Shirt-Tucker Holsters: Are They Practical, or Just Pipedreams?
Binoculars Test, Part I: Leupold 10x40s Beat Bushnell, Steiner
We examined six pairs of optics ranging in price from just under $300 to nearly $1,700 to see if price really has an impact on ease of use and performance. First up, models under $900.
TDA .40 S&W Pistols: Vertec Beats Cougar and 4013TSW
You can't go wrong with the sexy Italian $875 Beretta Cougar Inox or the all-American $940 S&W 4013TSW. But our first pick is the slightly larger $758 Beretta 96 Vertec.
Getting Bores Clean: Copper Solvents Require Elbow Grease
We test Sweet's 7.62 Solvent, Accubore, Shooter's Choice Copper Remover, Montana X-treme 50 BMG, Sports Care Copper Cleaning Gel, and Tetra-Gun Copper Solvent.
Laser Range Finder Binoculars: Bushnell, Wind River, NewCon Optiks Tested
In a comparison of optical quality, user-friendly features, and prices, we find these units can quickly and accurately answer the questions of "Where?" and "How far?" with precision.
.308 Tactical Bolt Actions: Package Versus Custom Built
Thinking of trying long-distance shots? Savage Arms makes it reasonably affordable. Roger David's Gun Shop makes it special.
A Pair of High-Dollar 1911s: Nowlin Versus Rock River Arms
High-grade 1911s can do a multitude of tasks for their owners. The jobs can include NRA target shooting, various action-oriented competitions, hunting, and of course self-defense. In this report we look at two relatively high-dollar 1911s to see how well they might work for any task to which a good .45 might be put. The companies who made the guns suggested these are target-grade or match-specific weapons. Yet each came with very similar and rather special modifications that told us the story only began with accurate target busting.
Packing a 1911 .45 Comfortably, Or How To Live With Ol Ugly Every Day
Wringing Out Three 36X Target Scopes: We pick Weavers T36
Cross-Draw Holsters: We Test a Quintet of Leather from DeSantis, Galco, and Wellsmade
Is Pocket Carry Safe? Getting A Hold on Pocket Holsters
Carrying a pistol in a pocket requires that the gun be disguised, secure, and protected. Can two holsters achieve this hat trick?
Winchester Ranger Ammunition Challenges Federal Hydra-Shok
The Ranger Law Enforcement Only (LEO) ammunition is a direct challenge to the Federal Hydra-Shok cartridge that is used exclusively by the FBI. We wondered how the two rounds stacked up in a head-to-head comparison, so we acquired samples of both rounds in .357 Sig, .45 ACP and .40 S&W [PDFCAP(1)]. Here is what we found.
The Winchester Ranger ammunition in .357 SIG (125-grain SXT, code RA357SIGT, a jacketed hollowpoint) on average fell some 27 foot-pounds of energy short of the Federal Hydra-Shok in the same weight and configuration. Accuracy of the Ranger round was also slightly behind, to the tune of 0.3 inch on average. Other considerations, recoil and report, were slightly less than when firing the Federal cartridge in the SIGArms P239.
On the .40 S&W side, the Winchester Ranger cartridge, we feel, proved superior when fired in the Glock 22. The Ranger 180-grain SXT (code RA40T) shot groups nearly half the size of the Federal Hydra-Shoks in the same bullet weight and configuration. Muzzle energy was nearly identical but recoil and report were, in the case of the Ranger ammunition, noticeably reduced.
