Guns Magazine articles from May 2005

Guns Magazine archives from May 2005

There has to be someone dumber than me ...(Crossfire: letters to GUNS)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... So I open up the February issue and there is Mike Venturino holding up a Webley like a dead mouse. I think one man's junk is another man's treasure. I have looked for a Webley Mark VI at gun shows for some time. I think any revolver that can...

... There is.(Crossfire: letters to GUNS)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... So I pick up the February 2005 issue to see what my old buddy Duke has to write about. I always enjoy his writing, especially since he moved from Primedia over to you big boys and now has hit the really big time. Cool, I know Mike Venturino,...

Oops!(Crossfire: letters to GUNS)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... John Connor in "Beyond Basic Black" succinctly describes how many of us have felt about Glock pistols from our initial apprehension of, to later appreciation of their dependability. With all the aftermarket items you can upgrade a Glock with,...

Go for the green: environmentally friendly ammo is here for the long haul.(Ranging Shots)
May 1, 2005... Being in the business of shooting for many years, I have seen technology changes from training, pistol projectiles, powders, holsters and attitudes. Many things are held sacred in the shooting industry--especially by the industry itself--and...

Gun testing & marksmanship: a gun's group size is not insignificant, but it isn't everything.(Montana Musings)
May 1, 2005... For several decades now, gun magazines in general have sold readers short, and to be perfectly honest I have been an avid and willing accomplice in this. What I'm talking about is our emphasis on gun testing--as in we writers take a firearm,...

Lead-free AMMO: when solutions beget problems.(AMMO)
May 1, 2005... Several years ago there was a flurry of questions when someone saw that some Winchester .45 ACP brass had a flash hole much larger than normal. We quickly learned that those cases were from their new non-toxic primers, which contained no lead...

Flash from federal: new loads, new materials, new components.(Shotgunner)
May 1, 2005... A shotshell-is-a-shotshell-is-a-shotshell. No it's not! Wait until you fire some of Federal's innovative new shells, it's one thing to annually tweak the shot charge by a few micro-ounces or to step up the muzzle velocity a bit, but when you...

The .270 at 80: it's come along way and just keeps on going.(Rifleman)
May 1, 2005... The .270 Winchester was introduced in 1925 and, contrary to popular belief, it was not an immediate success. Many American hunters preferred lever actions, while most bolt-action fans were devoted to the .30-06. The .270's flatter trajectory...

Baby boomers: today's "compact versions" are better than yesteryear's.(Handguns)
May 1, 2005... One of the advantages of 21st Century living is the most efficient miniaturization the world has yet seen. Computers, watches, cell phones and more are not only much smaller than they used to be, but more powerful and often easier and more...

Dragunov's kin: with a few changes Romania's PSL has the looks and performance of the famous SVD.(Surplus Locker)
May 1, 2005... Some have called it "sexy" and some "stylish." Whatever adjective you choose, Evgeniy Dragunov's design for a platoon-level sharpshooter's rifle is one of the most distinctive rifles in the world. The Dragunov and its clones now even make the...

8mm groove diameter.(Questions & Answers)
May 1, 2005... Q: I recently purchased a surplus Yugoslavian Mauser M48A, serial No. 43XXX. When I attempted to purchase some ammunition for this rifle I was advised Mauser rifles had at least two and possibly three groove sizes and that I needed to determine...

Tipton carbon fiber cleaning rod and range box: two items that make gun cleaning almost fun.(Out Of The Box)
May 1, 2005... Some rifles present strange challenges to the shooter. One such rifle is the Winchester-Lee Straight Pull (I've developed quite a love/hate relationship with this blasted rifle). The Winchester-Lee is nearly impossible to clean from the breech...

Gladius illumination tool: making night-ops easier.(Out Of The Box)
May 1, 2005... We all know Rule No. 1 is, "Have a gun." Well, a subsection to that rule should be have a flashlight, too. I like flashlights. I always have. I must have 10 of them in different configurations around the house. I always have at least two of...

Frank Wesson no. 1 action.(Out Of The Box)
May 1, 2005... I have just as much fun today shooting 50 rounds through a single-shot rifle as I did in my youth with 500 rounds of anything. I almost have more fun building rifles than shooting them. Almost. I've wanted to build a 19th century long-range...

