Table of contents for January 2023 in Guns & Ammo

In addition to manufacturing affordable gun carriers, pouches and belts, Craft Holsters supports its leather goods by offering a Premium Holsters Care Kit. The resealable bag contains break-in liquid, leather conditioner, leather balm, a dauber, microfiber sponge and soft wool pad. This is everything you need in a convenient package to properly wear in and maintain any leather holster. $29 “WELCOME TO THE HOLSTER CLUB.” Open the shoebox and that’s the message that greets the buyer of a Craft Holsters product. Inside, the package contains your new holster in a perforated bag, a break-in guide, sticker, membership card and an explanation of your club benefits. Log into your account at craftholsters.com and all the benefits are applied automatically. It’s straightforward. Benefits include free shipping on orders costing more than $99,…

THE U.S. SUPREME COURT’S landmark decision on NYSRPA v. Bruen has anti-gun politicians scrambling. Undeterred by the high court’s recognition of our fundamental and historical right to self-preservation, some state legislatures are working quickly to ensure that its citizens remain defenseless. All of this is happening in the face of a crime wave brought on by bail policies enacted by the same elected officials, as well as by the failures of political allies to prosecute violent offenders. There is so much happening right now that I am going to address many of these events in the style of Jeff Cooper’s column, “Cooper’s Corner.” Governor Hochul and the New York State Assembly wasted no time trying to unravel the Bruen decision. On a party-line vote, and with little or no public…

@GUNSANDAMMOMAG ELMER KEITH inspired both handloaders and handgun hunters through his exploits and writings. He often reported on developments for the .41 and .44 Magnums, often calling attention to his namesake bullet molds. The pursuit to deliver maximum energy and velocity from the hand of a skilled shooter was typified in the controversial story where Keith put down a client’s wounded mule deer from 600 yards using his .44. Dick Casull and Jack Fulmer were among those who hunted with handguns. In 1958, they set a goal of shooting a 230-grain .45-caliber slug at 1,800 feet-per-second (fps). They customized a Colt Single Action Army with a 7½-inch barrel, and a Bisley. Though their goals were met, the pressures eventually blew out the single actions’ cylinder walls and ripped apart the…

AR-15s ARE THE WILD WEST of the firearms industry. There are companies that make complete rifles, and companies that only manufacture one or two parts. With all the different brands on the market, it’s hard to know what separates good parts from the bad ones. Just about anyone can order parts and put a rifle together. Whether it works or not depends on the knowledge of the builder, quality of parts and the attention to details during assembly. One critical aspect of any AR-15 build is the barrel. All barrels are not created equal. Shopping based on price alone will likely end up with disappointment. I would never buy a barrel from an unknown or unproven manufacturer. It is better to identify quality barrel manufacturers and then shop the offerings…

GARRY.JAMES@OUTDOORSG.COM MYSTERY BELGIAN MUSKET Q: I acquired an odd percussion musket from a friend and I have looked everywhere as to find out what it is. I came up empty. I have consulted gunsmiths and friends, as well as the internet. From what I can tell, it’s a percussion musket, possibly a shotgun given that it is not rifled. It has a bore of 11/16ths-inch diameter, and the barrel goes from decagonal (10 sides) to round. It has “E” over “LG” with a star stamped on the barrel; “33, L, St, B, 729” on top of the buttplate; and a star, an “S” and another strange symbol in front of the lock. Any information would be greatly appreciated A. V. Email A: You have a percussion Belgian trade musket made…

THE 7MM CALIBER SITS in the sweet spot for any rifleman. It’s a big enough diameter that the bullet weight can handle any game in North America, and those same bullets will kick up enough dirt to spot misses on steel targets at distances exceeding 2,000 yards. It’s also possible to send heavy-for-caliber bullets with superior aerodynamic properties at around 3,000 feet per second (fps) without exceeding 65,000 pounds per square inch (psi) of chamber pressure — and without generating abusive recoil. The 7mm is ideally positioned to offer the perfect combination of ballistic performance, velocity and low recoil for today’s hunter and long-range precision rifleman. Until now, only handloaders with custom-built rifles could access this divine combination. HOT, NASTY SPEED — AND BC. “The 7mm PRC doesn’t do anything…

HE WAS A GOOD-SIZED BLACK BEAR, and he took the big bullet hard. Driven sideways by the impact, he rolled onto his back. For a moment I thought it was over. Then, before my left-handed self could finish working the right-handed bolt, he streaked through trees. I swung with him, looked for a gap, and started the trigger press when he somersaulted forward and laid still. I paced 24 yards from the first shot. Time elapsed? Possibly 3 seconds. The essence of ethical hunting is to take game with a clean, accurate shot. With heart and lung shots, a short final run is normal. Animal down in sight, it would appear that I accomplished the goal, but I didn’t know until he dropped. In fact, I had a bad moment,…