Recreational

In 1870, the U.S. Army contracted with Smith & Wesson to deliver 1,000 of their revolutionary new top-break Model No. 3 revolvers in .44 S&W caliber. The delivery to Springfield Armory of the 800 blued and 200 nickel-plated revolvers took place in 1871. After issuing the new revolvers to the cavalry for a period of field trials, the Army came to the conclusion that the S&W was too complicated and delicate for service use, and decided not to purchase additional revolvers.

Watch as Larry Potterfield, Founder and CEO of MidwayUSA shows how to safety handle a gun on the sporting clays field. The proper use of eye and ear protection is covered as well as using the correct ammunition. Safe gun handling is emphasized with specific examples unique to the sporting clays field.

In a Gun Tests shoot-off, the staff looked at a familiar name associated with gas-operated shotguns: Browning's Silver Hunter Twenty No. 011350605, $1079. GT's test ammunition included both 7/8 oz. Estate loads and Winchester Super-X Heavy Game Loads No. XU20H7 with 1 ounce of No. 7 1/2 shot—what our shooters use as an everyday dove load along with Fiocchi 20HV75 shells. GT also patterned with Federal Mag-Shok high-velocity lead 3-inch 1-5/16 ounce No. 5 shot (No. PFC258) and Winchester Supreme 1-5/16 ounce 3-inch shells with No. 5 shot (No. STH2035). The staffers shot patterns at 40 yards, the patterning all shot from bag and cradle. They also fired the guns extensively at the range and in the field to record what they liked and didn't like about the guns. Here's what they learned:

The frosted, matte finish didn't distract; the Browning properly ejected every shell we fed it; the gas action did a good job of lengthening the recoil pulse to make it feel like a soft shooter. It was a joy to carry all day, and the company's customer service department resolved a trigger problem promptly.

Both the side-by-side hammer guns and the pump-action hammer guns of old left a distinct mark in history and are now resurfacing in the form of replicas finding favor at shooting competitions across the country. The popularity of the simple and easy-to-handle shotguns is also growing among people interested in home-defense firearms.For a trip back to the past, Gun Tests selected a side-by-side to see if there is any advantage or downside—other than the number of shots—to an Old West style shotgun. The test shotgun was a Cimarron T.T.N. Model 1878 Coach Gun 12 Gauge Side-by-Side carrying a price tag of $480 in the new gun rack at Dury’s Gun Shop in San Antonio.

(GunReports.com) -- Winchester Repeating Arms has introduced the Model 70 Featherweight Compact, a new rifle that features a 20-inch barrel, a 13-inch length of pull, an overall length of 39 ½ inches and weighs 6 ½ pounds.

(GunReports.com) -- Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. has rolled out the Ruger Single-Ten, a ten-shot single-action revolver chambered in .22 Long Rifle.

Watch as Larry Potterfield, Founder and CEO of MidwayUSA, demonstrates the basic safety and operational features of revolvers.

Paul Pluff, director of marketing for Smith & Wesson, details the features of the entry-level M&P 15 Sport rifle, $709. “We took the standard M&P 15 style rifle and saved some money to get the price down,” he said. ““One of the ways we were able to cut costs,” Pluff said, “is that Smith & Wesson is now forging its own lower receivers. This gun still has a lot of features, including a Magpul Pmag, 6-position adjustable stock, adjustable sights, Picatinny rail, melonite-coated barrel, flash hider, and heat resistant front handguard.”He pointed out the Sport has an integral trigger guard, no dust cover, and no forward assist button, using instead a notch cut in the bolt to perform forward assist if needed.”

(GunReports.com) -- Watch as Larry Potterfield, Founder and CEO of MidwayUSA, demonstrates the basic safety and operational features of pump, semi-automatic and break-open shotguns.

(GunReports.com) -- Shotgunners have skeet, trap and sporting clays. Now a Utah shooting range has brought a new game to town for long-distance riflemen. Spirit Ridge Rifle Golf, located a short drive north of Salt Lake City, Utah, offers more than 30 realistic wildlife targets set at distances ranging from 175 to 1,300 yards for the intrepid marksman.

(GunReports.com) -- Dave Spaulding, winner of the 2010 Trainer of the Year award by Law Officer Magazine, has returned for a second series of self-defense tips for shooters. In Ruger Tactical Carbine Tips, Spaulding focuses on the popular AR-style carbine to explain a host of techniques and help prepare shooters for an array of combat situation.

In the world of 308 auto-loading rifles, the M14 and its look-alikes reign just about supreme. They have it all: looks, power, function, capacity, plus a great variety of stock and accessory configurations from wood to all manner of polymer that can convert an M14 or M1A into just about any configuration you might want, particularly if you have deep pockets. In this test we look at a new Fulton Armory M14 ($2755).We tested with three types of ball ammunition, the only type recommended in these firearms. It was Federal Gold Medal match, Magtech 150-grain ball from Brazil, and mixed lot of recovered ammunition purchased in bulk with headstamps from Israel, Italy, Belgium, and Canada, which we used unsorted. Here’s what we found.