Hornady

Building on the success of the Lithgow LA101 and LA102 rifles, Legacy Sports International is now offering the Lithgow LA105 Woomera rifle. The Lithgow LA105 mates a match grade barreled upper receiver from Lithgow Arms of Australia to a Kinetic Research Group chassis. The Lithgow LA105 features a 20 MOA Picatinny rail and muzzle brake. The rifle has a 24-inch heavy profile barrel and is offered in .308 Winchester and 6.5 Creedmoor.

The Nazi’s inability to conquer Europe wasn’t their only failure of the Second World War. They also failed to invade Russia, exercise basic humanity, march-like normal people, and a host of other blunders. Suffice it to say that in 1,000 years they won’t be remembered as successful, virtuous, or honorable.

I can hear “It’s the most wonderful time of year …” playing on repeat in the back of my mind as I scan through magazines and online stores while I start piecing together my Christmas wish list. As I’ve gotten older I’ve found that it gets harder and harder to not only buy gifts for the ones I know and love but also create a Christmas list for me to give to them.   I mean I usually have to create a roadmap to the things that I like complete with links, pictures, and very specific instructions about color options and features, which pretty much sucks the fun out right out of it.

Among the multitude of autoloading handguns that a shooter has at his or her disposal, John M. Browning’s most famous pistol design still remains a perfectly viable choice, well over a century after it appeared.  The M1911 and the M1911A1, of the First and Second World Wars, respectively, showed the effectiveness of Browning’s brainchild, as well as the new cartridge designed for it: the .45 ACP, or Automatic Colt Pistol. The ACP marked a return to a .45 caliber sidearm for the military, as the M1892 revolver – firing a .38 Long Colt cartridge – didn’t have the power level that soldiers needed, and the Philippine Insurrection brought that quickly to light.

I am not generally a fan of the AK-47 family of weapons; I have spent too much time on the receiving end of them. But I am a fan of all things American made, so I was more than happy to review a couple of offerings from Century Arms.  Anything Commies can do, we can do better. And the boys from Vermont have set out to do just that. 

We’re all guilty, each and every one of us, myself included. We’ll be at a summer barbecue, or sharing a beer at the local pub, or sitting around the campfire, and the cartridge debate will begin. And, once it begins, you’re bound to hear all sorts of boastful claims, insistent arguing points, hand-me-down tales of perfect, flawless performance in the hands of various uncles and grandsires, and all sorts of reasons why any other cartridge than the metallic hero receiving adoration at that moment is a silly, wasteful, childish design. Sometimes you’ll hear – possibly simultaneously if the crowd is large enough and the tongues are loose – that old cartridge should be put out to pasture.

There are lots of great companies competing for a slice of the AR-15 market, but it’s sometimes hard to find a rifle that is different. Enter Rock River Arms. I was torn between two rifles: the LAR-15 QMC (Quick Magazine Change) and the LAR-15 BTB (Better Than Basic) Carbine. I couldn’t decide between which one to test, so Rock Rivers graciously sent both.

As an outdoorsman, I enjoy being afield in all sorts of capacities. While hunting is one of my favorite pastimes, fishing and hiking are a wonderful means of spending time with friends and family and living in close proximity to both the Catskill and Adirondack mountains, there is ample opportunity for both of those activities. I am also, by trade, a Professional Land Surveyor, so my work hours are often spent in the remote wilderness areas.

The 6.5 Creedmor isn’t a new round, it was introduced in 2008 by Hornady. But this will be remembered as the year it began its dominance in the market place. In reference to .308, I think the words of Winston Churchill say it best. “This is not the end, this is not even the beginning of the end, this is just perhaps the end of the beginning.”