Inhaltsverzeichnis für January 2025 in Gun Digest

I was working with a .22 LR a short time ago, running a pile of ammo through an AR-style rifle about as fast as I could load the magazine. It wasn’t so much of a torture test as it was a shooter’s guide to the varying levels of “dirtiness” created from a bunch of different ammo. We all know the .22 LR is a dirty girl, but the results were actually quite surprising … they certainly were to me at least. You’ll be able to get details of those tests in an upcoming issue of Gun Digest, complemented by some video on Recoil.tv. I mention it here because, as I was shooting, I got to thinking about the new 21 Sharp. I’m not delving into the details here because, as…

01 Taurus 22TUC Pistol While not most people’s first choice, the .22 LR is a viable self-defense round for some. Catering to these folks, Taurus has launched the 22TUC pistol, a unique micro-compact .22 that offers some advantages—especially to those who might have less hand strength. To this end, the pistol has a tip-barrel design, allowing the shooter to load it and put it into battery without having to rack a slide. A double-action trigger proves a little heavy; however, it comes with double-strike capabilities—a nice peace of mind if you don’t get ignition on the first trigger pull. Size-wise, it’s perfectly proportioned for carry, with a 2.5-inch barrel and tipping the scales at 10 ounces. As for capacity, it comes with a 9-round magazine for a total of 10…

ARs are a passion for some, and there are a lot of things you can do with a stripped lower receiver. The platform has truly evolved from its debut in the 1960s … and modern configurations can get pretty out there compared to Eugene Stoner’s original design. Yet—sometimes—you want to go back to the way things were, whether it’s a simpler time, a better time in your life or just to be different. We see this with cars, motorcycles, cameras and stereo equipment. Heck, we even see it with video games. So why not with ARs? In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Bushmaster Firearms and their new home in Carson City, Nevada, Bushmaster recently unveiled the XM15A2 to take you back to when the standard focused on iron sights…

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Hunting in the Santa Fe National Forest North of the Valles Caldera National Preserve, I was in hot pursuit of elk. My scouting efforts had proved fruitful, locating elk herds feeding in the meadows and on the ridges. Weeks later, when it came time to hunt, the drought had scattered the animals into small herds, which held tight to the trees, even at dusk and dawn. I’d planned to hike several miles and glass the canyons and meadows from multiple vantage points, and I was prepped for a long-range shot. Attached to my pack was a custom Tikka T3 chambered in 6.5 PRC with a heavy barrel, MDT XRS Chassis, Tract Toric UHD 4-20x riflescope, and suppressor, the ideal setup for longer shots. On day one, after 14 miles of…

BROUGHT TO YOU BY WEATHERBY SELECT AMMUNITION HISTORICAL NOTES Winchester Ammunition in conjunction with Savage introduced the .17 Winchester Super Magnum rimfire rifle cartridge at the 2013 SHOT Show. A Winchester announcement called this “the most revolutionary rimfire cartridge in the company’s almost 150-year history.” Further, the company said, “The .17 Win. Super Mag. offers the downrange performance of a centerfire cartridge at only a fraction of the cost. For the first time in history, hunters can expect pinpoint accuracy and devastating performance from a rimfire cartridge, at ranges well past 200 yards.” One of Winchester’s goals with the new .17 was to keep it affordable. A box of 50 retails for about $15, much cheaper than almost any centerfire varmint load. According to a Winchester spokesman in 2013, “At…

A lot of suppressor users are not going to swap their silencer across a whole rack of rifles. Not the first suppressor, anyway. It will spend its range time on one or two—maybe three rifles—ever. If that’s the case, there’s no reason to invest in a QD mount system. Oh, they are cool, but they cost and add weight. A typical rear cap for a quick-attach system, and the muzzle brake it fits on to, can run up to 7 ounces. Especially on a rifle meant for hunting, 7 ounces can matter. The old hiking adage, “Look after the ounces, and the pounds will look after themselves,” comes to mind. So, Gemtech has now made available direct-thread rear caps for their new Abyss and Neutron suppressors. They screw into the…

