Rifles

The 22 autoloading rifle is an American icon. Many a youngster had one for his first rifle, and while they may not be ideal for that service, they are unquestionably handy rifles for any serious outdoorsman. They can also be excellent training pieces for just about anyone interested in serious shooting.We found three semiautomatic 22 LR rifles at the local gun shop. They were the Marlin Model 60 with tubular magazine and hardwood stock ($179), the Remington 597 SS with stainless barrel and synthetic stock ($283), and a Ruger-made 10/22 Model 1163 LZ distributors special, available through your dealer, with camo stock and laser sight ($526). The tricky laser got our attention. We couldnt resist a good hard look at what it had to offer, other than a scary price tag.Although two of the guns would accept tip-off scope rings and two were drilled for traditional scope bases (the Remington had both), we chose to shoot em with the iron sights provided. One of our reasons was to help us assess the laser sight on the Ruger. Would it prove to be useful in dim light, or against a questionable background where iron sights or even a scope would be hard to use? We intended to find out if that was a useful addition to the rifle, or just another sales gimmick.We tested with three types of ammunition: Winchester Super-X Power Point HP, Aguila Supermaximum Hyper Velocity (yes, thats really the name) solid point (flat nose), and CCI Mini Mag round-nose ammunition. Here is what we found.

This rifle was something of a sleeper. Superficially, it resembled the Briley, but with a shorter barrel and gray-colored laminated stock that had a cheekpiece. Unfortunately, the cheekpiece was of the roll-over type, which the Volquartsen also had, making them less than ideal for left-handers. The Briley alone was ambidextrous. Short of opting for a left-handed stock, the elimination of the roll-over portion of these two stocks would make the rifles easier to use by lefties.When we further assessed some of the Clark’s details, we were impressed.

Wal-Mart has agreed to adopt a 10-point retailing system pushed by the anti-gun group Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Wal-Mart, the largest seller of firearms in the nation, cooperated in the drafting of and adopted what the Mayors Against Illegal Guns group calls the Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership. …

Suffield, CT - April 11, 2008 - Savage has announced a new chambering for its precision rifles. For 2008, the following 12 Series Varmint rifles are available in 6 Norma BR: Model 12 Long Range Precision Varminter single shot and repeater models, and the Model 12F Class benchrest model. The Model 12 Long Range Precision Varminters are chambered in 223 Rem, 22-250 Rem, 204 Ruger, and the new round, the 6 Norma BR.

ONALASKA, Wis. – Champion introduces the EasyHit Fiber Optic Sight (MSRP: $21.49). Available spring 2008. In cooperation with world-renown exhibition shooter Tom Knapp, Champion brings this patented training system to shooters looking to increase their score, bag limit or outdoor fun.

ONALASKA, Wis. – Shooters Ridge introduces a new line of 10/22 custom stocks and LR target barrels available in spring 2008.

WASHINGTON -- As Moses, Charlton Heston thunderously rallied his people with the Ten Commandments in hand. The tablet of his political life was carved with something else - the Second Amendment.Heston was not just the public face of the gun-rights movement but a good deal of the fire in its belly during a transformational time in the decades-old debate. He lived to see Democrats running away from a cause they once embraced, scared…

The often fierce debate over the Second Amendment has centered on whether it was intended to protect the rights of all Americans to own guns, or only those who are members of state militia groups. The poll makes it clear which side Americans come down on. Gun owners (roughly one-third of the U.S. adult population) are nearly universal in endorsing the view that the Second Amendment guarantees their right to own guns. Non-owners are less likely to view the amendment this way, but a majority still do.

…The Sa vz. 58 was developed by Ing. Jiri Cermak in 1956 and 1957, adopted by the Czechoslovakian army in 1958. and was produced by Ceska Zbrojovka in Uhersky Brod, Czechoslovakia until 1983.

Smith & Wesson Corp., announced today that it has entered into an agreement with the online training company 3point5.com to provide retail sales training support for the Company’s Smith & Wesson, Walther and Thompson/Center Arms products.

Here are some different views of the Heller arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court:

Lever-action rimfires can be a lot of fun for kids or adults, whether its p-yowinga can along the ground (with a safe backstop), punching holes in paper, or knocking a rabbit down at 100 yards. We recently tested a trio of entertaining lever-action rimfires to find out which one shot the best, operated most smoothly, and was easiest to carry. Our products were Brownings BL-22 Grade II No. 024101103, which we found at Fountain Firearms (www.fountainfirearms.com) for $695, a significant premium above the guns stated MSRP of $567; Marlins Original Golden 39A, a robust 7-pounder that sells for $593 MSRP, but which had counter price of $395 at Fountain, and the Henry Golden Boy, whose counter price was $385 with an MSRP of $480.We tested the Henry gun in December 2006, when it was nudged aside by a Grade I BL-22 on the strength of the latters better accuracy. Reader follow-up mail asked us to look at the Marlin Original Golden to see how it fared against the Henry (we last tested that gun in 2002, when it earned a Dont Buy). To complete the trio, we upgraded to the Grade II BL-22 to see if extra dollars offered enough in function and cosmetics to justify a sizable price jump. So we assembled a fresh test team, new ammo, and a critical eye to find out.Overall, our test guns delivered good accuracy at short ranges, and they delivered better firepower than bolt guns. Moreover, since they are manually operated, they can feed and eject more reliably than many semiautos. Even so, one of the guns had some ejection problems, as we relate below.All range accuracy data was collected at 25 yards using sandbags set on a concrete bench. We shot five five-round groups to calculate the accuracy data, and we fired 10-shot strings to compile chronograph data on a PACT Professional Chronograph XP. To assess their accuracy, we shot the guns with Federal Champion 40-gr. No. 510 lead roundnose solids, Remington Thunderbolt 40-gr. No. TB-22A lead roundnose solids, and Federal Value Pack HP 36-gr. No. 750 copper-plated hollowpoints.All three guns will fire .22 Short, Long, and Long Rifle ammo. However, the shooter should use discretion when firing .22 Shorts in these guns. A continuous diet of this ammunition will cause carbon build-up at the end of the Short case, and in worse-case situations they will cause a ring to form in the chamber. This ring will cause extraction problems when Long Rifle ammunition is later [IMGCAP(2)]fired.But there are other issues that separate the guns, and because its the new kid on the block, we cover the Marlin in detail first: