Guns Magazine articles from December 2007

Guns Magazine archives from December 2007

Liberal label.(CROSSFIRE LETTERS TO GUNS)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2007... I love the magazine. And I like the lively tone of the letters section. But I have a request: could we please quit the political name-calling? Not all "liberals" hate the Second Amendment. My guess is that socially I am just as liberal as...

Weatherby Dream Hunt.(CROSSFIRE LETTERS TO GUNS)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2007... I received my September, 2007 issue and, while skimming the issue, I noticed an advertisement for the Weatherby Dream Hunt. Being a longtime Weatherby user, I immediately attempted to access the Web site listed in the ad to enter the contest....

Combat Marksmanship vs. Range marksmanship: is there a difference?(RANGING SHOTS[TM])
December 1, 2007... Disclaimer: I hereby go on record up front as saying the partial views on the following subject are my own based on practical and teaching experience over 30 years and do not necessarily represent the views of the editorial staff or this...

Big bullets: slower now, faster later.(UP on ARs)
December 1, 2007... Here's a good question. Are we, A) trying to make the AR-15 into something it's not and never can be, or are we, B) making it better, making it all it can be? I say "B." Sometimes it seems like "A." Keep reading. I'm speaking of extending the...

Other careers: in my personal experience ...(MONTANA MUSINGS)
December 1, 2007... Nobody is born a gun'riter. Almost all of us did other things first, from being law officers to soldiers to gunsmiths before writing the first word. Me, I actually went to college to become a gun'riter, majoring in journalism at Marshall...

Holster incompatibility issues: new guns come before new holsters sometimes causing unforeseen problems.(HANDGUNS)
December 1, 2007... One of our readers writes in essence, "What's the story on holsters keeping up with guns? All the cool autoloaders today have frame rails, but it's hard as heck to find a holster to fit a model of gun so equipped!" I can only say, "I feel...

The hunting handload add more to your hunt.(HANDLOADER)
December 1, 2007... The success of the hunt is typically decided by a single shot, so it's just good sense to lavish as much care as possible when assembling a hunting handload. Quality ammunition is one variable of the hunt we have total control over. The loading...

Training for hunting: like any sport, hunting requires some preparation.(RIFLEMAN)
December 1, 2007... There's a saying in the military, "Three minutes of combat teaches more than three years of training." True or not, it makes a valid point. There is no substitute for the real thing. Shooting at a range, valuable and necessary training...

The world's longest-lived rifle: who'd a thunk it?(RIMFIRES)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As rimfire riflemen, one of the claims to fame we can make is we are still buying and still shooting the longest-lived rifle in production in the world today. A rimfire? You bet. It's one of the most handsome of all...

Oh, the horrors of it! Sawed, whacked, sanded and wire wheeled.(SURPLUS LOCKER[TM])
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Something about a molested milsurp gets my adrenalin flowing and my wallet out. The poor little devils just get picked up by the wrong hands. The abuses exacted on them are, well, unkind to say the least. So give...

Two WWII classics go airsoftly: this as is close as most of us can get to the full auto MP-40 and Thompson subguns.(OUT OF THE BOX[TM])
December 1, 2007... Airsoft guns continue to be the rage of the airgun world as a flood of new models reaches the US market. A large portion of the new "softies" becoming available in recent months include awesome replicas of handguns, assault rifles, sniper...

Wildcat cartridges.(QUESTION AND ANSWERS)
December 1, 2007... Q: Long time subscriber, first time writer. I am interested in developing a wildcat cartridge and I am having a difficult time finding resources in "how to." I just thought this might be a good topic for an article in your magazine. Shawn...

Peculiar rifle.(QUESTION AND ANSWERS)
December 1, 2007... Q: Can you provide a value or information on this unusual rifle? No serial number is present, but the barrel is marked "Evans Repeating Rifle Mechanic Falls ME." Caliber is .44, and has a 30" round barrel. The unusual feature is the cartridges...

AR efficacy: the 6.8mm Remington adds needed punch to a punchless rifle.
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Much controversy has come to the surface about the effectiveness or lack of it in the use of the 5.56mm cartridge in the current wars on terrorism being fought by America and her few Allies. A standard for the...

