Accessories

Shooters of many different stripes enjoy the flexibility 6-20X and 6-24X variable riflescopes give them. These products' extended power ranges allow them to be used at their low settings for indoor air rifle or rimfire and centerfire hunting use. Dialed up, they allow shooters to shoot spots on silhouette targets or pick their spots on long-range game animals with .300 Win. Mag-class beanfield rifles. With the right glass and mounts, a shooter can easily make one of these variable scopes work in several scenarios, assuming its owner has the skills and steadiness to use the high-mag settings.

Ideally, such products should provide crisp looks at targets and accurate adjustments to compensat...

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...

The velocity of a bullet is a function of the pressure behind it, or the chamber pressure. Higher pressures develop higher velocities. That's why a .30-06 shoots faster than a .30-30. Velocity is also a function of the length of time that the pressure is applied. A longer barrel shoots faster because the bullet stays in the barrel longer. That's also why slower burning powders develop higher velocities. The hot gases generated by the burning powder push on the bullet for a longer period of time.

Chamber pressures are generally limited by the brass case to 65,000 psi (52,700 cup), although we've never tested a commercial load that "hot." Belted cases may withstand a little more pressure t...

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...

These two companies make largely unheralded shotgun models purportedly earmarked for the competition clay market. We test them to see if we'd pay their steep prices.

Will turkey hunters ever accept anything except a golden bead on the front of their shotguns? After all, hunters don’t need a lot of precision to point a shotgun at the base of a bird’s neck, making sure the pattern centers the vital neck and head areas. But what if a hunter could see a brighter aiming point in dim light, on a dark-feathered bird? Would that be an advantage?

Gun Tests decided to find out when we took two popular shotguns, the Beretta 1200FP semiauto and Mossberg’s 590 pump-action, and mounted red-dot sights on their receivers. The Mossberg received a C-More red dot, while the Beretta was topped with a low-profile Optima 2000 from Tasco, $279.99. The C-More had a 12-moa do...

Owning a gun under the United States Constitution is a right, a privilege, and ultimately, a responsibility. Gun Tests® believes a gun’s owner must see to it that a firearm is used without negligence or carelessness, and whenever possible, that it not be used illegally either. However, in addition to this moral position—like it or not—recent events will surely drive the debate about legal gun use toward some sort of mandated locking or storage system, to be provided by gun manufacturers or as an aftermarket dictate. Responsible gun owners have long stored guns and ammunition separately to prevent misuse by children. Also, shooters have employed lockable cases or safes that denied access to c...

Of main concern to the holder of a state-issued license to carry a concealed handgun is for that gun to remain concealed. That said, it is unwise to use a holster not specifically designed for your gun, because you must be able to put it into action. Furthermore, the gun/holster combination must fit your body style and your environment. Cross-draw holsters, for example, are making a comeback. This is because cross-draw works well for those who spend a great deal of time driving or sitting at a desk, two particularly vulnerable positions.

To investigate some of the variations found to be effective modes of carry, Gun Tests has assembled a number of holsters that offer solutions to the prob...

Whenever a shooting match is scored with points divided by time, such as in Practical Shooting, reducing the time between shots (splits) becomes a major concern. Similarly, shooting fast and accurately in a defensive situation can be a lifesaving edge. Even when plinking, dealing with less recoil can yield "holier" tin cans and more fun.

Since recoil and the resulting muzzle flip is the force that pulls our sights away from the target, many products claiming to reduce recoil have entered the market. The makers of these products like to throw around numbers like 30 and 40 percent reduction in recoil, but most of these gadgets would be more suitable being sold from the back of a wagon in a...

Ballistics software has been around for some time now—in fact, the NRA Firearms Fact Book from 1989 lists a number of BASIC computer programs that can be used for some simple external ballistics calculations.

In less than a decade, available packages have advanced to an impressive degree, and Gun Tests recently looked at some of the commercial packages to see which ones are worthwhile‚ and which ones might best be consigned to obsolescence. The packages investigated were: PC Bullet For Windows (Shooting Chrony, $80), Ballistics Explorer (Oehler Research, $70), Barnes Ballistics for Windows (Barnes Bullets, $50), and ARMSCalc (ARMS Software, $50).

The first hurdle in using any commercia...

[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...

[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...