Winchester has created a new rimfire cartridge called the 21 Sharp, and it’s based on the .22 Long Rifle cartridge. Winchester estimates that nearly 2.5 billion rounds of .22 Long Rifle ammunition are manufactured each year. It’s clearly the most popular cartridge, largely due to its low noise level, low recoil level, low cost, and the wide range of applications the cartridge is suited for—in rifles and handguns. So, as popular as the .22 Long Rifle cartridge is, you’re probably wondering why Winchester would screw around with it. Why would they just not make more—or better—.22 Long Rifle ammunition? .22 LONG RIFLE ISSUES There are several reasons. The first is that .22 Long Rifle—as well as .22 Long and .22 Short—ammunition is a pain in the ass to manufacture. One…

I’m switching shotguns. I’ve used a variety of Remington 1100s for something like 4 decades now, but time overcomes everything. They’re elderly; keeping them running is work, and there are better options. The one I’ve selected is the Mossberg 940 JM Pro. Built by Mossberg for competition and defense, the 940 in the JM Pro model is advanced to being a top-tier competition shotgun, with input from my friend Jerry Miculek. He saw to the enlarging of some of the controls, the opening-up of the loading port and a stock that can be rebuilt to fit you. Oh, and there’s a base machined into the receiver for direct-mounting of a red-dot optic. Its soft-recoiling gas system that adjusts for a wide variety of loads, which is a big help as…

Movies directly influence the firearms market. In 1971, the movie Dirty Harry made the .44 Magnum revolver famous. The mention of the Glock pistol in Die Hard 2 in 1990 helped popularize those pistols. In 2014, American Sniper made everyone want a long-range rifle. And, the 1895 Marlin became famous in the 2017 Wind River film. I could go on, but I think you get the point. Another gun-related movie influence is the suppressed pistol. Countless scenes depict assassins, special agents or tactical operatives screwing a suppressor on a pistol, giving the impression that all the cool kids use suppressed pistols. I’m a fan of suppressed shooting, especially when it comes to hunting … and when the firearm used is properly configured for suppressed fire. With rifles, the current trend…

The focus of cartridge and bullet design now is on flatter flight and more precise hits at long range. Powerful optics make accurate aim possible beyond the practical reach of traditional “deer rifles,” with their blunt bullets at modest speeds. Sounds like progress. But wait a minute. Indeed, the 19th-century shift from patched round balls to conical bullets was a step forward for hunters using muzzleloaders. The ratio of weight to frontal area was higher for conicals, so they fought drag better. They packed more momentum and penetrated deeper. The march of breech-loading rifles into the 1860s, and the advent of smokeless powder 30 years later, had little effect on bullet shape. Primitive optical sights weren’t reliable enough for hunters. Lethal reach was primarily determined by how well hunters and…

Some 40-plus years ago, my first rifle (a Winchester Model 67) was a single-shot .22. I’d bet the same goes for many folks reading this. You loaded a single round, closed the bolt, then cocked it by pulling back a spring-loaded knob at the rear of the receiver. That Model 67 was older, even back then. The cartridge had to be placed just right, and the bolt closed gently to get it to load without jamming. It rarely extracted, meaning my trusty pocket knife had to come into play to pull the empty case after a shot. The iron sights were barely adequate, but over time, I learned where to hold to make an accurate shot. Looking back, I’m sure my dad entrusted me with that particular rifle for my…

What’s your ethical range? It’s a question hunters should pose to themselves, now more than ever. And in so many words, it was the first question the instructors asked when I attended Outdoor Solutions’ level 1 long-range shooting school, at the Guitar Ranch in West Texas. Great leaps in firearms designs and manufacturing, plus next-level bullet engineering have extended hunters’ ranges further than ever before. Yet, have the men and women behind the trigger kept up? Or are 1,000-yard rifles shouldered by 100-yard shooters? Outdoor Solutions founder Greg Ray knows the answer—hence the reason his company’s shooting school was created. LONG-RANGE SHOOTING SCHOOL’S FOUNDING If you’re not familiar with the Oklahoma-based hunting empire of Outdoor Solutions, it essentially helps dreams come true. Born out of a side hustle, Ray has…