Rifles

Who remembers the first semi-automatic rifle actually adopted by a national military? The year was 1911, and Mexico accepted a gas-operated semi-auto designed by General Manuel Mondragon chambered in 7mm Mauser.

Essentially, the Krag-Jorgensen was obsolete the moment it was adopted. Reloading was too slow, and the ammunition, while light years beyond black powder-loaded 45-70 rounds, performed very poorly in comparison to what was being used in Europe at the time.

The 1880s saw smokeless gunpowder replace black powder that had been in use for centuries. The French were first to adopt smokeless with their 1886 Lebel rifle.

Rifles made by Sako in Finland are renowned for their quality and accuracy — and justifiably so. Tikka rifles are engineered and produced by Sako in the same plant and have a great reputation of their own.

Remington set the rifle world on its ear in 1962 with the introduction of the Model 700 centerfire rifles. Timed to coincide fairly closely with the intro of the new 7mm Remington Magnum cartridge, the Model 700 began life to great reviews and outstanding sales.

Once locked behind the Iron Curtain, CZ (Ceska Zbrojovka) is now set to become a major player on the world stage, especially after CZ’s recent acquisition of Colt Manufacturing, The CZ Mauser-type actions have been coveted by dangerous-game hunters for decades. Here, we got to check out one of the CZ rifles designed for hunting varmints and smaller predators.

The Henry Classic Lever Action 22 looks like a miniaturized Winchester Model 94 with the straight pistol grip stock, smooth satin-finish wood, hooded front sight, barrel band, and adjustable rear sight.

The Taylor’s & Co. Scout looks a shrunken version of the iconic Winchester Model 1873. The bright-silver receiver is highly polished. In fact, these are aluminum plates that screw onto the actual receiver. There is just right combination of bling and Old West look.

The BL-22 is one of Browning’s most classic and iconic rifle designs. It was introduced in 1969, originally manufactured in Belgium. Production moved to Miroku in Japan in the 1970s. Our sample is a new model Grade I, which means it has a deeply polished blued metal finish and high-gloss stock — typical Browning aesthetics.

If you're looking for a 22 lever-action rifle that's fun to shoot and easy to carry, you should check out the September 2021 issue...

Winchester’s Wildcat autoloading rifle (shown above) is now available in a new suppressor-ready model. The Wildcat SR features a ½x28 TPI threaded muzzle that...

Click the link below to see the entire Miller v. Bonta decision referenced in the August 2021 Downrange editorial. gov.uscourts.casd.642089.115.0_1