Rifles

The ancient Mosin Nagant rifle has a storied history. It was the first magazine rifle adopted by Russia, back in 1891. The early versions harked back to Civil War rifles as to overall length. The first version of the rifle was over 50 inches long, and by 1930, as with our test rifles, the length is still over 4 feet. Add a bayonet and the gun resembles a spear more than a modern rifle. However, the basic design is still being used by many troops who need a stout bolt-action rifle, well over a century after its introduction. The Mosin Nagant will never win any beauty contest, mostly because of its drop-down magazine, and we don't know of any custom sporters built on them, though they surely exist. However ugly the rifle may be, it has served long and well as a prime military weapon.

In this report we tried to find out how good a military rifle the 1930 variant was, and if it was any better with a scope. To that end, we acquired two of the long Model 1891/30 rifles, which designation indicates the original design was seriously modified in 1930. One of our test rifles was a common variety and the other, the "sniper" version with a reproduction period scope. The two rifles came with a package of bayonet, sling, and cleaning materials. We tested them with three bullet types and weights, 150-grain soft-point boattail, 182-grain FMJ BT, and 203-grain soft point. The first two types of our test ammo were made by the Serbian Prvi Partizan company, and the third by Brown Bear, out of Russia. Here's what we found.

Colt Defense LLC is now on Facebook. And as a way to say “‘thank you” to its customers and to encourage new enthusiasts to join the conversation, Colt is also offering a chance to win a Colt 6920 AR-15 rifle to those who visit the new page.

Fulton Armory is a small manufacturer located in Savage, Maryland, known in the competitive shooting market for its reproductions of the M1 Garand, M1 Carbine, and M-14 models. Their AR-15s aren’t chopped liver either: Fulton’s FAR-15 (5.56/223 Rem.) was our gun of the year in 2009. Now the Titan FAR-308 was in our crosshairs. To ensure neutral opinions on this gun, none of our testers had participated in last year’s review of the FAR-15.

NSSF's Dave Miles takes a look at the popular and rapidly growing sport of three-gun shooting with Tom Fuller of Bushnell during the AR15.com/Rockcastle 3-gun Pro AM held at Rockcastle Shooting Center at Park Mamoth Resort in Park City, KY.

The Savage Model 10 Scout is another attempt to emulate the Steyr Jeff Cooper Scout without breaking the bank. In our May 2011 issue, we tested the Steyr Scout against the new Ruger Gunsite Scout rifle, and though we thought the Ruger looked great, we also thought it was too heavy. We wondered why Ruger insisted on such a heavy, if durable, laminated stock for that gun. Savage put a synthetic, all-black stock on its version of the Scout, so we hoped it would 'make weight,' as Cooper used to put it, which means be light enough to equal the original concept, which the Steyr barely does. We acquired a copy of the Savage Scout and put it to the test to see how it compared to the Steyr, with a few notes on the Ruger. This is what we found.

The Savage Model 10 Scout is another attempt to emulate the Steyr Jeff Cooper Scout without breaking the bank. In our May 2011 issue, we tested the Steyr Scout against the new Ruger Gunsite Scout rifle, and though we thought the Ruger looked great, we also thought it was too heavy. We wondered why Ruger insisted on such a heavy, if durable, laminated stock for that gun. Savage put a synthetic, all-black stock on its version of the Scout, so we hoped it would 'make weight,' as Cooper used to put it, which means be light enough to equal the original concept, which the Steyr barely does. We acquired a copy of the Savage Scout and put it to the test to see how it compared to the Steyr, with a few notes on the Ruger. This is what we found.

The full-length stocks of Mannlicher-style rifles make them distinct, evoking the aesthetics of one of the most iconic rifles ever manufactured. In 1903 the military rifle company of Mannlicher-Schonauer introduced a sporter rifle. This Austrian-made Mannlicher sporter became the stuff of legends and would be used on all types of game from African savannas and the mountain ranges of Europe to here in the U.S. They were fast-handling carbines that offered a silky smooth bolt-action and packed a punch. Ernest Hemingway owned and wrote about the "little Mannlicher," and W.D.M. "Karamojo" Bell used one exclusively on elephant. These short rifles had characteristics unlike other bolt-actions then or now. Along with the full-length stock that ran to the barrel muzzle, originals had a split bridge action. Since the bolt handle was positioned forward of the trigger assembly, unlike most bolt actions where the bolt handle is aft of the trigger, the bolt needed to pass through the bridge to cycle. The Mannlicher-Schonauer is also known for its fixed rotary magazine, set triggers and a flat, butter knife bolt handle.We wanted to find some current representatives of the type that we hoped would evoke the performance and styling reminiscent of original sporters-fast handling, smooth-cycling action, short barrel, butter knife bolt handle, and full-length stock. To our delight, we found the $2999 Steyr Classic Mannlicher CL FS, the $894 CZ 550 FS, and the $1222 Ruger No. 1 International. All three of our test guns sported full-length wood stocks with checkering. They also shared 20-inch-long barrels-the CZs barrel is actually 20.5 inches-iron sights, and sling swivels. Open sights are rare on todays hunting rifles, and the iron sights on our test carbines gave them even more charm and begged to be used. Accordingly, we test the set with and without optics. The two Europeans were chambered in 6.5x55mm, and the Ruger came in 7x57mm, aka the 6.5 Swede and 7mm Mauser, respectively.Lets see which one of these carbines stays truest to the spirit of the originals.

