Why Five and Not Six?
I loved the article on S&W N-Frame Revolvers. The reviews were informative and the history of the big guns was fascinating. One question: The cylinders hold six rounds. Why were the accuracy tests done with five rounds? Keep up the good work. — Robert
Hey Robert: Our standard for handgun tests is five rounds, irrespective of capacity, such as for magazine guns. — Todd Woodard
Whither Silencers?
Hello, Gun Tests Staff. I’ve been a subscriber for about 20 years now, and I’ve loved your magazine. I defected from New Jersey a couple years ago and moved to a relatively free state, Pennsylvania, so I’ve been improving my 2A circumstances step by step. One thing I really would like to get now is a suppressor. I think “silencer” is the NFA lingo, to be clear. Have you guys reviewed and compared any? I thought you did test a few some years back, but I can’t find a comparison test, either in my back issues or when searching for it online. If not, I suspect there are many like me who’d be interested in such a comparison test.
— Steve
Hey Steve: We did a few articles that included suppressors, but we never compared them. There were so many problems in comparing National Firearms Act items that we couldn’t solve, the big ones being supply and cost. Supply was the bigger issue, however, because we couldn’t plan on availability when the danged ATF approval times were so long. But if silencers get taken out of NFA regulations and become as easy to get as, say, magazines or stocks, we’ll look at them again. Hunting suppressors are particularly interesting because so many states allow their use for big-game hunting. — tw
Re ““22-Caliber Bolt-Action Rifles: Ruger vs. Springfield Armory,” February 2025
Dear Bob Campbell, I enjoyed this article. I have a synthetic-stock version of the Springfield 2020 that I bought in October 2023. I installed a Leupold 4-12X scope on the rifle and did some testing in May 2024 to evaluate accuracy with various types of 22 LR ammo at 50 yards. I fired the rifle from a concrete bench at my local gun club with a front rest and a rear sandbag. I fired five-round groups with each type of ammo. The results were as follows in the accompanying table:
I was surprised by the results. First, that the least expensive ammo gave the best results; and second, that I didn’t get better results with the Eley and Federal ammo. I only paid $500 for the rifle new in the box, so I guess I shouldn’t expect precision results. The results are similar to what you saw in your testing with CCI Stinger, CCI Mini-Mag, and Federal Hunter Match ammo. In August 2024, I did some additional testing at 100 yards with CCI Mini-Mag 40-gr. CPRN. I fired from a concrete bench with front rest and rear sandbag, and the best five-round group was 3.0 inches.
CCI rimfire ammo is generally very good. I use CCI Mini-Mag 40-gr. CPRN ammo with good results in most of my rimfire rifles and pistols. CCI Standard Velocity, CCI Green Tag, and CCI Pistol Match also give consistently good results in most of my guns. The CCI Clean-22 is an exception. The bullets have a plastic coating, and the ammo doesn’t function very well in any of my guns. It doesn’t feed or function consistently, and the accuracy is poor, as in the testing I documented above.
I like the Springfield 2020 rifle, but I disagree with your opinion that, “If you want an adult-configured rimfire rifle, we’d be hard pressed to name a better one.” I can think of many adult size 22 LR caliber rifles that are better than the Springfield. Such as the Anschütz Model 1710, Browning T-Bolt, CZ Model 457, Kimber Hunter, Remington Model 40X, Savage/Anschütz Model 164, Steyr Zephyr II, Weatherby Mark XXII, and the Winchester M52 Target.
All of the above are rifles that I own or have owned in the past. The Kimber Hunter was probably the most accurate. I bought it new and used it for squirrel hunting when I lived in Minnesota. I sold it after I gave up squirrel hunting, and I wish I still had it. I still have the Savage/Anschütz Model 164, and it has the slickest and smoothest bolt action. I used it for squirrel hunting also, but it’s not as accurate as the Kimber or the Browning T-Bolt. The Winchester Model 52 is a classic. It’s a pre-A model that’s probably 100 years old and is one of my favorite rifles. It has been professionally refinished and is in beautiful condition. — Paul
Those “Ancient” Great Caliber Firearms?
Wait. What? Scuuuuze me? An article about the 40 S&W cartridge in the February 2023 issue? All I see in all three monthly gun magazines I receive is, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9mm. Is the 9mm the superior cartridge it’s held up to be? Kinda, sorta, but even with the new design engineering of bullet construction, it generally requires the more or less standard two to the upper torso, final one to the head to stop, and stop permanently.
I’m an old fart of some 83 years, and I remember that FBI shootout in Miami-Dade, Florida in which two FBI agents were killed by a pair of bank robbers who were better armed. That incident sparked research into terminal ballistics performance of handgun effectiveness that negated LEO issuance of 38 Special, even 357 Magnum pistols. The answer was the 10mm’s nasty power. Yep. But most agents had difficulty with the power and recoil of it. Therefore, cut the case by 1⁄10 inch, lower peak pressures in the round, and create a veritable “stopper” most agents and LEO’s could effectively use, the 40 S&W.
But in the last three to five years, nobody even mentions the 40 S&W. It’s all 9mm this, 9mm that. But in your February 2023 issue, Todd, you not only present a full two-page report on the 40 S&W and the S&W pistol using it, you present yet another great, old pistol caliber that almost became obsolete, the 1908, 380 ACP by John M. Browning. Son of a gun! It ain’t dead after 117 years.
Hey, Todd, thank you for reminding all those gee-whiz holey-moley enthusiasts ballyhooing all these wonderful new design pistols and really improved bullet designs, that this old-timer cartridge is also available with today-type defensive ammo.
Oh, by the way, I also have a S&W 30 Super Carry I thought was the best damn self-defense pistol idea in years. When I ordered it, I kinda expected it to be in a compact size due to the reduced size of the cartridge, but it is a full-size pistol. I expected it would have a much greater magazine capacity due to the skinny cartridge diameter, but it is just 10+1, not 14+1 or 15+1. It sits quietly in the safe.
— Blackthorne
