Rifles

I recently ran across a fascinating copy of the U.S. Army’s “How to Shoot The U.S. Army Rifle” handbook, published in 1943. This book, subtitled The Infantry Journal, was prepared by First Lieutenant Arthur Goodfriend, creator of the Army's graphic portfolio on rifle marksmanship. The acknowledgements suggest how important the topic of shooting well was back then.

Ryan Cleckner shares his process for sighting in a scoped rifle. There are some basics here, including bore-sighting, starting with a short 25-yard shot to get on the paper, and shooting groups before making adjustments at 100 yards. Two items at the end are also worth considering: slipping the scales and finding mechanical zero.

Here’s another installment from 'How to Shoot The U.S. Army Rifle' handbook, published in 1943. Chapters: SIX STEPS TO PERFECT MARKSMANSHIP; IN SIGHTING AND AIMING, THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS ‘ALMOST RIGHT,'; FIRST SIGHTING AND AIMING EXERCISE; CLEAN AND BLACKEN YOUR SIGHTS.

Weatherby features “Range Certified” accuracy assurance in its Mark V rifle line with the new Accumark RC, which comes with a SUB-MOA guarantee as well as a factory-shot target signed by company President Ed Weatherby.

Samuel Colt's legacy is alive and well. On March 14, 550 workers from the two Colt operating companies, successors of the Colt Armory that once made iconic Colt Peacemaker revolvers, boarded buses that brought them to the Legislative Office Building, part of the state Capitol complex in Hartford.

Case hardening was once the best way to stretch a limited steel budget. Today, it provides a hard surface with a tough inner structure.

Back Country, a lightweight rifle for hunters and shooters, joins Weatherby’s Vanguard Series 2 line in 2013. Weighing just 6.75 pounds, Back Country carries the Weatherby sub-MOA guarantee and other features common to all Vanguard Series 2 rifles. In addition, Back Country’s chrome-moly metalwork with Cerakote Tactical Grey finish provides exceptional corrosion resistance.

Gun Tests’ Houston- and Idaho-based test teams take detailed looks at traditional bolt-action hunting rifles by Weatherby, Howa, and Thompson/Center in the April 2013 issue of the magazine.

A video demonstration conducted under the supervision Sheriff Ken Campbell of Boone County, Indiana, shows that magazine limitations have little or no real effect on a shooter’s ability to deliver aimed fire, according to an article posted in The Shooter's Log.

Savage Arms Company introduced the now-famous Model 1899 lever-action rifle in—not surprisingly—1899. The new rifle was based on the invention of Arthur W. Savage of Utica, New York. Mr. Savage had previously designed lever-action rifles, one for military trials in 1892 and another, a commercial version in 1895, which was produced for Savage by the Marlin Firearms Company in New Haven, Connecticut. Some 6,000 of the 1895 model were manufactured between 1895 and 1899. Savage Arms Company was formed in 1897, and began producing the rifle themselves in 1899. The Model 1899 is an outstanding and unique design in many ways. It offered an internal rotary magazine that held five shots, along with a very strong and simple lever-action operation. The Model 1899 also incorporated an unusual and thoughtful cartridge-counter feature; the shooter could see the number of cartridges remaining in the magazine by viewing the cartridge counter through a small window on the left side of the receiver. In addition, the new rifle was equipped with a hammer-cocked indicator on the top of the receiver. Another innovative feature was the sliding safety that locked the trigger while at the same time locking the lever in the closed position.

To see if today’s rifle shooters really are being treated to superior accuracy at a bargain price, Gun Tests evaluated two synthetic-stocked rifles from Ruger and Mossberg in 243 Winchester in the February 2013 issue. The test rifles were the $449 Ruger American and the $471 Mossberg 4X4. Both rifles are lightweight hunting models fitted with black synthetic stocks, matching blued barrels with recessed crowns, pre-mounted two-piece scope bases, sling attachments front and rear, rubber buttpads, and removable box magazines.

For a test of vintage bolt-action 22 rifles in the February 2013 issue, Gun Tests had the loan of two old-timers, a Remington Nylon 12 and a Winchester Model 69A. Are these old rifles worth looking into?