Rifle November/December 2023

Eight years ago, I was invited to Hornady Manufacturing’s facility located in Grand Island, Nebraska, wherein several new products were unveiled. Most notable was the revolutionary “Extremely Low Drag eXpanding bullet, better known as ELD-X. Naturally, nondisclosure agreements were signed that kept everything confidential until October 27, 2015, when this new bullet was formally introduced. ...Read More >

My first vintage Winchester levergun, bought in 1984, was a Model 1894 38-55 octagonal-barreled rifle made in 1897. What an educational experience that rifle was! Although in fine overall condition, there were some odd lines on one side of the receiver and in the bore. When shown to an extremely knowledgeable Gunsmith friend, Ed Webber, said: “Don’t worry, they are simply forging flaws in the steel and quite common on old Winchesters.” That was my first learning experience with vintage Winchesters. That fine fellow also gifted me a Marble tang peep sight and mounted it while I was there. He passed away in 2022 and is missed. ...Read More >

I never had any intention to write anything about scope mounting. Nothing. I avoid it like the 27th mutation of the COVID-19 virus. Why? Because there have been countless articles published over the years dealing with the attachment of scopes, now called “optics,” to rifles. Some have been good, some not so much. Thus, most folks are highly opinionated on the subject. That is never good. ...Read More >

Rebranded in 2018, Blackhound Optics is a relatively new name in the optics trade and one of the company’s Japanese-made, long-range riflescopes is the topic of discussion here – the flagship Emerge 4-32x 56mm FFP MOA ($1,799.99) including a 34mm tube and exposed turrets. The accompanying press release stated the brand was launched to provide the highest-quality optics combined with the best possible value, all backed by a Lifetime Promise Warranty when purchased from a certified Blackhound dealer. ...Read More >

At the end of June, the world watched with fascination and some dread as Russia enjoyed what The Economist called its “wild weekend,” as a paramilitary convoy advanced on Moscow in what can best be described as an armed mutiny, seizing two major cities and shooting down several military aircraft. ...Read More >

Founded in 1919, Ceská zbrojovka, also known as CZ, established its current factory in Uherský Brod, Czech Republic (then Czechoslovakia), in 1936, as far from its western borders and the threat of Nazi Germany as possible. It quickly became one of the most modern and efficient arms factories in Europe. After World War II, CZ gradually became the primary Czechoslovakian manufacturer of small firearms, largely submachine guns. By 1975, František Koucký’s revolutionary CZ 75 handgun went into production (the one millionth CZ 75 assembled in 2007), starting the trend of large capacity 9mm Luger single-action/double-action pistols. CZ was privatized in 1992 and many of the company’s high-quality, bolt-action rifles we know today began to take shape. CZ-USA emerged in 1997, now based in Kansas City, Kansas, while Zbrojovka Brno was purchased in 2004. Both moves made a wide selection of fine rifles more readily available to American shooters. CZ-USA began production of several CZ models in the U.S. by 2019. ...Read More >

In late 2021, Ruger began shipping the beloved Marlin lever-action rifles; first the Model 1895, chambered in 45-70 Government, followed by the Model 336 Classic, chambered in 30-30 Winchester. These guns have been a huge success, as the company is selling every gun that it can manufacture. This brings us to the highly anticipated Marlin Model 1894 Classic chambered in 44 Magnum, which was expected to begin shipping around July 1, 2023, and will be well received by levergun aficionados, hunters and shooters. My early sample gun is well-made, held to tight tolerances and has the potential to be the best post-World War II Model 1894 produced to date. ...Read More >

At the outbreak of World War II, the British found themselves short of all sorts of weaponry. Regarding snipers’ rifles, some Pattern 1914 303s mounted with obsolete scopes had been available at the beginning, but many were left behind at Dunkirk when most of the British Expeditionary Force evacuated continental Europe. ...Read More >

Takedown rifles – rifles that disassemble easily for carrying or storage, and reassemble with equal ease – have a long history. The concept has fascinated shooters and gunmakers alike, both in Europe and America. ...Read More >

The other day, I stacked a few lanky cartridges, one by one, atop the follower of a bolt rifle with a generous maw and thumbed them down. The 300 H&H is one of my favorite magnums – gentle in recoil, slick to the chamber. It downed my first elk and my first eland. This rifle was new. Well, not exactly. It dates back 40 years… or to the Great Depression. But it was nearly axed when a new name saved it. ...Read More >