Editorial

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.

Our sister site GunReports.com recently reported on a Texas bill that would permit concealed handgun license holders to carry openly. Curiously, Texas is one of only seven states that does not have some form of an open-carry law. Under Rep. George Lavender's (R-Texarkana) bill, CHL holders could carry their weapon openly if it was in a holster. 'We have a constitutional right to bear arms, and in many ways, it's being infringed on,' Rep. Lavender said. In the comments section under that story, there was a lot of back and forth about the topic—with some of the points covering areas I hadn't considered before.

It is an axiom in journalism that the customer is always wrong—which, of course, stands the customary business wisdom of 'the customer is always right' on its head. At least that's the way it is in most newspaper newsrooms I've been in, and it's even worse in the electronic media, which is much more of a beauty pageant than an episode of 'Jeopardy.' The derisive tone that 'the talent' takes when dealing with their readers, viewers, or users amazes me. Moreover, the journalistic gentry is often (usually) wrong, especially when it comes to guns and gun rights. They so misapprehend what the market really wants—facts piled upon more facts, and then some more facts—that they often go out of business.

A recent survey by the marketing firm Southwick Associates has announced the brands hunters and shooters purchased most frequently in 2010. This list has been compiled from the 41,923 internet-based surveys completed by hunters and target shooters who volunteered to participate last year.

A recent survey by the marketing firm Southwick Associates has announced the brands hunters and shooters purchased most frequently in 2010. This list has been compiled from the 41,923 internet-based surveys completed by hunters and target shooters who volunteered to participate last year.

Gene Taylor, sales manager over at our sister site GunReports.com, suggested I look at an item on the site entitled, 'Gunshow Operator Says Bloomberg Ran Entrapment Scam at Arizona Gun Show.' Taylor said, 'I'd heard that [New York City Mayor Michael] Bloomberg was thinking about a presidential run. After his latest stunt in Arizona, I think he can shelve that idea.'

First things first: I hope Rep. Gabrielle Giffords—and everyone else wounded in the Tucson Safeway shooting—makes a full recovery. It's tragic that she was shot while doing exactly what elected officials should be doing—making herself available to the people she serves in Arizona's District 8. And, of course, we mourn the six people murdered in early January, government employees and otherwise: U.S. District Judge John Roll, Dorothy Murray, Dorwin Stoddard, 9-year-old Christina Green, Phyllis Scheck, and Gabe Zimmerman. Paying them proper respect, and supporting the wounded, should be the sole focus of civil people.

Gun owners in New Jersey met last month to support Brian Aitken, who's currently serving seven years in state prison for bringing legal guns from another state into the Garden State. Aitken was a finance student at New York University, when on January 2, 2009, he was arrested for illegal possession of firearms while moving from one residence from another. All of the firearms were legally owned. Aitken passed three different NICS background checks to purchase them. But New Jersey statutes make it illegal for anyone without a concealed-carry permit to possess a firearm even if it's otherwise lawfully owned. The only way to lawfully possess firearms in New Jersey is through exemptions to the law like driving to and from a shooting range or moving residences.

According to results tabulated by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the 2010 elections proved to be exceptionally strong for pro-firearms candidates at both the federal and state levels. Big picture: In the election, Republicans took back control of the House of Representatives while picking up six seats in the Senate and plus-six net-change governorships. Though the Democrats maintain control of the Senate, pro-industry/gun Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) won re-election—a move that keeps either anti-gun senators Chuck Schumer (D) or Dick Durbin (D) from assuming the leadership position.

According to results tabulated by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the 2010 elections proved to be exceptionally strong for pro-firearms candidates at both the federal and state levels. Big picture: In the election, Republicans took back control of the House of Representatives while picking up six seats in the Senate and plus-six net-change governorships. Though the Democrats maintain control of the Senate, pro-industry/gun Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) won re-election—a move that keeps either anti-gun senators Chuck Schumer (D) or Dick Durbin (D) from assuming the leadership position.

By the time you read this, the midterm elections will have come and gone. Regardless of the outcomes, it will have been a historic election year. What has already happened on the front lines of the gun-rights movement is amazing. Here are a few things to note: The National Rifle Association has taken lots of dings from inside and outside its membership. NRA sought, and got, special provisions in the unpassed Disclose Act, which would have compelled many groups to disclose the names of their contributors if those groups sought to exercise their 1st Amendment rights to speak out politically.

A double rifle for $5500? It can't be very good, we thought, when our neighbor phoned us to tell us he had just bought an Italian Sabatti Model 92 Deluxe rifle, new from Cabela's for that price, in caliber 450/400.

The cartridge is an excellent one for double rifles. It's known as the 450/400 3-inch or the 400 Jeffery. There is also a 3.25-inch version that was originally a blackpowder cartridge, but the 3-inch version was never factory loaded with black powder. It is one of the lower-pressure British cartridges, along with the 470 and 360 No. 2, and thus is an excellent choice for a double rifle, especially if it's to be used in extreme heat. The cartridge was one of the more popular all-around cartridges for hunting use when it was introduced in 1902. Its popularity suffered when the 375 H&H Magnum came along a few years later, but the 400 Jeff throws a heavier bullet, 400 grains versus 300, and some hunters prefer that.

We went to look at our neighbor's rifle, and then arranged to shoot it. What follows are our impressions and observations of what we now consider to be a bargain.