Ruger's winning .375 the dangerous game rifle just got a whole lot handier.
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I call it "The 3/8ths Solution." On two occasions, it saved my hide in Africa. There is just something very comforting about having a bullet 3/8" in diameter and weighing 250 to 300 grains at your disposal when the...

WWI classic returns: Smith & Wesson Model 1917 .45 ACP.
December 1, 2007... As a general rule double action revolvers don't have the historical aura around them, as do ones like the S&W Model No. 3 "Schofield" single action or the Colt Model 1911 autoloader. One exception to the rule is the Smith Wesson Model 1917. ...

Stuff those stockings, shooters! The 2007 Christmas gift guide.
December 1, 2007... OK, enough procrastinatin', obfuscatin' and prevaricatin'! Since the first frost of Fall, you've been coming up with lame excuses for putting off Christmas shopping, and now the Christmas Countdown Calendar is running in days, not weeks or...

My 40 years as a gunwriter: it went by pretty darn fast, too.
December 1, 2007... As far back as I can remember in my early grade school days, I wanted to be a writer and an artist. Maybe it would be more correct to say I had a great desire to express myself. My favorite classes were art and any other class such as history...

"Not obliged".(VIEWS, NEWS AND REVIEWS)
December 1, 2007... "A TERRIFIED 80-year-old had to wait 24 HOURS for cops after a hammer fiend smashed her windows and threatened to kill her," the British newspaper The Sun reported. "Jenny Ulan dialed 999 when the crazed woman attacked her home, but was told...

Weapons profile: M119A1/A2 105mm towed howitzer.(VIEWS, NEWS AND REVIEWS)
December 1, 2007... The M119A1/A2 105mm towed howitzer is a lightweight towed weapon providing destructive, suppressive and protective indirect and direct field artillery fires in support of combined arms operations for light, airborne and air assault forces. The...

Congress rejects Bloomberg.(VIEWS, NEWS AND REVIEWS)
December 1, 2007... Despite spending millions of dollars, distorting the facts in order to mislead the public, and even threatening lawmakers, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was dealt a serious blow by members of the United States House of Representatives...

Strong gun sales.(VIEWS, NEWS AND REVIEWS)
December 1, 2007... Data released by the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) reveal a very active year so far for background checks leading to the sale of firearms. From January through June, NICS reported 5,221,633 background checks, a...

Increase in breeding ducks.(VIEWS, NEWS AND REVIEWS)
December 1, 2007... Preliminary results from the US Fish & Wildlife Service (USF&WS) and Canadian Wildlife Service's Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey indicate a total duck population estimate of more than 41 million birds in the traditional survey...

World record 1,000-yard group.(VIEWS, NEWS AND REVIEWS)
December 1, 2007... Tom Sarver, proprietor of Thunder Valley Range, a Medina, Ohio, native, broke two International Benchrest (IBS) 1,000-yard records last July in Plainfield, Ohio. Using his "light gun class rifle" (17 pounds), Sarver scored a perfect 50 with 5X....

Accident claims Jim Cirillo's life.(VIEWS, NEWS AND REVIEWS)
December 1, 2007... Jim Cirillo, 76, a renowned firearms instructor, was killed in a tractor trailer collision in Brookfield, New York, last July. A member of NYPD's famed stakeout unit, Cirillo is said to have participated in more than 250 armed encounters, some...

Crime fighters.(VIEWS, NEWS AND REVIEWS)
December 1, 2007... The US military constantly looks for ways to increase its capabilities in the fight against terrorists. Sometimes people outside the rank and file of the Armed Services bring about a change. Law enforcement personnel from both inside and...

Operation popcorn.(VIEWS, NEWS AND REVIEWS)
December 1, 2007... More than 7,000 cases of popcorn were shipped last July to Sailors deployed in the US 7th Fleet and to the Army and Air Force. Operation Popcorn is a gift donation by the Boy Scouts of America and the Weaver Popcorn company of Indiana. Each...

Pleasant pheasant stats.(VIEWS, NEWS AND REVIEWS)
December 1, 2007... More than 178,000 people hunted upland gamebirds in South Dakota, harvesting almost 1.85 million pheasants. According to South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department estimates, over 80,000 residents and 98,000 nonresidents purchased licenses....

