Rifles

Lawyers who won the historic Second Amendment gun rights case in the Supreme Court — District of Columbia v. Heller (07-290) — on Monday asked a federal judge to award them more than $3.5 million for attorneys' fees, plus $13,215.30 for expenses and court costs. In a motion and memorandum filed with U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan, the attorneys said that they had achieved 'one of the most profound and important victories available under…

As a Federal firearms licensee (FFL), it is your duty and obligation to account for the acquisition and disposition of firearms, and it is essential to ensure that firearms are not diverted to the criminal element whether by theft or pilferage. ATF is dedicated to your success in fulfilling your duties and preventing the unlawful diversion of firearms. The following guidance on required and recommended security measures is intended to assist you in accomplishing these goals.

EXETER, NH - The recently introduced Sig Sauer Stoplite is designed to operate as a standalone flashlight or can be attached to an accessory rail, doubling as a vertical grip.

BEIJING, China —The U.S. Olympic Team for Shooting turned out an outstanding performance at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China earning six medals to double the medal count from Athens four years ago. Arguably, the most successful showing for the U.S. in the history of the Olympic shooting competition, the U.S. Shooting team brought home two gold, two silver and two bronze medals and set a total of five new Olympic records.

Getting a greenhorn shooter to take that first step along the path of a seasoned shooter, whether the targets are at the shooting range or running around in a field, often starts with a 22-caliber rifle. Most of us old-timers have fond memories of our first 22-caliber rifle. Bringing home a mess or rabbits or squirrels; punching holes in tin cans; or just trying to shoot the smallest group on paper were all part of our marksmanship learning experience.

Some of us remember that the first scene of the Audie Murphy biographical movie To Hell and Back depicts a young Murphy using a single shot to bag a rabbit for his family dinner. Developing his shooting skills with a 22-caliber rifle proved to be very beneficial marksmanship training for the man who would become the most decorated U.S. solider of World War II.

With a goal of getting our hands on a couple of used rimfires that could fit the requirements for a beginner's rifle, we checked out the used gun rack at Dury's Gun Shop (www.durysguns.com) and came up with a Remington Model 514 and a Marlin Model 25N, both with price tags of $200.

Although the Remington is a single shot and the Marlin has a seven-round detachable magazine, both rifles feature a basic bolt action loading access to the chamber; both have open sights; and both have been around long enough to have a few fans in the rimfire club.

The Model 514 was introduced in 1948 and was discontinued in 1970, while the Model 25N is a much newer 22-caliber rifle that was introduced in 1989, and was later renamed the Model 925. Remington acquired the Marlin operation in 2007 and continues to manufacture various models of 22-caliber rifles. However, our interest was in "experienced" versions of a beginner's shooting tool and the two veteran models that would most likely be older than the beginning shooter seemed to be an appropriate match.

To maintain a level playing field, we utilized the open sights featured on both rifles, rather than install better optics preferred by veteran marksmen whose eyesight may not be as good as younger shooters.

To examine the shooting performance of the two 22-caliber rifles, we selected a variety of 22-caliber Long Rifle ammunition. Although the Remington is designed to handle Shorts, Longs, and Long Rifles, we limited our ammunition choices to Long Rifle loads in fairness to the Marlin. Our test ammunition included CCI Standard Velocity; Eley Super Silhouex; and Aguila Super SE Extra, all 40-grain solid bullets; and Punta Hueca 39-grain hollowpoints made in Argentina. The average muzzle velocity of each of the rounds is 1200 fps. Targets used in our test were the Birchwood Casey Shoot-N-C bull's eyes at 25 yards, with all shots taken from a solid bench rest.

Here's our test report:

In November 2003 Sturm, Ruger & Co. announced that it would introduce five different rifles chambered for a new cartridge, the 204 Ruger, which was developed in conjunction with Hornady Manufacturing. The 204 Ruger would share the same overall length of 223 Remington ammunition, but with greater case volume. The purpose was to deliver the same stopping power for varmint or small game with less recoil, muzzle report, and barrel wear than similar high-velocity rounds such as 22-250 Remington and 220 Swift. Ruger claimed higher velocity and flatter trajectory would be achieved while burning less propellant, a major source of barrel wear.In this evaluation we will test three bolt-action rifles chambered for 204 Ruger, including Rugers $935 KM77VT MKII, the $1224 Kimber 84M Varmint, and the $1208 Model 12 Long Range Precision Repeating rifle from Savage Arms.Each of our test guns was designed with the varmint hunter in mind. Perhaps the most popular game in this category would be the prairie dog. Prairie dogs live in "towns," and they are likely to stick their heads up or run from one mound to another at any time. Opportunities to take a shot are oftentimes so plentiful that the rifles are challenged to maintain accuracy and function despite high operating temperatures. Some rifle tests only require a three-shot group, but in this case we felt justified to test for accuracy over the course of five five-shot groups.In addition we looked for smooth bolt action operation and a magazine that was easy to load to full capacity. We also looked for smooth operation when chambering one round at a time.Another attribute we checked for was flexibility in terms of mount. Many outfitters supply a shooting bench. But if the dogs start hiding in one field, the rifle should not be so heavy that slinging it over the shoulder and moving to a more active location is not an undue burden. In addition, each rifle was judged for its ability to be shot prone and from the seated position.None of the rifles arrived with open sights. We chose to mount a scope that members of our staff had found to be a winner on a recent prairie dog hunt in North Dakota. This was the $337 Burris Timberline 4.5X-14X power scope with Ballistic Plex reticle No. 201344. In the field we used the lowest power to scan for our next target. Once a prairie dog was located, we zoomed in with full 14X power. If we came up short, we raised our sights to one of the three horizontal lines below the crosshairs of the Ballistic Plex reticle and tried again. Our accuracy tests were performed with our scopes set at 14X power from the 100-yard line at American Shooting Centers located on the western edge of Houston (amshootcenters.com). Each rifle was tested over a two-day period, one day for sighting in the scope and breaking in the barrel and another for shots of record. For support we used a Caldwell Tack Driver bag under the forend and a beanie bag under the buttstock. Seated at ASCs sturdy benches our operators clinched the beanie bag to set elevation while aligning the crosshairs for each shot. Weather conditions for each session were compared via readings from our Kestrel 4000NV Pocket Weather Meter, ($273 from sinclairintl.com).The prototypical bullet weight for 204 Ruger weighed 32 grains. As such we tested with Federals 32-grain Nosler V-Shok Ballistic Tip ammunition. We also tested with Winchesters 34-grain Lubalox-coated Super X JHP rounds and 40-grain V-Max Varmint Express ammunition from Hornady. Would one round prove supremely accurate, or would we find one rifle that shot all three equally well? Lets find out.

