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The .30-06 Cartridge Family
By Ron Spomer
Offspring of the .30-06 are popular and effective, just like their Ma. Most hunters know that the .30-06 Springfield, now 105 years old, has proven to be one of the most versatile hunting cartridges in the world. It’s been used to take everything from elfin squirrels to enormous elephants. Many hunters might not know that the .30-06 has also ... 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
Shotgun Choke Designations
By John Haviland
Other factors besides choke constriction influence pattern size, and only through testing can you learn how a load performs in your gun. Just because your shotgun choke is labeled modified doesn’t mean it will shoot a modified pattern. Modern barrels contain longer forcing cones and chokes that treat shot tenderly to keep it flying straight. ... 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
Bear Bait
By Clair Rees
My right leg throbbed with every step as I plowed through the knee-deep snow. Ed Stevenson, my guide, was breaking trail — an exhausting chore we normally shared. I was no longer hunting. All I could think of was reaching the tent and removing the boot from my swollen leg. Randy Brooks and I had arrived in the Alaska bush on the first o... 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
Rifle Weight Balance & Fit
By John Barsness
Got a gun that kicks too hard or just doesn’t feel right? Here are the common problems ... and solutions. Most hunters have a notion of how much a rifle should weigh, but think that balance and stock fit only apply to shotguns. The truth is that all three can be important, and they’re often tied to the ammunition we shoot. Many hunters ... READ MORE
Lever-Action Tuneup
By Richard Mann
Easy enhancements for an iconic rifle. With all the new bolt-action and AR-style rifles on the market, you might think hunters have forgotten about lever guns. The lever-action rifle is an iconic American firearm. Thousands of hunters still use them. In some situations, the lever gun can be the best option. Following are some enhancements that can ... 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
Four-Gun Battery for Life
By Ron Spomer
Choose carefully, and you’ll be equipped to hunt any game anywhere in the world with just a few rifles. So you are a rifle hunter. Welcome to the club. And you’d like to hunt everything all the time? Lucky you. In North America, you could spend a lifetime pursuing a wonderful mixed bag from small rodents through the biggest deer in the ... 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
Advanced Scope Mounting
By John Barsness
Prevent ring damage and range problems by following these tips. Many shooters think scope mounting is simple. Just tighten a few screws, and the job is done, right? Well, there’s a little more to it than that. All too often, a new scope runs out of clicks before bullet holes appear anywhere near the center of the target. And sometimes the adj... 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
What’s a Magnum?
By Jon R. Sundra
The line between standard and magnum cartridges has long been blurred. There was a time when the term “magnum” was fairly well defined. I’m talking back in the ’60s and ’70s when the word pretty much meant a cartridge more powerful than normal and was usually based on the belted Holland & Holland case. In fact, in ... READ MORE
150 Years of Winchester Lever Actions
By Ron Spomer
In this special preview of the May 2016 issue just sent to subscribers, Ron Spomer explains why lever-action rifles remain ideal for big-game hunting after a century and a half of use. Photo: It wasn’t until John Browning designed the Model 1886 that Winchester produced a lever-action repeating rifle strong enough to handle powerful rounds li... READ MORE
Evolution of the .22
By Ralph M. Lermayer
The .22 rimfire reigns supreme for controlling pests and filling the stew pot. It was conceived as a parlor game, a way for cooped-up people to amuse themselves, by tipping over little targets with a round not powerful enough to do any damage. M. Flobert patented the Bulleted Breech Cap (BB Cap) in 1845. It was simply the existing musket cap with a... READ MORE
Finding the Sweet Spot
By Ron Spomer
The right bullet at the right seating depth can shoot like a house afire. Pardon the personal question, but how deep is your seat? This has nothing to do with furniture or your personal deep-seated convictions. It has everything to do with how accurately your rifles shoot. Bullet seating depth is critical. You probably already know that a particula... READ MORE
One Man’s Meat Rifle
By Sam Fadala
Many of us hunt for tasty venison, not antlers. Here are five opinions on the best guns for makin’ meat.
Hunters revere whitetails sporting magnificent headdresses. But trophy deer are not average, and average is what’s available in numbers.
I spent a decade hunting the elusive Coues’ deer in Arizona and Mexico in pursuit of bon... READ MORE
The Unappreciated .260 Remington
By Jon R. Sundra
Although 6.5s have been dominating long-range shooting, hunters still think of the .260 Rem as a kid’s cartridge. I’ve read a number of articles in which the author, believing a particular rifle or cartridge deserves to be more popular than it is, uses Rodney Dangerfield’s line about getting no respect. It’s far from origina... READ MORE
The Slug Gun King
By Ralph M. Lermayer
Ithaca’s Deerslayer is back, and this one in 20 gauge shoots as well as the original.
One would think that when a large percentage of the hunting public wanted a product, all of the manufacturers would trip over themselves to provide it, especially in today’s competitive firearms market. Well, factor this: Thirty-five percent of the hu... READ MORE