Rifle September/October 2022

It’s not unusual for riflemen to verbally wrestle about this or that cartridge/rifle now and then in a hunting camp or at the local shooting range. Some folks even like to pick nits with gun writers and that sometimes includes the staff of Rifle and Handloader. Most people are polite and we try to respond with a letter or email as soon as possible. However, a recent note to yours truly came as a bit of a surprise. ...Read More >

In one way or another, all good rifles are interesting. The Chiappa Little Badger is a good rifle, but its unique, simple design makes it especially interesting. It is compact, lightweight, inexpensive and very useful. It will find favor with backpackers, or serve handily as a camp gun, but is also an excellent training rifle for children. Its compact size allows it to be easily stored in the trunk of a car or behind (or even under) the seat of pickups and is always ready should an unexpected event occurs wherein a rimfire rifle becomes valuable. ...Read More >

By the time this column sees print, we will be nearing the 150th anniversary of two milestones in American rifle evolution. In 1873, the U.S. Army adopted its single shot, .45 caliber Model 1873 Springfield infantry rifles and cavalry carbines. That same year, Winchester Repeating Arms introduced its Model 1873 lever-action repeating rifles, carbines and muskets. Although totally different in modes of operation and cartridges, these two firearms exerted great influence in firearms history. ...Read More >

One of my earliest childhood memories is going with my dad to visit a pistol-shooter friend of his named Pete. While they talked guns, I had the run of his shop – so long as I didn’t touch any machines! You see, this was a wood shop containing many ancient, rust-colored machines. Each one performed an operation producing a specific joint used in making solid hardwood furniture from locally-grown walnut, butternut and cherry trees. There was, however, other wooden objects in the shop of more interest. ...Read More >

Forty-some years ago, when trapping money started flowing as a teen, my rifles wore nothing but Leupold scopes when I could help it. I mounted M8-6X straight-power scopes mostly, and believing a big-game hunter needed little else, later trying a Vari-X II 2-7x 40mm because I liked its compact lines. More recently, my tastes have run toward mega magnification for the varmint shooting that captures more of my attention today. My most recent Leupold acquisition, is a covered-turret VX-3i 8.5-25x 50mm to top my .204 Ruger Mossberg MVP Varmint. That scope is ideal for that cartridge/rifle combination, offering surgical precision on distant burrowing rodents. ...Read More >

With apologies to Walter de la Mare (my title is from his poem An Epitaph), it may be going a little overboard to invoke Edwardian poetry when discussing custom hunting rifles. But, when considering the extremes we went to 20 years ago, describing some of the best rifles from guys like Jerry Fisher, Dale Goens, David Miller and the rest, perhaps it’s appropriate. ...Read More >

Presentation goes a long way in creating a positive feel for a brand, but it can also prove entirely practical. Unboxing an AllTerra Arms rifle certainly makes an impression. My test rifle arrived in a quality hardcase, one of those roto-molded numbers you can jump up and down on without the slightest worry of harming the contained rifle. ...Read More >

The 1875 Winchester catalog contains a letter from Colonel William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody (from Fort McPherson, Nebraska,) regarding the new Model 1873 rifle. “I have been using and have thoroughly tested your latest improved rifle. Allow me to say that I have tried and used nearly every kind of gun made in the United States, and for general hunting…I pronounce your improved Winchester the boss.” ...Read More >

Most hunting-rifle enthusiasts eventually end up yearning for specific rifles, sometimes those they could not afford when young. Their choices often occur as by-products of when and where they grew up, which naturally includes “cultural influences.” ...Read More >

When the call came from Justin Perry at Knight Rifles, I naturally assumed he wanted to discuss the company’s new .40 caliber muzzleloader. I was wrong. ...Read More >

There are many reasons to like composite stocks: They are sturdy, stable, weather-resistant, oblivious to moisture and can be as heavy or as light as one would like. There are also many reasons to dislike them. They are noisy in the brush, have an annoying clanging sound when closing the bolt, are icy in cold weather, and the surface is alternately slippery, scratchy, or reflective. ...Read More >