The full-length stocks of Mannlicher-style rifles make them distinct, evoking the aesthetics of one of the most iconic rifles ever manufactured. In 1903 the military rifle company of Mannlicher-Schonauer introduced a sporter rifle. This Austrian-made Mannlicher sporter became the stuff of legends and would be used on all types of game from African savannas and the mountain ranges of Europe to here in the U.S. They were fast-handling carbines that offered a silky smooth bolt-action and packed a punch. Ernest Hemingway owned and wrote about the "little Mannlicher," and W.D.M. "Karamojo" Bell used one exclusively on elephant. These short rifles had characteristics unlike other bolt-actions then or now. Along with the full-length stock that ran to the barrel muzzle, originals had a split bridge action. Since the bolt handle was positioned forward of the trigger assembly, unlike most bolt actions where the bolt handle is aft of the trigger, the bolt needed to pass through the bridge to cycle. The Mannlicher-Schonauer is also known for its fixed rotary magazine, set triggers and a flat, butter knife bolt handle.We wanted to find some current representatives of the type that we hoped would evoke the performance and styling reminiscent of original sporters-fast handling, smooth-cycling action, short barrel, butter knife bolt handle, and full-length stock. To our delight, we found the $2999 Steyr Classic Mannlicher CL FS, the $894 CZ 550 FS, and the $1222 Ruger No. 1 International. All three of our test guns sported full-length wood stocks with checkering. They also shared 20-inch-long barrels-the CZs barrel is actually 20.5 inches-iron sights, and sling swivels. Open sights are rare on todays hunting rifles, and the iron sights on our test carbines gave them even more charm and begged to be used. Accordingly, we test the set with and without optics. The two Europeans were chambered in 6.5x55mm, and the Ruger came in 7x57mm, aka the 6.5 Swede and 7mm Mauser, respectively.Lets see which one of these carbines stays truest to the spirit of the originals.

The A-Bolt is available in three action lengths in a spectrum of popular chamberings, materials and finishes to satisfy your needs in any hunting or shooting situation. With a short 60° lift, the bolt incorporates a non-rotating bolt sleeve that runs the full length of the bolt. When unlocked, three guide ribs on the bolt sleeve align with the three locking lugs to allow the bolt to slide smoothly. When locked, these three lugs provide massive bolt strength.The A-Bolt feeds very smoothly because its cartridge depressor stays in position, independent of the bolt rotation, as the bolt slides over the cartridges in the magazine. The bolt face is recessed, completely surrounding the cartridge base. A cocking indicator located at the rear of the bolt offers visual and tactile firing pin status.

(GunReports.com) -- One of the cool guns we've been watching is the HTI Sniper Rifle, which is finally in production. HTI stands for Hard Target Interdiction weapon. The HTI sniper rifle is a convertible multi-caliber extreme range Hard Target Interdiction weapon. Caliber options include .50 BMG, .416 Barrett, .408 Cheytac, and .375 Cheytac.

(GunReports.com) – ISSC-Austria has noted that the Modern Sporting Rifle MK22 in desert tan has arrived in the U.S. should be available at retail by end of July or early August.

The operational concept of carrying a carbine that shoots the same round as your handgun makes a lot of sense. It streamlines ammo choices and reduces complexity in the middle of a fight, which is always a positive. The downside, however, is that handgun ammo shot from a rifle is still handgun ammo, and though the longer rifle barrel generally produces more fps at the muzzle for a given round, the operator still gives up rifle-cartridge velocities.

For example, in this test of the Kriss Super V Vector CRB/SO Civilian Carbine 45 ACP, HK's USC 45, and the Hi-Point 4595TSFG, we looked back a couple of issues to see what 45 ACP pistols developed in terms of muzzle velocity and energy. In July, we tested three short-barrel 45s, the Glock Model 36, Colt Defender, and Springfield Micro. Shooting the Black Hills 230-grain FMJ, a round similar to our test ammos in this test, we saw average velocities run 780 fps, 756 fps, and 769 fps for the Glock, Colt, and Springfield, respectively. That corresponded to muzzle energy calculations of 310 ft.-lbs. for the Glock, 291 ft.-lbs. for the Colt, and 301 ft.-lbs. for the Micro.

In three full-size guns tested in February 2011, we shot Cor-Bon Performance Match 230-grain ammo through a Colt Gold Cup, Kimber Eclipse, and Springfield Loaded Target. In the same order, those guns produced average velocities of 820 fps, 829 fps, and 811 fps and muzzle energies of 344 ft.-lbs., 350 ft.-lbs., and 335 ft.-lbs.

To ensure we got head-to-head readings, we looked back to the February 2010 issue and found another test of full-size 45s using Monarch 230-grain MC ammo. In that test, an STI Sentinel Premier's readings were 785 fps/315 ft.-lbs., with a Springfield TRP at 780 fps/311 ft.-lbs., and a Smith & Wesson MSW1911 getting an average velocity of 779 fps and muzzle energy of 310 ft.-lbs. The slowest ammo in this carbine test was the Monarch 230-grain fodder, with readings in the Hi-Point of 787 fps/316 ft.-lbs.; the HK 846 fps/365 ft.-lbs., and 888 fps/403 ft.-lbs. for the Kriss. Averaged across the three rifles, the Monarch's velocity would be 840 fps, or 59 fps (7%) higher than in the 5-inch pistols.

That doesn't seem like a lot, and in reality it's probably not. But rifles add the ability to carry lights and lasers, compliance items such as toothy flash suppressors, and a lot more. But which of our test guns should be the one you want to sling up and get mobile with? Here's what we found: