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My Savage 99
By John Haviland
Although retired for almost 30 years, this classic lever action remains one of the best deer guns of all time. A few springs ago, my wife and I walked into a sporting goods store intending to buy some fishing hooks. I walked out with a Savage Model 99 rifle. “How did that work?” my wife asked. “Just the way I’ve been hoping... READ MORE
Using Real Blackpowder
By John Barsness
Myths and misconceptions about the original gunpowder abound. Why would anyone want to use old-time blackpowder, when there are so many cleaner-burning blackpowder substitutes on the market? Heck, some muzzleloading rifles can even use smokeless powder, the original blackpowder substitute, so why put up with the all the problems of the old-fashione... READ MORE
Are Wildcats Worth It?
By Ron Spomer
Your heart palpitates for a custom chambering, but think before you leap. Forty years ago, as a new shooter and handloader, I was wild about wildcats. Not the furry, spotted kind. The mysterious, esoteric, hot-shooting, custom-formed brass kind. Cartridges like the .22 Varminter, the .224 Clark, the .243 Page Pooper and the .219 Donaldson Wasp soun... READ MORE
Marlin’s XT Youth .22s
By Richard Mann
The XT series of rimfire rifles are budget models with kid-worthy features. It took a long time for gun makers to come around to the notion they needed to build rifles for kids. Maybe this is because when the generation that is now in charge was growing up, there were few youth guns. They learned to shoot dad’s rifle, even though it did not f... READ MORE
Don’t Sell the .308 Win Short
By John Barsness
The .308 is a superb whitetail round, but don’t believe it’s too puny for elk, pronghorns, black bears or plains game. Whenever hunters gather around a campfire to discuss big-game cartridges, you’ll hear talk about the .270 Winchester versus the .30-06, some chatter about the 7mm Rem Mag, .300 Win Mag, .300 Weatherby Mag an... READ MORE
A Most Popular Magnum
By John Haviland
All hail the 7mm Rem Mag — king of the .284 bores. The 7mm Remington Magnum is the most bought, shot and hunted-with magnum cartridge, despite the continuous introduction of other magnum rounds intended to capture some of its appeal. The 7mm Rem Mag acquired its rank soon after it was introduced way back in 1962 and has held onto that spot ov... READ MORE
Muzzleloader Tune-up
By Ralph M. Lermayer
Photo: To protect a scope from corrosive blowback, wrap electrical tape around the area just above the breech. To the uninitiated, muzzleloaders are veiled in a cloak of mystery. To hunters who understand them, blackpowder rifles are simple and predictable in operation. What they are NOT is forgiving. Pay attention to the rules, and they will never... READ MORE
The Amazing .375 H&H Family
By Ron Spomer
Dozens of rounds have been carved from H&H’s magnum opus. Photo: The .375 H&H and its .300 H&H offspring (far left) were too long to function well in standard-length action. Brass was shortened to make the .264 Win Mag, 7mm Rem Mag, .300 Win Mag, .350 Norma Mag and .458 Win Mag. No centerfire rifle cartridge has spawned a la... READ MORE
Smith & Wesson’s 686 Revolver
By John Haviland
This brother of the Model 19 is great for hunting and plinking. Last summer, I bought a Smith & Wesson Model 686 .357 Magnum revolver, and ever since, I’ve been happily shooting it at the range and in the field. The gun shoots tight groups from the bench and balances well in the hands for accurate offhand fire. It digests a variety of loa... READ MORE
Going Full Bore
By Dave Henderson
They may not be as accurate or flat-shooting as saboted slugs, but wide-bodied slugs continue to dominate the slug market. For the better part of the 20th century, smoothbore shotguns and rifled or full-bore slugs were the only ordnance deer hunters in parts of the Midwest and Northeast could legally use. Back then, slug shotguns had little more th... READ MORE
Field Shooting Effectively
By Ron Spomer
When your target of opportunity knocks, you need to answer in seconds. Greg was as enthusiastic as an 8-year-old on Christmas morning. His first pronghorn hunt! He had a new .257 Weatherby Magnum with a Zeiss scope that could shoot a country mile. Back home on the bench, he was punching sub-MOA groups with 115-grain Barnes Tipped Triple Shocks. No... READ MORE
Sauer’s Elegant 303
By Jon R. Sundra
The 303 is a masterpiece of metal machining. In many ways, the bolt-action rifle is an anachronism. It’s been around since the late 1830s and hasn’t really changed much since the definitive Mauser of 1898. Indeed, if we were to take a brand new rifle like a Winchester Model 70, Remington 700 or a Ruger 77, there’s virtually no dif... READ MORE
Don’t Skimp on Scope Mounts
By Richard Mann
“Just any old rings and bases” can be the wrong choice and the weak link that fails at the most inopportune time.
There you stand, rifle in one hand and a riflescope in the other. Since duct tape and baling twine are not options, how shall you bring them together?
Sifting through the myriad riflescope rings and bases on the market see... READ MORE
Those Sweet Single Shots
By Ron Spomer
One-shooters don’t have obvious advantages over repeaters, but there are some. In this age of sub-MOA autoloading AR rifles, why would anyone bother with a single shot? Single shots are not for firepower, efficiency or enhanced productivity. Single shots are for joy. For romance. Challenge. Sometimes, beauty and elegance. A single shot is to ... READ MORE
.35s That Survived
By Russell Thornberry
The .35 Whelen, .35 Remington and .350 Rem Mag are the ultimate woods calibers. There were numerous .35-caliber rifle cartridges born in the 20th century, but most of them didn’t live to see the dawning of the 21st century. Surviving .35-caliber cartridges introduced as factory offerings include the .35 Remington (1906); .356 Winchester (1980... READ MORE