Feature Articles

I can still remember the days when I longed for my first rifle; the thought of a long shiny blued steel barrel and glossy walnut stock of my very own almost more than I could stand. Now I saw the same look in my little son Josiah’s eyes as he stood, hands shoved deep in his pockets, gazing with earnest shyness into my face as he answered my question. I had asked what he wanted more than anything for his upcoming ninth birthday. His answer? “A gun!”

Until recent years, owning a high-end chassis rifle was restricted to those with an excess cash problem, as many such rifles easily hit and surpass the $10,000 mark. For the most part, these rifles — used in both Precision Rifle Series (PRS) competition and among hardcore long-range enthusiasts of all stripes — have been produced mostly by small manufacturers and custom shops, hence the crushing price tags often associated with them. 

The CCW market is one of the fastest growing segments of the firearms world and has held that position for years. It should come as no surprise then, that a good chunk of it is snake oil and hyped up nonsense. Sadly, grifters naturally gravitate to any segment of the market based loosely on fear, [...]

In our .17 HMR vs .22LR shootout, the .17 HMR was the clear winner. So the obvious question is, why not go to .17 WSM ( Winchester Super Magnum) instead of .17 HMR?

DoubleStar expanded its popular Always Ready Carbine (ARC) line with the addition of a .300 Blackout caliber model; meeting the needs of hunters who wanted those larger 30-caliber bullets for hogs and deer. This filled the gap in the ARC line for a suppressible caliber version as well.

“Phil, we’re going to pass on him; he’s just a bit too short for what we’re looking for.” Really?  The bull was as dead as yesterday, comfortably wading in the billabong, completely oblivious to the hunters standing 40 paces away behind the shade tree on the bank. But, professional hunter Graham Williams was very serious, and all I could do was draw the rifle down on the buffalo and count coup. Something in my body language must have expressed frustration, and the ever-cool Willams uttered what I would soon learn was his catch-phrase: “Please be patient, there are many bulls to be looked over.” I shouldered the big German double, and continued on the buffalo trail beside the series of waterholes that dotted the small valley.

When is a gun defined as a firearm? Even better when is a gun a ghost? If you are a staunch 2nd  Amendment advocate as I am plus like to build stuff — especially stuff that goes bang — then 80 percent lowers no doubt tickle your fancy. According to the Federal Government, the Polymer80 Spectre 80 percent pistol kit is nothing more than a piece of polymer, but apply some calculated cuts with drill bits and cutting tools, shape the polymer with a file and sand paper, and add parts and that inert piece of plastic becomes a functioning semi-automatic pistol.

World War II changed most everything about planet earth. Society, culture, industry, and politics all underwent a seismic shift during this worldwide conflict that ultimately claimed 50 million souls. This most horrible of wars spilt rivers of blood. Previously gunmaking retained some modicum of art. Military weapons combined the machinist’s touch with the woodworker’s skill to produce weapons that were elegant, graceful, and expensive.

Barnes Precision Machine of Apex, North Carolina, has a long history of direct support for the boys from Ft. Bragg. More loaner upper receivers have been used in the Global War on Terror (GWOT) than you will find any official statistic on. With a need for accuracy and reliability well beyond the normal government-issue junk, Green Berets have field tested the BPM products in the least forgiving environments on earth.