Rifles

Bolt-action 22 rifles are among the most basic and useful of all firearms. They are fine trainers and excellent tools for a variety of uses limited only by the imagination of the owner. We’ve seen ‘em used for just about anything, and about the only constant is that decent 22 bolt rifles generally have long and useful lives. The street price of the Marlin Model 980S rifle is about $250, averaging three sources.

In the course of preparing our report on the .45LC lever rifles, we also examined an original Winchester 1873 rifle, made in 1884, chambered in .38/40 caliber. This rifle was in excellent condition, though minus most of the finish on its receiver. It was fitted with a folding Lyman #1A aperture sight from the period in which the rifle was built, and also had a four-piece original cleaning rod in the trap in its butt stock. We compared the Cimarron version with it, and were pleased to find the new rifle was a close copy f the original, at least to casual observation.

Below are examples of operations performed on firearms and guidance as to whether or not such operations would be considered manufacturing under the Gun Control Act (GCA).

What does Fulton put into a carbine? How about: Original USGI receivers; all USGI parts, all checked with applicable gauges; an excellent-condition (refinished) original USGI stock and hand guard; a period sling and oiler; plus “The M1 Carbine Owner’s Guide,” a 140-page book by Ruth & Duff (autographed by Duff). This book was so filled with intensive details about the M1 Carbine that after reading portions of it, we had to rewrite portions of this report. Also in the Fulton package was one 10-round magazine. There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee, which gives you ample time to fall in love with your new purchase, or to find some good reason to reject it, which we don’t think you will.

Buffalo Bore now offers a round that was designed to be similar to the old FBI-standard round that featured a soft-lead 158-grain bullet at very good velocity.

Heckler & Koch is marketing a variant of its G36 assault rifle as a heavy-barrel accuracy rifle for the U.S. market. What struck us as unusual was the marrying of a heavy barrel or other heavy componentry to what was originally a lightweight field rifle configuration. The SL8-1 is a grey polymer-stocked unit that sells for $1,249.

SOUTHPORT, Conn. -- Sturm, Ruger's new SR-556 autoloading rifle is a two-stage piston driven rifle that the company claims runs cleaner, cooler, and is easier to maintain than gas driven rifles. Chambered in 5.56mm NATO, the Ruger SR-556 also fires .223 Rem. ammunition.

It has been said that if you can't do it with a 30-06, you probably can't do it. That little saying is likely more right than wrong. It has been over a century since the U.S. Military recalled the (.30-03) M1903 Springfield rifle and modified it to accept the 30-06 in the form of the M1906. The most popular hunting cartridge in North America has spawned numerous variations, being necked up in the form of the .35 Whelen and necked down as in the 25-06, with the 270 Winchester perhaps the most successful of its many offspring.

Newly introduced for 2009 are two bolt guns chambered for the 30-06, one being the latest incarnation of the highly refined Savage long action and the other the latest walnut model of the recently introduced Marlin XL7 rifle. If imitation is the greatest form of flattery, the Marlin profusely flatters the older Savage 110 action, but there are salient differences between the two, as we were soon to discover.

Along with our 30-06s tested elsewhere in this issue, we also shot a hunting-appropriate bolt action, the Sako 75 Finnlight in 308 Win. The line was officially discontinued for the 2007 model year, being replaced by the 85 series, but there are plenty of the 75-series bolt rifles floating around the used and NIB market.When we first thought about testing a Finnlight 75 in 2004, they listed for $1,267. We never tested the gun during its heyday, but were always on the lookout for good guns selling for lower prices, and we came across a sample and decided to put it through its paces.A check of recent completed auctions on GunBroker.com showed that 75 Finnlights described as NIB or 95% or better condition sold for $900 to $1100-substantially more than the very good Savage 111 reviewed on page 15. We wondered, would the expensive name-brand bolt gun be as good as the Savage. Heres what we found:

