March 2008

Long-Barreled .44 Magnum Revolvers: Bravo for the Bull
Our more recent evaluations of .44-caliber revolvers have focused on service models designed primarily for law enforcement or personal self defense. In this test we will compare three large-framed long-barreled .44 Magnum revolvers that are best suited for hunting or competing in events that mimic hunting, such as steel-silhouette shooting. We narrowed this category by limiting our selection to double-action revolvers. Furthermore, each of our guns featured the longest barrel length available from their respective…

Full-Size .22 Long Rifle Autos: We Love Ruger's 6-Inch Mark III
Acquiring a good semiautomatic .22 LR pistol is probably the best way to learn how to shoot a handgun. Some of us went that way (see sidebar) and highly recommend the technique. But not just any gun will do. It has to have some weight, excellent sights, reasonable to excellent accuracy, and a decent trigger. Why weight? There are some nice but very light .22s out there, and the new shooter won’t be able to hold them as steadily as a gun with a bit more weight, and may become discouraged. So for this test of three .22 LR auto pistols, we selected three full-size examples. They were the newest version of Ruger’s Standard, now called the Mark III, with 6-inch barrel ($342), the Beretta U22 Neos with 4.5-inch tube ($250), and the Browning Buck Mark in its Standard URX version with 4-inch barrel ($380). All had ten-round magazines, good sights and decent triggers, and all were hand-filling, good-size guns. Two had adjustable sights. Two came with two magazines. In light of some extremely cold Idaho weather we chose to test with three types of ammunition only. It was Remington Yellow Jacket truncated-cone HP, CCI Mini Mag HP, and Federal Premium Gold Medal target ammunition. How did the guns stack up? Let’s take a look.

AR-15 Replacement Stocks: We Choose the Magpul CTR
Gun Tests actively monitors reader mail for trends and requests for new test categories. Over the months, an area of particular interest has emerged: the AR-15. We are receiving numerous requests to test the new models and calibers that manufacturers have been bringing to market. There is also a huge number of accessories emerging in the marketplace, allowing customization to the modular design of the gun. As one gun expert aptly stated to us, 'The AR platform has become the Swiss Army knife of firearms.' While all of these options are great for consumers, we do wind up peering into computer screens and thumbing through catalogs to sort through the dizzying array of products present in today’s market. The options out there aren’t necessarily cheap; the AR-owner can easily have as much invested in accessories as he does in the rifle.

Two Speedy .30-Caliber Rifles: Tikka's T3 Lite .300 WSM Wins
The .300 Magnum is eternally popular, for reasons some of us don’t fully understand. The .300s don’t give you a lot more of anything—except expense—than you can get from the .30-06. Those wanting more rifle than the ‘06 are better served with larger bores, not just more gas. But many shooters don’t understand that. Far be it from we gun testers to dictate the choices of those who like the blast of the various .30 magnums. Today there are a bunch of these, by Weatherby, Winchester (2), Dakota, Remington, and of course the original, by Holland & Holland, still viable after close to a hundred years. In this test we look at two cartridges in two rifles, the .300 WSM in Beretta’s Tikka T3 Lite ($595), and the original .300 Winchester Magnum cartridge in Ruger’s Hawkeye ($779). Both rifles are offered in at least two stock materials, synthetic or wood, and both have stainless-metal variants. We chose a synthetic-stocked, blued Tikka and the wood-stocked, blued Hawkeye. Let’s take a look at how they stacked up.