Rifles

(GunReports.com) -- Winchester Repeating Arms has introduced the Model 70 Featherweight Compact, a new rifle that features a 20-inch barrel, a 13-inch length of pull, an overall length of 39 ½ inches and weighs 6 ½ pounds.

(GunReports.com) -- Adcor Defense has introduced an M16/M4-style rifle called the B.E.A.R. (Brown Enhanced Automatic Rifle) Elite series. The original B.E.A.R., designed by and named for Michael J. Brown, executive vice president of operations at Adcor Defense, has a patented free floating gas piston system on the rail to allow for a free-floating barrel; a key locked, highly rigid rail system; an ambidextrous, forward placed charging handle; and a polymer dust shield that protects the port from debris, dust, or sand. All components are made in the U.S.A.

Paul Pluff, director of marketing for Smith & Wesson, details the features of the entry-level M&P 15 Sport rifle, $709. “We took the standard M&P 15 style rifle and saved some money to get the price down,” he said. ““One of the ways we were able to cut costs,” Pluff said, “is that Smith & Wesson is now forging its own lower receivers. This gun still has a lot of features, including a Magpul Pmag, 6-position adjustable stock, adjustable sights, Picatinny rail, melonite-coated barrel, flash hider, and heat resistant front handguard.”He pointed out the Sport has an integral trigger guard, no dust cover, and no forward assist button, using instead a notch cut in the bolt to perform forward assist if needed.”

About a hundred years ago Townsend Whelen, noted soldier and hunter, coined the phrase, "Only accurate rifles are interesting." But many really interesting rifles come with price tags much larger than most shooters can afford. That is, unless you are willing to downsize. Not in actual size, but in caliber. Some of the most accurate rifles being fired today can be found at your local smallbore silhouette match, where only inexpensive 22 Long Rifle ammunition is allowed. The game is to stand and shoot offhand at steel replica profiles of chickens, pigs, turkeys, and rams. The object of the game is to knock them over. Regulation distances are 40, 60, 77, and 100 yards (or meters), respectively. Any type of scope may be used. Smallbore silhouette rifle competition is so well established that several manufacturers offer models built to meet the standards of the sport. That would be the case with our first test rifle, the $414 CZ 452 Silhouette. Our second rifle was the $1399 Anschtz 64 MP R or Multi Purpose Rifle, sometimes advertised as an effective training rifle for high power shooters. Our third rifle was the $750 Browning T-Bolt Target Varmint, aimed at producing accuracy at the match or in the field.All three of our test rifles were bolt-action models with detachable magazines, a configuration that dominates the sport. Given that the ammunition played no part in cycling the action, we were free to choose a variety of ammunition. Our three test rounds consisted to two well respected target rounds from Lapua and Remingtons Golden Bullet, a popular budget-priced ammunition sold in 525-round boxes. The Remington ammunition powered a 36-grain lead brass-plated hollowpoint. Both the Lapua Midas+ and Center-X ammunition drove slickly coated 40 grain roundnosed slugs. Serious competitors are mindful to note individual lots of ammunition in order to find the best ammunition. So weve listed the lot numbers of the Lapua target rounds on our accuracy chart.For our tests we mounted a Swarovski Z5 3.5-18X44 LBT scope with plex reticle and the Ballistic Turret option. This scope offers up to four preset zeroes. That meant in competition we wouldnt have to count clicks when changing target banks or rely on a variety of holds. With the presets easily in hand, we were free to concentrate on the center of each target instead of aiming low on the 40 yards chicks, dead center on the pigs, high on the turkeys and above the rams. Our next step was to choose the most accurate ammunition for each rifle and shoot groups from the 100-yard line. In each case our rifles were fired supported from a model 500 Rifle Rest ($280 from www.targetshooting.com), and we used the RT-073 target from www.OutdoorProducts.com. We found that each of our test rifles were so accurate that with a little effort the average shooter could be crowned top gun. In addition, we thought these rifles were good enough to be training devices for any shooting discipline, including long range prone. Were not talking about making actual long distance shots, but working in scale with smaller targets to replicate greater distance.Our last test was to fire each rifle standing unsupported. With some mighty small groups achieved from the bench, we could honestly say that accurate rifles were the most fun. With access to the Rimfire Ranch at Houstons American Shooting Centers, (www.AmShootCenters.com), our enjoyment shot off the scale. With each hit the steel prairie dogs were sent back into their mounds only to rise again. The mechanical dogs placed 40 to 70 yards downrange outlasted our supply of ammunition, but we vowed to return. Lets review which rifle was the most interesting, accurate, and fun in the judgment of our testers.

