Hunting

Little more than a month before the United States entered the war against Germany in 1917, Browning officially demonstrated his two newest brainchildren for an audience of senators, representatives, military officers, and assorted members of the press. One entry was a .30 caliber, water-cooled machine gun capable of discharging 600 rounds per minute. The other was a rifle light enough to be carried by a foot soldier, fired from the shoulder or hip and instantly convertible from single shot to fully automatic fire at 480 rounds per minute. The Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) was an immediate hit.

The Hornady 17 Magnum Rimfire promises and delivers on the fun factor. With negligible recoil and a reasonable cost per shot compared to most centerfires, the Hornady 17 HMR is easy on the shoulder and not especially damaging to the wallet, either. In our quest for value, performance, and fun, we looked Henry Lever Action Frontier Model No. H001TV Octagon-Barrel 17 HMR, $550. It's interesting to review this smaller Henry as preparation for an in-depth look at the company's Big Boy lever gun in the upcoming October 2012 issue of Gun Tests.

One of the more popular of these inexpensive shotguns is the Mossberg Model 500 pump action. It is a reasonably strong and reliable repeating shotgun with many features normally found on much more expensive shotguns.

Due to overwhelming grassroots opposition from law-abiding gun owners and California’s firearms industry members, SB 249 was pulled from the Assembly Appropriations Committee hearing calendar for Thursday, Aug. 16. This means that the bill is dead for the year.

“Dust 2 Dollars” is running an auction for a Remington Model 760 GameMaster pump-action rifle chambered in 270 Winchester — and there’s a twist. Because this rifle is 59 years old, it qualifies for a C&R transfer.

Auction 11278485 at GunAuction.com is a left-handed deer hunter’s dream: a Remington Model 721 in .243 Win. This customized left-hand bolt-action rifle has several indications that it was built by a true rifleman: a nice-looking walnut Monte Carlo pistol grip stock, a 26-inch medium-heavy-taper barrel with no rust, wear, scrapes, or scratches, and a 4-pound trigger pull. And this: The rifle is a custom chambering of the .243 Win. cartridge because the Model 721 was not made in that round.

Three basic subassemblies, the barreled action, trigger group and bolt assembly, are involved here. For the sake of simple cleaning, the rifle need only be taken down to these groups. If other problems exist, you'll need to go well beyond the instruction pamphlet provided with the firearm. To disassemble the Mini-14, the first thing that you must do is remove the magazine and set the hammer in the cocked condition. Pull the bolt handle all the way back, cocking the hammer, then release the bolt forward. Push the safety back to place it in the on position. Place the rifle in your padded jaw vise with the trigger guard pointing up. It works best for me if I hold the barrel in the leather-faced jaws of my vise.

GunAuction is giving away a new Henry U.S. Survival AR-7! You can win this gun by simply posting a picture and asking your friends to vote on it! Here’s how it works:

After making 2 million Model 12s from 1912 to 1980, Winchester brought this famous shotgun back. Here's what to look for in the newer one.

FNH USA's new FN P-12 pump shotgun marks FNH USA's re-entry into the pump shotgun market.

Over the years, Savage/Stevens manufactured a whole bunch of reasonably priced side-by-side double barreled shotguns, establishing a niche in the hunting gun market. Though inexpensive, these shotguns have proven over the years to be quite durable and there are enough out there to make it likely that one will find its way into your shop for a fix-up or rejuvenation.

The Gun Tests/GunReports.com video team recently did a range review of the Fulton Armory FAR-308 Phantom, a $1,910 retail unit before optional equipment is added. The gun’s basic weight is 9.65 pounds before the upgrades.