Hunting

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Winchester Ammunition's new Super-X Power Max Bonded(TM) is being billed as a whitetail deer jacketed bullet design.

To the basic rifle price ($2,500) must be added the prices for the gorgeous McMillan M3A stock ($600), the ARMS steel scope mount ($150), extended rail ($100), bipod ($70), swivel package ($100), and a leather sling ($50). There was also a Krieger barrel ($200). The total package, less scope but with mount and rings, came to $3,770. With the Leupold scope, the tag would be about $4,620 as tested. We got our prices out of the maker’s catalog and may have missed a few things, so it’s best to contact Fulton for an exact quote on your needs. We had the loan of some scopes with state-of-art add-ons set up specifically for the M14 that bear close scrutiny.Fulton’s Peerless rifle was easily the most impressive-looking of this test trio. When we pulled it out of its box, we were struck by its purposeful beauty. Everything about the rifle was flat black except for the exposed Krieger stainless barrel, which was in the white, with a decent but not glaring polish. The McMillan M3A stock felt just great. Its pistol grip was acutely angled to give near-perfect trigger control.

This roller-locked HK variant was Vector’s V-53, chambered for the .223 cartridge. This well-made rifle had a composite trigger-assembly housing, incorporating the pistol grip as well as holding all the parts normally contained in a sheet-metal housing.Takedown was much the same as for the .308 version, except the V-53 had only one pin holding the all-composite buttstock to the receiver. The recoil spring was not captive within the butt cover, as it was on the JLD rifle.

Our initial evaluation showed us a very well made rifle with a lot of aura and some mystery to its makeup. The rifle came with two barrels, the mounted one of 20.25 inch length for the Expeditionary Rifle, and one of 16.2-inch length that let us convert this rifle into the Recon Carbine.There was no magazine, and the operator’s manual even stated that it didn’t come with a magazine. But any AR-15/M16 mag would do, the manual told us, so we used the Bushmaster’s 10-shot one. It worked perfectly throughout our testing.

MOLINE, Ill. — The Rock Island Auction Company has announced the firearms and estate of Wilbur Henry Hoffeld will be auctioned on December 6, 7, and 8, 2008 here. Proceeds from a portion of this auction will benefit the NRA Foundation. The auction will include more than 1,000 Colts, 8 Patersons, 2 Walkers, more than 350 Colt Percussions, more than 80 Colt Brevetes, more than 100 Colt First Generation Single Actions, dozens of 1877s and 78s, more than 300 Winchesters, 5 Henry Rifles, Civil War items, and more.

PIERRE, S.D. — Have gun, will travel -- even if the economy's shot.

NEWTOWN, Conn. -- The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) - the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry - issued the following statement in response to study results from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), released by the North Dakota Department of Health, showing no evidence that lead or 'traditional' ammunition pose any health risk to those who consume game harvested meat:

Barack Obama would be the most anti-gun president in American history. But according to the Brady Campaign, the NRA failed to deliver its “supposed block of single-issue voters” in Tuesday’s election. According to exit polls, the economy took precedence for many voters.

Buckeye Firearms Association: Much has been said on www.buckeyefirearms.org about the shortcomings of John McCain on the gun issue, and it is clear that his weaknesses among this voting block had an effect on this election. Around 52% of American voters have selected a man the NRA has described as the most anti-gun candidate in history to be our next President.

In Oregon magazine, Sandy Froman, former president of the National Rifle Association of America, writes of the election of Barack Obama as president: 'Senator Barack Obama says he will respect gun owners, but campaign talk is cheap. What gun owners must know … is that Obama promises to appoint a U.S. Supreme Court that will eradicate the Second Amendment from the Constitution.

The U.N. General Assembly has overwhelmingly endorsed the idea of an unprecedented treaty regulating the global arms trade. Only the U.S. and Zimbabwe voted against it. U.S.-based gun groups point out that an Obama administration would likely not oppose such a treaty for the first time.

Sturm, Ruger & Company has announced an “Inaugural Special” for Mini-14 20-round magazines that runs through Inauguration Day.