About a hundred years ago Townsend Whelen, noted soldier and hunter, coined the phrase, "Only accurate rifles are interesting." But many really interesting rifles come with price tags much larger than most shooters can afford. That is, unless you are willing to downsize. Not in actual size, but in caliber. Some of the most accurate rifles being fired today can be found at your local smallbore silhouette match, where only inexpensive 22 Long Rifle ammunition is allowed. The game is to stand and shoot offhand at steel replica profiles of chickens, pigs, turkeys, and rams. The object of the game is to knock them over. Regulation distances are 40, 60, 77, and 100 yards (or meters), respectively. Any type of scope may be used. Smallbore silhouette rifle competition is so well established that several manufacturers offer models built to meet the standards of the sport. That would be the case with our first test rifle, the $414 CZ 452 Silhouette. Our second rifle was the $1399 Anschtz 64 MP R or Multi Purpose Rifle, sometimes advertised as an effective training rifle for high power shooters. Our third rifle was the $750 Browning T-Bolt Target Varmint, aimed at producing accuracy at the match or in the field.All three of our test rifles were bolt-action models with detachable magazines, a configuration that dominates the sport. Given that the ammunition played no part in cycling the action, we were free to choose a variety of ammunition. Our three test rounds consisted to two well respected target rounds from Lapua and Remingtons Golden Bullet, a popular budget-priced ammunition sold in 525-round boxes. The Remington ammunition powered a 36-grain lead brass-plated hollowpoint. Both the Lapua Midas+ and Center-X ammunition drove slickly coated 40 grain roundnosed slugs. Serious competitors are mindful to note individual lots of ammunition in order to find the best ammunition. So weve listed the lot numbers of the Lapua target rounds on our accuracy chart.For our tests we mounted a Swarovski Z5 3.5-18X44 LBT scope with plex reticle and the Ballistic Turret option. This scope offers up to four preset zeroes. That meant in competition we wouldnt have to count clicks when changing target banks or rely on a variety of holds. With the presets easily in hand, we were free to concentrate on the center of each target instead of aiming low on the 40 yards chicks, dead center on the pigs, high on the turkeys and above the rams. Our next step was to choose the most accurate ammunition for each rifle and shoot groups from the 100-yard line. In each case our rifles were fired supported from a model 500 Rifle Rest ($280 from www.targetshooting.com), and we used the RT-073 target from www.OutdoorProducts.com. We found that each of our test rifles were so accurate that with a little effort the average shooter could be crowned top gun. In addition, we thought these rifles were good enough to be training devices for any shooting discipline, including long range prone. Were not talking about making actual long distance shots, but working in scale with smaller targets to replicate greater distance.Our last test was to fire each rifle standing unsupported. With some mighty small groups achieved from the bench, we could honestly say that accurate rifles were the most fun. With access to the Rimfire Ranch at Houstons American Shooting Centers, (www.AmShootCenters.com), our enjoyment shot off the scale. With each hit the steel prairie dogs were sent back into their mounds only to rise again. The mechanical dogs placed 40 to 70 yards downrange outlasted our supply of ammunition, but we vowed to return. Lets review which rifle was the most interesting, accurate, and fun in the judgment of our testers.


Browning attempted to capture the look of the high-wall Winchester of a century ago. However, the Japanese folks who made this Browning decided to put a glassy finish on this historic-minded rifle, which didn’t do it any good. Old Winchesters never had glassy-finish stocks, nor did they have buffed barrels that lost the sharp edges of the octagon. So right off the bat, this rifle didn’t look right because of its glitzy finish. However, the profile and mechanism of the test rifle looked a lot like a High-Wall Winchester, and the rifle had some well-done features, according to Gun Tests magazine.

(GunReports.com) -- Shotgunners have skeet, trap and sporting clays. Now a Utah shooting range has brought a new game to town for long-distance riflemen. Spirit Ridge Rifle Golf, located a short drive north of Salt Lake City, Utah, offers more than 30 realistic wildlife targets set at distances ranging from 175 to 1,300 yards for the intrepid marksman.

(GunReports.com) -- Dave Spaulding, winner of the 2010 Trainer of the Year award by Law Officer Magazine, has returned for a second series of self-defense tips for shooters. In Ruger Tactical Carbine Tips, Spaulding focuses on the popular AR-style carbine to explain a host of techniques and help prepare shooters for an array of combat situation.

In the world of 308 auto-loading rifles, the M14 and its look-alikes reign just about supreme. They have it all: looks, power, function, capacity, plus a great variety of stock and accessory configurations from wood to all manner of polymer that can convert an M14 or M1A into just about any configuration you might want, particularly if you have deep pockets. In this test we look at a new Fulton Armory M14 ($2755).We tested with three types of ball ammunition, the only type recommended in these firearms. It was Federal Gold Medal match, Magtech 150-grain ball from Brazil, and mixed lot of recovered ammunition purchased in bulk with headstamps from Israel, Italy, Belgium, and Canada, which we used unsorted. Here’s what we found.

(GunReports.com) -- Airgun maker Crosman is worried that pending regulations in California may actually increase police/citizen mishaps and accidental shootings. According to a letter from Laura Evans, Marketing Coordinator at Crosman, 'Some of you may already be aware, but the State of California is prepared to vote on a new law that will affect the future of the airgun and airsoft industries. It could also jeopardize the safety of the public and especially, police officers.'

(GunReports.com) – Rossi is now chambering the Rio Grande lever-action rifle line for .410-bore shotshell or .45-70 Government ammunition. Both new rifles offer a side-loading gate, tubular magazine, buckhorn sights, and a Brazilian hardwood stock.

(GunReports.com) – CMP and Hornady have teamed up to bring a new match to the 2011 CMP Eastern and Western games, and Camp Perry -- the Vintage Sniper Rifle Match. The match was proposed several years ago by Dave Emary of Hornady Manufacturing as a way to include many of the vintage sniper rifles that are in circulation, yet lack an official shooting format.