Feature Articles

Available in six models including pistols and carbines, the Guard has fully functional AR controls and feeds from Glock-pattern magazines.

This particular class was obviously not a beginner’s course. But there are plenty to choose from that are in the NRA Summer Gunsmithing Program.

Kimber America, however, seems like the most unlikely company to be in the revolver market. Yes, the same Kimber famous for their 1911s.

The Pacific Northwest and Seattle, in particular, is a hotbed of snowflake triggering activity. It was therefore with some surprise that recently (end of July) a firearms convention actually called TriggrCon was held so close to the Emerald City. Bellevue, Washington, a mere 10 miles from the Seattle Space Needle, hosted this event for the third consecutive year. Manufacturers displayed their wares in booths as well as at the range as has become the custom with such shows.

Here’s what makes it special. The grip can be infinitely adjusted to ergonomically fit your hand. If you run it for a while and decide that it needs to be different, no problem. Loosen the screw in the bottom and the grip resets. Put your hand on it and squeeze until it feels comfortable to your hand. Tighten the bolt. It’s like magic. Katie Lynn was kind enough to give me the one she’d showed me and I carried it for hours playing with it. 

But, why I really love shotguns is because they are so versatile. Seriously, if you can find me any other gun that you can shoot a quail with at 15 yards and also shoot a whitetail with at 150, I will be very impressed. Not to mention all the different gauges, styles and brands.

This particular class is the Advanced Machine Shop class. As the name implies, it has some pre-requisites. The class is basically geared towards chambering barrels, but other projects are also permitted. I wanted to build a precision bolt action rifle. So, I spent the week blueprinting the action and doing the related barrel work. Obviously, this is not going to be an absolute guide to chambering and fitting a barrel. But I wanted to give you an idea of what it does entail.

Today was the first time I got to test the new Ruger 10/22 with the Silent-SR ISB, or Integrally Suppressed Barrel. The lines look like a double barrel gun, but the bottom half is actually a baffle stack. A one-piece barrel and suppressor, it fits any 10/22 takedown model as a replacement. It is one of the most well thought out rimfire suppressors I have seen, Ruger hit it out of the park this time.

In 1952 the Czech military adopted a radically strange new pistol designed by two brothers, Jan and Jaroslav Kratochvil. The vz52 (not to be confused with the vz52 rifle of the same designation that entered Czech service the same year) represented a unique application of the roller-locked action pioneered by the German MG42 machine gun. While HK dabbled in the same thing with their short-lived P9S handgun, the vz52 pistol was otherwise unique.