Chrysler Building, others astonishingly ugly – so his most famous quote has been taken out of context, exaggerated, distorted and used to justify some truly grotesque creations – architectural, mechanical and otherwise. ...Read More >

The Model 444 .444 Marlin rifle receiver is fully engraved with gold accents. The lever and bolt are also engraved.One hundred and fifty years ago, 34-year-old gunsmith and firearms designer John Mahlon Marlin (1836-1901) hung a sign in front of h... ...Read More >

Ernest Hemingway once advised that, when you are stuck for an opening line, simply write the truest sentence you know at the time. So here goes: Engraving on rifles serves many purposes, most of them good, but it can also be a trap – and a very expensive trap at that. More than any other feature on a rifle, with the occasional exception of extravagant walnut, engraving can make even the finest rifle decadent. By that, I mean decadent in one of the original definitions of the word: an object which becomes so ornate as to be unusable for its original purpose. ...Read More >

When Winchester officially announced its new Model 70 bolt action to the public on January 1, 1937, it also printed a big color brochure explaining the rifle’s improvements, along with a list of Winchester ammunition in the nine initial chamberings. Three cartridges – the .22 Hornet, .220 Swift and .257 Roberts – were designated Super Speed, though only the Swift was really swift. The .22 Hornet’s 46-grain bullet was listed at 2,625 fps, and the fastest .257 Roberts load was an 87-grain bullet at 3,200 fps. ...Read More >

H-S Precision traces its beginnings to 1978, when founder Tom Houghton started making barrels with traditional cut rifling. Houghton was also one of the innovators of fiberglass stocks and the first to strengthen them with Kevlar and incorporate an aluminum bedding frame. The natural next step for Houghton was a line of rifles based on his Pro-Series 2000 stainless steel bolt action in 1992. ...Read More >

The 6mm “parts” rifle used for testing included a Remington 700 action, a Wilson 24-inch (1:9) fluted stainless barrel, a McMillan Mc3 stock, and a MagPul Magazine Well Kit and Timney Trigger.Ken Waters, in a “Pet Loads” column from 1998, (Handloa... ...Read More >