Mistaken identity.(Crossfire: letters to GUNS)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... Please tell John Connor one of us should be offended but I can't figure out which one. A reader asked me if "John Connor" is my pen name. Good shootin' and God bless, the real "John." John Taffin via e-mail

Enfield irony.(Crossfire: letters to GUNS)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... To me it seems ironic that the "new wave" of surplus WWII, .303 British, SMLE rifles came from Turkey. In WWI, British soldiers repelled wave after wave of Turkish troops via the .303 British, SMLE Rifle Number I, MKIII. Aside from the fact it...

Don't tube it.(Crossfire: letters to GUNS)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... As a long term, competitive skeet shooter I enjoyed reading about Mr. Bodinson's joy in discovering sub-gauge, conversion tubes for shotguns. However, I was horrified to see his recommendation that shooters even consider fitting only one...

Ugly stock.(Crossfire: letters to GUNS)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... I, too, have advice for Charles J. Payne of Tucson, Ariz., about his ugly Rossi 92 in the "Q&A" from March 2005. I obtained a model 1892 Rossi rifle in .44 Mag through a raffle at a gunshow a few years ago. It languished in my sale for several...

I'm a Coward.(Crossfire: letters to GUNS)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... My congratulations on the Clint Smith's column "I'm a Coward." It reminds me of something Sir Peter Ustinov once said, "Courage is often lack of insight, whereas cowardice in many cases is based on good information. John Leonard via...

Surplus heaven.(Crossfire: letters to GUNS)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... I just read the March 2005 issue and enjoyed it very much. I am a returning subscriber and your magazine just gets better with age. Mr. Holt Bodinson wrote a fine article in "'Surplus Locker" entitled "Shopping For Milsurps.'" I agree with...

Mexican carry.(Crossfire: letters to GUNS)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... I would like to thank you and Mr. Ayoob for bringing his great column to your pages. I have been a reader of your magazine (as well as your sister publication, American Handgunner) for some time now. I have heard the term "Mexican Carry" in a...

Dave Arnold.(Crossfire: letters to GUNS)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... I was indeed sad to read of the early and untimely passing of Dave Arnold. Whilst I never met Dave, I was very aware of him and his achievements and reputation in the British South Africa Police. I, too, am Rhodesian, but there are other...

Right wing agenda.(Crossfire: letters to GUNS)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... I understand why you guys continually push the Republican agenda, but can you afford to lose the left wing subscribers? I, for one, am considering canceling my subscription for that reason alone. Right wing/left wing, we are all wing shooters....

50 years of sporting rifles: we still use 100-year-old rifle designs. It's how they're made that has evolved.
May 1, 2005... This fine 1955-era Winchester Model 70 sports a Weaver scope and Dave would've taken his pictures with this Zeiss camera. His hunting accessories would have included a WWII surplus binocular and Kabar knife. The current Winchester Mode/70 has a...

S&W Sigma: the return of the wondernine.(Cover Story)
May 1, 2005... With the sunset of the assault weapons ban--you do feel less safe don't you?--we once more have the opportunity to have 16 9mm cartridges in our wide-body blaster. When the ban was thrust upon us it was almost as if the 9mm was erased from our...

Sacred Steel: care and appreciation of the Japanese sword.
May 1, 2005... Brought home by the thousands, the Japanese sword was the most highly prized trophy of WWII. Some few were captured in battle, many more were surrendered, and by far the majority were liberated during the occupation. As a result, these swords...

Throttle back: shoot kinder, gentler ammo in your semi-retired old warrior.
May 1, 2005... Nowadays shooter interest in old battle rifles is higher than it has been since the 1950s and early 1960s when so many were available at bargain prices. Not only is WWII a hot historical item, but so are many facets of American military...

Stoking the GAP: reloading the .45 GAP is a SNAP.
May 1, 2005... The premise of the .45 Glock Automatic Pistol is to provide the ballistics of the .45 Automatic Colt Pistol in a smaller platform. The .45 GAP cartridge case is .138" shorter than the .45 ACP and the overall length more closely matches the .40...