Along with our 30-06s tested elsewhere in this issue, we also shot a hunting-appropriate bolt action, the Sako 75 Finnlight in 308 Win. The line was officially discontinued for the 2007 model year, being replaced by the 85 series, but there are plenty of the 75-series bolt rifles floating around the used and NIB market.When we first thought about testing a Finnlight 75 in 2004, they listed for $1,267. We never tested the gun during its heyday, but were always on the lookout for good guns selling for lower prices, and we came across a sample and decided to put it through its paces.A check of recent completed auctions on GunBroker.com showed that 75 Finnlights described as NIB or 95% or better condition sold for $900 to $1100-substantially more than the very good Savage 111 reviewed on page 15. We wondered, would the expensive name-brand bolt gun be as good as the Savage. Heres what we found:

ROCHESTER, NY – American Tactical Imports has added the GSG Kalashnikov to its firearm list.

Today's semi-automatic rifle is more accurate and easier to care for than ever before. They're also a lot of fun. The most popular platform continues to be the AR-15, but not everyone is satisfied with chambering 22-caliber ammunition. The fact is that a number of calibers are coming (and going) in an attempt to increase stopping power. In this test we will evaluate four semi-automatic rifles chambered for 308 Winchester. The increase in power is significant, and 308 is a time-tested widely available cartridge. Our test rifles were the $2095 DSA SA58 21-inch Bull Barrel, the $1821 FNH USA FNAR, the $2363 Springfield Armory M1A Loaded, and the $1969 Fulton Armory UPR rifle, an AR-style gun is based on Fulton's Titan II lineup. Each one of our rifles, with the exception of the FNAR, was available with options from a menu of upgrades, so we took advantage of this when we could. The FN rifle does come with modular components to help suit the needs of different shooters.

To test our rifles we visited American Shooting Centers in Houston (www.amShootCenters.com). Our first shots from each rifle were to sight in a Nightforce 5.5-22x50mm NXS scope (www.NightforceOptics.com). We chose the Nightforce scope because of its clarity and versatility. It had a mil-dot reticle with see-through mil-dots plus illumination on demand. Pulling outward on the left-side focus supplied an ideal level of illumination. The reticle remained sharply defined at all times.

Because we would be flipping this one scope from rifle to rifle, we needed a system that offered quick, strong, and precise re-mounting. We could have gone with a quick-release unit, but instead we chose Nightforce rings that attached to the base via a half-inch hex nut. We used a 65-inch-pound Seekonk calibrated torque wrench with T-handle ($98, from www.Brownells.com) to make sure the unit was properly locked into place each time. The repeatable zero of the Nightforce scope made sighting in a simple mechanical chore. Suggested retail prices for the rings and scope were $160 and $1700, respectively.

Once we were sighted in, we recorded five-shot groups from the 100-yard line. Support was provided by Caldwell's new 7 rifle rest ($50, from www.Battenfieldtechnologies.com). This unit was a light skeletal structure that supported the rifle beneath the buttstock and the fore-end. The 7 design left plenty of room for the shooter to assume a natural shooting position with the benefit of additional mechanical support. We also fired with a Caldwell Rock Jr. beneath the fore-end with a beanie bag squeezed beneath the buttstock.

Each of our guns was designed as a battle rifle with available high-capacity magazines, so we didn't always take time to let the guns cool between groups. But we did take note of any difference in performance due to barrel temperature. American Shooting Centers offers target boards set out as far as 600 yards. But long-range shooters must first qualify at the 300-yard line. We decided that we'd pick the best ammunition for each rifle and try shooting them from the 300-yard line prone with bipod attached. With our Nightforce scope turned up to 22X, using a spotting scope proved unnecessary.

Our test ammunition consisted of 168-grain Federal Gold Medal Match boattail hollowpoints and two boattail hollowpoints from Black Hills Ammunition weighing 168 grains and 175 grains, respectively. Over our test period we suffered through heavy winds, which we monitored with a Kestral 4000 Weather Station ($255 from sinclairintl.com). Testing for function, accuracy and versatility from four different platforms, here is what we learned.