stevel

Shooters often need to know the actual velocities of the loads they’re using. Whether to know the downrange energy of a particular hunting load, or to plot the trajectory of that new match-grade load, knowing what it is actually doing once it leaves the gun’s barrel is essential. A chronograph should be a simple, painless source for this information.

We selected three models for testing, choosing some that had some evaluative capability, but without printers or computers attached. Most models can be upgraded with software that downloads load performance results to your computer, and can be converted to accept a dedicated printer for instant hard copy readouts. The models we tested were: t...

I was torn when I initially proposed a more aggressive gun-sales program that would dry up supplies of firearms and ammunition for law-enforcement agencies in municipalities that are suing the gun industry (July 1999). On the one hand, I wanted gun makers to do something that pointed out the hypocrisy of the big-city mayors. Petulant? You bet. The flipside, which I recognized at the time, was that it was unfair to penalize the cops for their bosses’ actions.

I expected to hear thunder from law enforcement, criticizing my suggestions as irresponsible, which, in fact, they were. Instead, I’ve heard mostly whispers from policemen, constables, sheriffs, BATF and FBI trainers, military instruc...

[IMGCAP(1)]Reloading is a happy time for many shooters, at least until they realize they’re spending more time in the loading room than at the range. Some of us, mostly former pistol competitors, well remember the mad scramble to get all the rounds loaded before the coming weekend’s events, using a simple RCBS Rock Chucker or Lyman single-stage press, automating as many of our movements as possible, having learned to be efficient drones to prepare our many needed cases.

That was before the days of progressive presses. Back 20 or 30 years ago, some makers brought out turret presses to make the reloading job easier. Those who tried them found out that the turret presses simply avoided havi...

The overwhelming tone of reader mail we get is gratitude for telling it like it is. As you’ll see when you read about 4-inch revolvers, custom .45 ACPs, turkey shotguns, and .22 rifles, hardnosed critiques are our exclusive franchise. You won’t read critical buy-this, don’t-buy-that comparisons of firearms products anywhere else.

We’re glad this approach is unique, but it’s always a little surprising to many shooters. If you go onto any shooting range anywhere in this country (or the world, I suppose), you’ll hear frank discussions of firearms performance. One shooter will say, “This gun is a sack of hooey [or words to that effect].” Another will add, “That gun shoots like a house afire.”...

[IMGCAP(1)]Always in search of that perfect load for our firearms, we can’t be exacting enough about our equipment. And anything that affects how much powder goes into the cases is critical. Proper gunpowder dispensing can not only make the difference between acceptable groups and unwanted flyers, it can mean shooting safely without fear of dangerously high or low charges.

To see how various units stacked up in their ability to throw an accurate, repeatable charge, we looked at four commercial powder measurers: Lyman’s Powder Measure Number 55 ($71.50), Redding’s Model 3BR ($150), the RCBS Uniflow ($77.95), and Lee’s Pro Auto-Disk ($45). Each unit was set up for manual use (not as part o...