Feelings, nothing more than feelings ...(Views, News And Reviews)
May 1, 2005... "In dozens of American communities this New Year's Eve," the Brady Campaign press release shrills, "overexcited and under-intelligent individuals will welcome 2005 with an act of stupidity... in what police call 'celebratory gunfire'." As...

Marine reservist makes longest shot.(News)
May 1, 2005... Fallujah, Iraq, Nov. 11, 2004. Seen through a 20X spotting scope, terrorists scrambled to deliver another mortar round into the tube. Across the Euphrates River from a concealed rooftop, Marine sniper Sgt. Herbert B. Hancock breathed gently and...

Classic handguns of the 20th century.
May 1, 2005... Classic Handguns of the 20th Century David W. Arnold 2004, Krause Publications Certain landmark designs change the creative flow of the entire handgun industry. Dave Arnold, in a career spanning six decades as a soldier, policeman,...

The red and the white.
May 1, 2005... The Red and the White Hungary, 1968, Miklos Jancso Kino Video, (212) 629-6880, www.kino.com Rating: *** 1/2 There are few movies about the civil war in Russia following WWI. This one is set in a monastery hospital and we watch it...

Cowboy action shooting world championship moves to New Mexico.(News)
May 1, 2005... After 23 years in Southern California, the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) is moving the End of Trail Cowboy Action Shooting World Championships to its brand new 480 acre shooting facility just outside Albuquerque, New Mexico. The 24th...

Hunter generosity.(News)
May 1, 2005... Half a million pounds of venison has been provided by hunters to food pantries in Wisconsin this past season, with almost 11,000 deer donated to help needy families, according to The Pioneer Press in Minneapolis.--Courtesy NSSF

Wichita to sell guns.(News)
May 1, 2005... The police chief and city manager oppose it, but the city council of Wichita, Kansas, intends to raise revenue for law enforcement by selling confiscated guns with a value for collectors or recreational shooters. According to The Wichita Eagle,...

Boy takes record Moose.(News)
May 1, 2005... Ten-year-old Jack Nelsen and his father Dean were hunting moose in western Alaska September 18. 2004, the first day of the hunt, floating one of the numerous tributaries of the mighty Yukon River. They called the big bull in from 800 yards away...

Rifle recall.(News)
May 1, 2005... A bout 3,000 rifles sold under the Sako and Tikka labels have been recalled following catastrophic failures, but a small number of guns sold in the American market remain in the hands of owners who apparently have not heard about the recall. A...

2004 drop in crime.(News)
May 1, 2005... Preliminary figures supplied to the FBI by more than 10.000 local police agencies show murder down about 6 percent, robbery down 5 percent and violent crime overall dropping 2 percent in the first six months of the year. The Uniform Crime...

Cocked and locked?(Questions And Answers)
May 1, 2005... Q: I have been told by a person who was in the military that he and others carried their M1911A1's with a cartridge chambered, hammer at full cock and thumb safety engaged. I have a 1911 model .45 ACP and would like to know if this is...

Radom ready.(Questions And Answers)
May 1, 2005... Q: I once read where the Polish Radom pistol is a much simpler and stronger system and allows the use of 9mm rounds loaded up to 1,500 fps. Does this mean I can safely use 9mm +P or +P+ ammo? I'd like to preserve the Radom for my son and...

Gunslick foaming bore cleaner.(Quartermaster)
May 1, 2005... Let's face it, keeping our firearms clean and in top shooting condition can be quite a chore. When I was younger, much younger, I actually enjoyed taking my guns apart after a trip to the range and giving them a thorough scrubbing. Not so...

Lyman electronic digital trigger pull gauge.(Quartermaster)
May 1, 2005... One piece of equipment often overlooked by the average home gunsmith and professional tinkerer is a quality trigger-pull gauge. I'm as guilty as the next person, having relied on my less than educated trigger finger to semi-accurately measure...

New 4-Gun pistol case.(New Products)
May 1, 2005... From MTM Case-Guard MTM's new four-pistol handgun case offers maximum portability and protection. The dual foam layers can accommodate semiautomatics and revolvers with barrels up to 8" in length. The case's dimensions are 12.2x15.5x5.6"....

