Imbel Sporter Model 444 308 Win.
Easily the best-looking of the trio, the Imbel-receivered FAL looked thoroughly professional with its even, matte-black finish, The first Brazilian FALs were made under contract by FN, but Brazil initiated production on its own, and our test rifle was made in its entirety in Brazil.
The markings on the receiver indicated the maker was Fbrica de Itajub, the government-owned company that is part of the government-owned IMBEL arms complex. The IMBEL logo and name also appeared on the upper receiver.
GunReports.com GunGuide: Rifles Update
Wilson Combat Quad Rail Offers Better Front-End Handling
NRA Competitions Division Staying Busy
AR-10 Shootoff: We Shoot Three Big Brothers of the AR-15
The AR-10 has led an interesting and strange life since its birth in the 1950s. It has never achieved the popularity of the AR-15, even though it was Eugene Stoner's first rifle built on his gas-impingement system. Initially spurned by the U.S. Army for the legendary M-14, the AR-10 was banished to relative exile, occasionally appearing in the hands for small foreign militaries, or in a few cases, the revolutionary. Raul and Fidel Castro were said to have ended up with a few of them, courtesy of a captured Batista government arms shipment. Today we find the AR-10 finally emerging from its diminutive brother's shadow. The shooting community's renewed love affair with all things AR has led to a demand for heavier calibers like the AR-10's 308 Win./7.62 NATO. In fact, one of our test guns, the Mossy Oak-covered Remington R-25 ($1,532), was introduced specifically with the hunter in mind. The other guns in our test are the ArmaLite AR-10T ($2,124), a match-barreled Target model with a 1-MOA guarantee, and the Fulton Armory Titan FAR-308 ($2,058), a gun with a distinct tactical look. The gun consumer's embrace of new shooting technology has forever blurred the distinction between tactical and practical shooting. Whether on a rooftop watching a perpetrator, eyeing a bull's-eye on the shooting line, or a big buck from a deer stand, all have the same basic requirement: the bullet should hit where it's aimed, and stop the target.
Bolt-Action Shootout: X-Bolt Beats Remington and Savage
As the 270 Winchester nears its 80thbirthday, one fact demonstrates its widespread popularity: more than 50 factory loads are available for it—a long-standing record for a non-military cartridge. The Winchester 270 has long been standardized with 1:10 twist-rate barrels, and popular loadings usually utilize 130- to 150-grain projectiles. In this narrow and well-known load range, the 270 Winchester functions with excellence and utility.
Of course, how well the cartridge performs depends on the quality of the gun shooting it, so we went in the search for the best 270 bolt actions, turning to three of the most recognized names in bolt-action rifles today: Browning, with its new X-Bolt centerfire, the revitalized Accu-trigger Savage long action, and Remington's latest version of its long-running 700 series. Our specific test items were:
Browning X-Bolt Medallion No. 035200224, $959; Remington 700 CDL No. 84080, $931; and Savage's 114 Classic, $826.