Brady president's ignorance.(VIEWS, NEWS AND REVIEWS)
December 1, 2007... Alan Gottleib, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation, says he will supply Brady Campaign President Paul Helmke with documentation addressing Helmke's statement on MSNBC he has been unable to identify anybody who has ever been sued and...

Brownell's magna-tip screwdrivers.(Quarter master)
December 1, 2007... Man has always been a toolmaker and user of tools. Early tools may have been nothing more than a stick or a stone, however, we have progressed to the point of having thousands upon thousands of tools at our disposal. For the professional...

Shooter's ridge field bench.(Quarter master)
December 1, 2007... I've been looking for a portable, compact shooting bench for years. The first one I ever owned I made from plans appearing years ago in Popular Mechanics. Constructed from 1x4s, plywood and two tensioning wires, it worked well, but it was...

IC-UC quick sight.(Quarter master)
December 1, 2007... You've said this, I'm sure, "The bucks right there, just to the right of that gray rock. "Which rock?" "Do you see that tall pine tree on the ridge?" "Yes." "Come down from that pine tree, about a third of the way down the...

The scimitar express: very fast. very dangerous: some say death appears as a scythe-wielding specter. Not 1. It's 500 pounds of muscle-blood-and-fury, flashing 43" scimitars.
December 1, 2007... Zambia's capital, Lusaka, is not the most inviting town in November. The summer heat cuts you to the bone. The electrical system, and hence the AC, works, maybe, but only if the resident Swedish engineers keep the country's hydroelectric plant...

The Fifth Edition Blue Book of Modern Black Powder Arms: from Blue Book Publications.(NEW PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2007... The 5th Edition - Blue Book of Modem Black Powder Arms by John Allen is now available. This 240 page publication is virtually a one-stop shopping center for up-to-date information and prices on most black-powder reproductions and replicas....

The Intimidator Hybrid Holster: from DeSantis.(NEW PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2007... The Intimidator hybrid holster is designed for all-day comfort. This concealment holster remains open when the pistol is drawn and allows for simple one hand re-holstering. The style 070 is precision molded from a genuine KYDEX sheet with...

The Broken Shell Extractor: from Brownell's.(NEW PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2007... Cartridge shell case head separation can ruin any shooting experience. Brownell's comes to the rescue with a new broken shell extractor (stock no. 080-000-441 that allows shooters to easily remove broken cases without losing time. Ideal for...

Less-Lethal Series of Projectile Launchers for Law Enforcement and Military: from Security With Advanced Technology's Veritas Tactical Division.(NEW PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2007... The MK Series of less-lethal launchers employ high-pressure air to shoot projectiles that break upon impact, releasing a cloud of potent PAVA powder. This powder has a significantly stronger effect than that of pepper spray, causing subjects to...

The Model 450 Propane Gas Lamp: from Midstate Lamp LLC.(NEW PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2007... For years, users of propane lighting have been forced to settle for low-performance gas lamps. Now, Midstate Lamp LLC introduces Model 450, a gas lamp that rivals portable gas lanterns in brightness but runs on the same low-pressure gas line as...

The Wallet Holster: from Hide-it Holsters.(NEW PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2007... This "wallet like" holster allows the comfortable, easy carry of the Kel-Tec .32 or 380 in your pocket. Made of fine leather, it eliminates the visible outline and holds the handgun in a stable, quick-draw position. It can be fired and reloaded...

MidwayUSA quick ship box: go ahead, ship that firearm.(SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2007... I ship a lot of guns--it's my job. One of the things I always struggle with is finding boxes large and sturdy enough to ship rifles. I don't always have the option of shipping in a gun case, and I really don't like shipping if something...

Defending your Christmas castle: gear helpful when called to "repel boarders!".(ODD ANGRY SHOT)
December 1, 2007... I've spent most of my life engaging enemies and predators, foreign and domestic, ranging from disciplined troops and clueless conscripts to criminal gangs, crackheads and street-corner scumbags. I've fought in urban, rural, jungle, desert and...

Kissin': sometimes it's all it takes to turn a frog into a Prince.(CAMPFIRE TALES)
December 1, 2007... Long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away I was a professional frog kisser. My two bosses were also frog kissers and they encouraged me to be one also. Frog kissin' can be rewarding or disappointing. Sometimes when we kiss a frog we find we...