6.8 SPC ammo.(New Products)
May 1, 2005... From Barrett Firearms Barrett Firearms introduces its new 6.8 SPC ammunition with a 115-grain full metal jacket bullet. The 6.8 SPC travels at a speed of 2,650 fps from a 16" barrel. In comprehensive testing the 6.8 SPC vastly outperformed...

New sporting round.(New Products)
May 1, 2005... From FN Herstal USA The SS196SR is a new sporting round developed by FN Herstal USA for the 5.7x28mm system. This new round utilizes a 40-grain Hornady V-MAX projectile, which delivers precise accuracy and extreme expansion in long-range,...

Damascus silver spur.(New Products)
May 1, 2005... From George Tichbourne This stunning Damasteel Damascus Silver Spur fixed blade is another creation from Canadian master knife maker George Tichbourne. The presentation grade Silver Spur is sculpted from solid Damasteel and features a...

X2 Xenon light.(New Products)
May 1, 2005... From Pentagon Light The X2 Xenon Light from Pentagon Light offers reliable illumination in even the most extreme conditions in the field. The rugged aerospace grade aluminum construction with double O-ring water protection and 1" knurl...

New panther riflescope.(New Products)
May 1, 2005... From BSA The Panther is a new "all weather" riflescope from BSA Optics. The long swept back hood protects the ocular lens from moisture and doubles as a sunshade in bright conditions. The exposed windage and elevation turrets have a...

New ultralight hunting stock.(New Products)
May 1, 2005... From McMillan The Hunters Edge is a new ultralight stock for right or left handed Remington Model 700 or Model 7 bolt-action rifles with BDL or blind magazine configurations. The Hunters Edge is also available for Winchester and Montana...

New varmint hunter kit.(New Products)
May 1, 2005... From Gamo USA Corp. Gamo's popular Varmint Hunter high-powered air rifle is now available in convenient kit form. The accessory package includes a 4x32 scope with rings, a laser sighting device and flashlight. Al three sighting devices are...

New cutback folder.(New Products)
May 1, 2005... From Buck Knives Designer Tom Mayo has created the new Cutback folder for Buck Knives. The Cutback features a handy one-hand opening/closing function, a 3.25" 440C stainless steel drop-point blade and ergonomically contoured stainless...

Compact classic.(New Products)
May 1, 2005... From Uselton Arms Rick Usleton has expanded his line of premium semiautomatic handguns to include the new Compact Classic Companion with interchangeable barrels for .357 SIG and .40 S&W. Key features include U.S Tactical sights. 3.5"...

New Cynergy field shotgun.(New Products)
May 1, 2005... From Browning The new Cynergy small-gauge shotgun from Browning weighs just 6.5 pounds, a delight for the upland bird hunter. The Cynergy comes in 20 and 28 gauge and features a low profile silver nitride receiver to create a thin. sleek...

New .204 Ruger load.(New Products)
May 1, 2005... From Winchester Winchester is offering a new load for the .204 Ruger cartridge. The new load in the Winchester Super-X line and features a 34-grain jacketed hollowpoint bullet. It is specifically designed for varmint hunters, delivering...

New gun cleaning DVD.(New Products)
May 1, 2005... From Tetra Gun Tetra Gun Care has produced a new instructional DVD, entitled Gun Cleaning Made Easy. The 60-minute program offers professional advice and effective step-by-step instructions on how to properly maintain all types of...

Don't ask me--get an expert: how can you believe anyone with an Ex-in his title?(Odd Angry Shot)
May 1, 2005... I just about fumbled the cheesecake when I heard the Head Honcho say, "Let's ask an expert," and I got that sneakin', sinkin' feeling he was talking about me. I was right; he was, and I immediately formed this highly intelligent, articulate...

Prepared?(Campfire Tales[TM])
May 1, 2005... Expecting a package from my friendly United States Post Office gun-friendly, archery-hunting mailman, I had planned carefully so he would not be missed. Normally, I can set my watch by this fellow as he almost always arrives precisely at 10:30...