Hunting

Gun Tests magazine recently tested compact two new 243 rifles in the April 2013 issue. Here’s an excerpt of that report, used with permission: Lost in the current frenzy to hoard any and all Modern Sporting Rifles are fresh innovations being applied to bolt-action rifles. Not only are new manufacturing techniques making “minute-of-angle” bolt guns less expensive but more versatile, too. In this test we will evaluate two bolt action rifles chambered for 243 Winchester that offer something extra. The $641 Howa/Hogue Youth 2N1 rifles come with two different stocks so that the same Howa M1500 action will accommodate more than one shooter. Both stocks are manufactured by Hogue, using the OverMolded technique. Thompson Center Arms’s $679 Dimension rifle offers the ability to accept different-caliber barrels so that the same rifle, or as the manufacturer prefers “platform,” can be used to hunt a wider variety of game.

There are three new videos available at GunReports.com.: Harley Ride and Shoot -- For Juvenile Diabetes, SIGTac Adaptive Carbine Platform, and IWI Tavor MTAR-21 SAR first impressions with Jerry Miculek.

Bushnell Outdoor Products has introduced a new 8x30mm digital camera binocular. The new ImageView 8x30mm combines eight power magnification optics with a camera that delivers both high resolution photos and high definition (HD) video.

American Gunsmith magazine recounts that Remington 700 rifles seldom cause many problems, but here are some quick-and-easy solutions to common complaints. From the American Gunsmith Library series.

A summit meeting last week brought together professionals from state fish and game agencies and leaders of the firearms, ammunition, archery, and fishing and recreational boating industries–all of which pay excise taxes to support the American tradition of outdoor recreation.

This neat unit gives excellent performance. It is a good option for the Glock fan wishing to dedicate one of his pistols to the carbine concept. Commonality of trigger action is a strong point, as well as commonality with magazines. On the basis of affordability, it is a good choice, if you already have the Glock pistol on hand.

Trophy-class specimens of whitetail deer, Stone's sheep, Dall's sheep, desert sheep and grizzly bears are becoming more common afield, based on newly compiled records by the Boone and Crockett Club. However, trophy records are declining for caribou.

All Mossberg autoloaders available are gas operated. Each bleeds a set amount of gas from the ignition of the shotshell, down through a port in the barrel to function the action. The oldest of these guns, the Model 5500, requires the shooter to change barrels when switching from non-Magnum to Magnum loads. Two updated 5500s—the new Model 6000 and the Maverick 60—will continue to do so. A totally new Mossberg, the Model 9200, allows free interchange of ammunition without changing barrels.

At the 2013 NRA Annual Meetings, Stoeger introduced 20-gauge models to the Longfowler Series of double-barrel shotguns, available in both side-by-side (SxS) and over/under (O/U) models. The Longfowler Series features 30-inch barrels and walnut stocks and forends that sport a weather-resistant stained oil-finish.

Uberti introduced a new caliber for the Silverboy small-bore lever-action rifle at NRAAM. The 22 Magnum Silverboy lever action uses a unique cartridge-control mechanism inside the action so that the gun can be fired and cycled while held at any angle, even when upside down.

The Thompson/Center Arms Dimension Bolt-Action Platform has received the Golden Bullseye Award for “Rifle of the Year” from American Hunter magazine, published by the National Rifle Association. This year’s nomination marks the fourth time Thompson/Center Arms has received the prestigious award in the rifle category with past winners including the Encore Pro Hunter, ICON and Venture rifles.

Franchi’s new Affinity Sporting is an Inertia Driven 12-gauge semiautomatic shotgun featuring a brushed nickel anodized receiver and 30-inch barrel. The Affinity Sporting weighs in at a little over 7 pounds. The Affinity Sporting’s 30-inch barrel sports a stepped, ventilated-rib, red fiber optic front sight and a set of three extended choke tubes.