Rifles

Every gunsmith has secrets he would never share with a competitor. Here are a few you can claim as your own (but don’t tell anyone else).

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.

Wilson Combat has announced its first firearm collaboration with tactical shooting expert Paul Howe, the Paul Howe Tactical Carbine.

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.

In making the case for the AR-15 platform to serve as a hunting rifle, it was pointed out that its military pedigree does not really set it apart from the other rifles we love carrying into the field. Almost every rifle from musket to semi-automatic was born of military design, so why should the Modern Sporting Rifle be any different? Likewise, were also seeing a growing acceptance of bolt-action hunting rifles with military profiles. Just like the AR-15, if a certain stock configuration and features like removable box magazines work well for snipers and designated marksmen, then they are sure to work efficiently for the hunter, too. Hence the appeal of our test rifle, the $885 Model 527 Varmint Target from CZ-USA chambered for 204 Ruger.

Marlin’s Model 1891 lever-action repeater was manufactured from 1891 through about 1897, with nearly 19,000 rifles manufactured in all. This handy, small-framed model was offered in both .22 and the then-popular .32 rimfire calibers.

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.

The glory days for Marlin were from the early 1880s up to about the turn of the century, a time when they manufactured an impressive line of high-quality lever-action rifles and carbines. Marlin's lever-actions were also offered in a wide range of calibers and sizes. These ranged from large rifles to handle big-game calibers to medium-framed rifles in pistol calibers (such as the .44-40 Winchester) down to small .22-caliber rimfire versions. The original Marlins were…

Wilson Combat has introduced the T.R.I.M. AR-10-D (Tactical Rail Interface, Modular) AR-10 rail, which the company touts as the lightest, strongest and most versatile compact free-floating rail systems on the market. It’s available in 12-inch ($350) and 14-inch ($360) sizes. It is designed for AR-10 pattern rifles and clones with 1-7/16-18 inch threaded receivers, such as the DPMS/SR-25.

If you've been hearing mumblings about changes to the NRA National Smallbore Rifle Championships, both Position and Prone, look no further. NRA says the championships are being moved from Camp Perry, Ohio to Bristol, Indiana for 2014 and 2015.

We acquired two historical and technically interesting firearms for this test. The guns were the 9mm Wise Lite Arms Sterling L2A3 9mm, about $500, and the Inter Ordnance/Pioneer Arms PPS-43C Pistol chambered in 7.62x25 Tokarev, also in the $500 range. The latter is officially a pistol because its folding stock is welded in the folded position. We found the folding stocks do nothing for their handling or practical function, but in close quarters that might be a handy feature. Both designs originally fired from an open bolt, and the Sterling was originally selective fire. These two test guns are both manufactured to fire semiauto-only, and they both fire from a closed bolt. We managed to find three types of 9mm ammo and two brands of 7.62x25 Tokarev, enough to wring out both guns. Here's what we found.

Brownells makes it very easy for any shooter, experienced or not, to convert his Ruger Mini-14 into a tricked-out rifle that meets your exacting wants and needs. The first step in this customization process is to determine what I am going to use the rifle for. Foremost, I wanted this rifle for varmint hunting, particularly night-time hunting. My secondary use is for self-defense purposes at home.