In November 2003 Sturm, Ruger & Co. announced that it would introduce five different rifles chambered for a new cartridge, the 204 Ruger, which was developed in conjunction with Hornady Manufacturing. The 204 Ruger would share the same overall length of 223 Remington ammunition, but with greater case volume. The purpose was to deliver the same stopping power for varmint or small game with less recoil, muzzle report, and barrel wear than similar high-velocity rounds such as 22-250 Remington and 220 Swift. Ruger claimed higher velocity and flatter trajectory would be achieved while burning less propellant, a major source of barrel wear.In this evaluation we will test three bolt-action rifles chambered for 204 Ruger, including Rugers $935 KM77VT MKII, the $1224 Kimber 84M Varmint, and the $1208 Model 12 Long Range Precision Repeating rifle from Savage Arms.Each of our test guns was designed with the varmint hunter in mind. Perhaps the most popular game in this category would be the prairie dog. Prairie dogs live in "towns," and they are likely to stick their heads up or run from one mound to another at any time. Opportunities to take a shot are oftentimes so plentiful that the rifles are challenged to maintain accuracy and function despite high operating temperatures. Some rifle tests only require a three-shot group, but in this case we felt justified to test for accuracy over the course of five five-shot groups.In addition we looked for smooth bolt action operation and a magazine that was easy to load to full capacity. We also looked for smooth operation when chambering one round at a time.Another attribute we checked for was flexibility in terms of mount. Many outfitters supply a shooting bench. But if the dogs start hiding in one field, the rifle should not be so heavy that slinging it over the shoulder and moving to a more active location is not an undue burden. In addition, each rifle was judged for its ability to be shot prone and from the seated position.None of the rifles arrived with open sights. We chose to mount a scope that members of our staff had found to be a winner on a recent prairie dog hunt in North Dakota. This was the $337 Burris Timberline 4.5X-14X power scope with Ballistic Plex reticle No. 201344. In the field we used the lowest power to scan for our next target. Once a prairie dog was located, we zoomed in with full 14X power. If we came up short, we raised our sights to one of the three horizontal lines below the crosshairs of the Ballistic Plex reticle and tried again. Our accuracy tests were performed with our scopes set at 14X power from the 100-yard line at American Shooting Centers located on the western edge of Houston (amshootcenters.com). Each rifle was tested over a two-day period, one day for sighting in the scope and breaking in the barrel and another for shots of record. For support we used a Caldwell Tack Driver bag under the forend and a beanie bag under the buttstock. Seated at ASCs sturdy benches our operators clinched the beanie bag to set elevation while aligning the crosshairs for each shot. Weather conditions for each session were compared via readings from our Kestrel 4000NV Pocket Weather Meter, ($273 from sinclairintl.com).The prototypical bullet weight for 204 Ruger weighed 32 grains. As such we tested with Federals 32-grain Nosler V-Shok Ballistic Tip ammunition. We also tested with Winchesters 34-grain Lubalox-coated Super X JHP rounds and 40-grain V-Max Varmint Express ammunition from Hornady. Would one round prove supremely accurate, or would we find one rifle that shot all three equally well? Lets find out.

Gun owners in Baltimore whose firearms are stolen would be required to report the theft to police under legislation approved by the City Council yesterday—despite questions about whether the proposal is legal.

Carl Bernosky took home top honors as the overall champion for the 8th time at the 2008 National Rifle Association (NRA) High Power Rifle Championship Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio.

Buy a Ruger Mini-14 rifle at a participating Ruger dealer between August 11, 2008 and October 31, 2008, and receive a free Ruger-manufactured, 20-round magazine.

BEIJING, China (August 8, 2008) – The shooting competition at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China will kick off Saturday at the Beijing Shooting Range Hall/Beijing Shooting Range Clay Target Field (CTF) with the Women’s 10m Air Rifle, Men’s Trap and Men’s 10m Air Pistol events.

We immediately took to this wood-stocked little rifle, which we found selling for $143 retail. The feel was solid, and we liked the thought of shooting a relatively warm-stocked hardwood stock in cold weather. Our suspicions were correct. This was the most comfortable stock on our shooter's faces. Our first surprise was that this rifle held 14 rounds, and you could get 15 into it if you wanted.