Recreational

On GunReports.com, the 'History of the Gun' online video series produced by site sponsor Ruger looks at the progression of firearms technology. Part 1 examines the Hand Cannon.

(GunReports.com) -- Large majorities of Americans feel that they should be allowed to have guns, a new Harris Poll shows, but ominously, pluralities of Americans favor stricter control of guns, particularly hand guns.

The .30-06 is the most popular cartridge all over the world, and rightly so. The many varieties of bullet weights, types and velocities available, in both factory loads and as components for the handloader, are unmatched in any other cartridge. There are saboted lightweight bullets at varmint-getting velocities, heavyweights up to 220 grains with enough horsepower to cleanly take fairly heavy game, and lots of options in between. The cartridge is versatile and flexible, and an outstanding choice for anyone who doesn’t want a closetful of rifles for different uses. The ’06 fills many needs.Stainless steel rifles are not maintenance free. The use of stainless means your rifle won’t be damaged by occasional neglect, as sometimes happens on extended hunts or near the seashore. It’ll still need cleaning after use, just like rifles made of ordinary steel. Essentially, the use of stainless steel means the firearm will never need refinishing. Unless it is seriously damaged along the way, fifty years from now your rifle will look exactly like it does today. That’s the good part.

Three 22 LR conversions for centerfire pistos earned 'buy' recommendations in the June 2010 issue of Gun Tests, says its editor, but the magazine showed a strong preference for one unit.

Hundreds have answered the GunReports.com survey question: Is the 9mm Sufficient for Self-Defense? They are entered to win a $225 Insight Technology X2l Subcompact Laser/Light MTV-100-A1. Voting closes June 21, 2010.

Video: Larry Potterfield of Midway USA talks about the 38-55 Winchester Centerfire, which started life as a Ballard target cartridge in 1884. Winchester later chambered this cartridge in the 1885 single shot along with the 1884 lever action.

(GunReports.com) -- Reversing an interpretation of the Gun Control Act that has been on the books for more than four decades, ATF today posted a ruling declaring any shipment of a firearm by a manufacturer (FFL) to any agent or business (e.g., an engineering-design firm, patent lawyer, testing lab, gun writer, etc.) for a bona fide business purpose to be a 'transfer' under the Gun Control Act of 1968, according to the NSSF.

Champion shooter Jerry Miculek demonstrates proper trigger control.

Video: Picking The Right Smoothbore for Women (5:46)

Video: Terminator, Mummy shotgun, Legend Puma (Armi Chiappa) Lever Action Shotgun, from Gun Tests Magazine (3:06)

When a friend of mine bought a used Iver Johnson M1 Carbine, he got more than he bargained for. Since the seller talked like he knew what he was doing, my friend accepted some reloads along with the gun, thinking that the ammo was just another bonus to the good deal he had made. When one of the loads exploded in his face-embedding a portion of the wooden stock in my friends forehead-it became obvious that the previous owner should have been a politician. Then my friend would have known not to trust him.

The Varminter is a variation on the Bushmaster AR-15 platform. It carries a 24-inch fluted 4150 chrome-moly steel barrel, which measures 1 inch inside the aluminum handguard down to 0.75 inch forward of the gas block.The competition-crowned barrel has a 1-in-9 twist. The gun comes with the Bushmaster competition trigger, with what the company claims is a smooth, two-stage, 4.5-pound pull.