Special Purpose

Patrick Flanigan, a member of Team Winchester and a professional Xtreme Sport Shooter, set a new world record by shooting seven hand thrown clay targets in the air from the hip and with one hand before they all hit the ground.

Here's a recommended gun from sister site Gun Tests magazine--Springfield's M1 Garand 7.62 x 51 mm NATO. If you are looking for a new Garand with a new action, this is probably the one you want, and we believe it will serve you very well. Some of our testers were more than happy with this Garand.

More often than not, “sporting” autoloaders are separated from the field models by an expanded feature set, which usually includes a complete set of choke tubes from Cylinder to Full, tube wrench, a different buttplate, improved metal cosmetics, extended barrel lengths, and upgraded wood quality. So, for the most part, they are the same as the mainstream guns in their home stables, which made us curious about whether the sporting tag truly offered some value in terms of performance, or whether such autos were merely prettied up hunting guns.We expected to have a lot of fun finding out, and we weren’t disappointed when we tested the Remington 1100 Sporting 12.

Despite its wide appeal, the 12-gauge shotgun and the recoil it produces are not for everybody. But we think we’ve found a shotgun that is—the Mossberg 410 Cruiser (No. 50455-3). This is $305, easy-to-handle pump-action .410 shotgun with pistol grip is a versatile self-defense alternative to a light rifle or handgun.While also available with full synthetic stock for firing from the shoulder (dubbed the HS Home Security .41, No. 50359-4) the Cruiser model is compact enough to fit inside the door pocket of some larger pickup trucks. Both models will handle .410 cartridges up to 3 inches long.

Springfield's choice of walnut for the stock gave the Tactical Rifle a slightly less businesslike look than the Fulton. We missed the traction of the Fulton on the grip areas, and didn't much like the fat stock, but this rifle performed quite well. The Harris bipod requires attention to keep it tight to the rifle, we found, on this and the Fulton rifles. That big scope had a long hood extension, and an illuminated reticle.

Back in November 1999 we tested three precision .308 rifles by Robar, Autauga, and Dakota. The cheapest of these, by Autauga, cost $3,200, and we thought it was a “Best Buy” at the time. The Dakota Longbow was over $4,000, and the fine Robar was over $5,000. The accuracy of all of those rifles was simply astounding. Half-inch groups were the norm, with match-grade ammunition. We got the distinct impression it was necessary to spend inordinate amounts of money to guarantee such precision, with all the bells and whistles of that group and class of rifle. We may have been wrong.We recently had the loan of a similar rifle, made in the U.S. under FN (Belgium) supervision, and sold only by Fulton Armory, in Maryland. It didn’t quite have all the bells and whistles of the other three precision rifles we tested, but had the more important ones. Called the FN Special Police Rifle, it was a .308 Winchester caliber, with heavy barrel and synthetic stock. Best of all, its listed retail cost from Fulton Armory is $999.95, which we round off to $1,000.

Many of the advantages of a tactical shotgun are the same as that self-defense shotgun you might have propped in the corner of your bedroom: devastating firepower, mechanical reliability, ease of use. But your bedroom shotgun and working tactical shotguns do have differences: beefy tactical guns are ready to go on the offensive to serve warrants, root out armed bad guys, and break stuff with either lead or steel.

Gun Tests Magazine has named the Benelli SuperNova MAX-4 HD Camo12 Gauge as the publication’s “Best in Class” Shotgun for 2009.The pumpgun joins a Taurus wheelgun, a 9mm pistol from S&W, and a Browning 7mm Mag. bolt action as the magazine’s “Best in Class” 2009 honorees.More specifically, the “Best in Class” shotgun for 2009 was the Benelli SuperNova No. 20115 MAX-4 HD Camo 3.5-inch 12 Gauge Pump, $599. It was originally reviewed in the September 2009 issue of Gun Tests.

The Benelli shot flawlessly, comfortably, swung smoothly and steadily. Our only initial peeve was the trigger, promptly attended to by Benelli at no charge. It is an outstanding 3.5-inch slide-action waterfowl gun.

Four-time Olympian Bret Erickson (Muenster, Texas) has been named USA Shooting's new National Shotgun Coach.

The Stampede was mighty attractive. There are several versions (see website), including a deluxe one, for $710. Other options include nickel plate and something costly called “Inox.” Barrel lengths are 4.8 inches, 5.5 inches, or 7.5 inches, and calibers are .45 LC or .357 Magnum. All are made by Uberti, but we presume final details are specified by Beretta, and we also suspect Beretta is responsible for the final finish and assembly.

The BFR 22H10, code name Little Max in the Magnum Research brochure, is a single action only gun. To load the BFR you first open the loading gate. No manipulation of the hammer is needed to free the cylinder. Much like the Ruger single-action revolvers, the hammer stays safely in a down position.

The BFR strikes a chord. We would have to rate the workmanship of the BFR superior to the Taurus. We recommend it if you need a hunting iron without the recoil of the harder hitting calibers meant for bears and large game.

BERRYVILLE, Ark. -- Wilson Combat has begun chambering custom AR platform rifles in 6.8 SPC caliber.