Rifle September-October 2024

To fully understand the significance of the Rossi R92 lever-action carbine chambered in 454 Casull, we must first examine the cartridge. During the 1950s, while being employed by the notable Gunsmith P.O. Ackley, young experimenter Dick Casull converted a Colt Single Action Army to a five-shot 45 Colt cylinder to increase strength. His unusual (and very heavy) triplex handloads allowed him to push a 255-grain bullet to 1,550 feet per second (fps), which was over-the-top power at that time. Dick referred to his handload and custom Colt as the 454 Casull. However, to achieve the level of power that he really wanted, a gun with a larger frame would be required. ...Read More >

Michael "Duke" L. Venturino ...Read More >

Refinishing stocks is probably the most common home gunsmithing operation. Many gunsmiths have also made a reputation over the years as being particularly good at it. Used rifles and especially shotguns, can often be bought at very reasonable prices if the stock is well-worn or scratched. Refinishing or simply “reviving” the finish, as explained in this column in Rifle No. 318 (September – October 2021) can make the gun look markedly better and raise its value too. ...Read More >

For full disclosure – I am a huge fan of Trijicon optics and have some good friends there whom I deeply respect. Some of my favorite rifles hold Trijicon scopes that are used frequently while hunting varmints or Texas hogs. That said, I also strive to remain as objective as possible while reviewing products for this column. Trijicon is a company of engineers. The company’s founder, Glyn Bindon, is an engineer who is passionate about shooting and hunting. This quality is reflected in everything they manufacture, from their breakthrough fiber/tritium technology to the first red dot optics tough enough to be mounted on handgun slides and the combat-proven ACOG. ...Read More >

The Marlin 336 has been “that other lever action” for more than a century, if not strictly by name, then certainly in form. It’s the Marlin Model 1893 in a more modern guise, renamed first the Model 36 and later, the 336. ...Read More >

As modern smokeless powder burns, itcreates tremendous heat with some of it being absorbed and retained by the barrel of a rifle. A small charge of relatively quick-burning propellant produces less heat than a large charge of a propellant with a slower burn rate. This is why the barrel of a rifle chambered for the 300 Winchester Magnum heats up more quickly than if the same barrel were in 22 Hornet. By the same token, the 22 Hornet heats up a barrel quicker than that same barrel in 22 Long Rifle. ...Read More >

Carbine or rifle? I can’t say for sure. The new Smith & Wesson (S&W) Model 1854 could be either, depending on whose camp brought you to deer hunting. I’m inclined to view rifles with barrels of 20 inches or less as carbines. Like Winchester’s 1894 saddle-ring carbine, the Model 94 that became the country’s archetypal “deer rifle” has a 20-inch barrel. Ditto the Marlin 1893 and its successor, the 336. As 24- and 26-inch barrels on lever rifles faded, the “carbine” moniker was selectively retired. On bolt-actions, it hung on for barrels no longer than 20 inches. ...Read More >

While Savage Arms certainly offers some top-end wares, it is their utilitarian rifles that American shooters are likely most familiar with, including the company’s basic 110 models. The Savage rifles that I’ve shot most often would win no beauty contests, but they have proven exceptionally reliable and accurate with a variety of ammunition types. ...Read More >

Austrian gunmakers have a long history with straight-pull, bolt-action rifles. ...Read More >

I would be willing to bet that 99 percent of readers learned to shoot with a rifle chambered for the 22 Long Rifle. I certainly did! I still remember vividly firing both a Winchester Model 61 and a Ruger Single-Six at age three, but it would be another five years before I could have my own rifle that came as a Christmas gift. That old Winchester Model 67A single shot was a great teacher. ...Read More >