Special Purpose

No one rimfire pistol can do everything. If it's precise enough for serious NRA bullseye competition, it's too big and heavy for taking along on a hiking trip. If it's light enough for trail use, it doesn't have enough weight for steadiness on the firing line in serious competition. Sure, there are many more uses for .22 pistols, such as hunting, plinking, and the like, but these two extremes give a reasonable picture of the scope of rimfire semiautomatics. No single gun can do all these things … or can it?

New Jersey resident Matt Emmons finished third in the men’s 50-meter 3-position-rifle event earlier this week.

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.

Seller “Oregon Guns” has listed a Franchi LAW-12 tactical shotgun for sale in Auction #11139577, pointing out that the model is “permanently banned from importation” and to “make sure to get yourself one of these ‘evil assault shotguns’ while you still can.”

Gun Tests Magazine tested the $380 Ruger Charger CHR22-10, a 22LR semiautomatic with 10-inch barrel, and with an action based on Ruger's aluminum 10/22 rifle action. The gun plants the action inside a laminate stock with an extended grip that is flared at the butt to stabilize contact with the ground or shooting bench. It arrived with sights, but they were fitted with a Weaver scope mount. The gun fed from a 10--round rotary magazine made by Ruger.

If you’re looking for an AK-47 that’s not a run-of-the-mill item, check out the Shooters Wholesale Black Widow AK47 Tactical Custom being auctioned by “gmsidaho” in Auction #11126834. Chambered in 7.62x39mm, the Black Widow is a hand-crafted custom-built rifle made in the USA.

In association with CheaperThanDirt.com, the Gun Tests/GunReports.com team shoots a quartet of high-cap shotguns, with surprising results. The head-to-head findings compare a Saiga 12-gauge autoloader, the Kel-Tec KSG pumpgun, a Red Jacket Saiga Conversion, and the AR-15–style Akdal Arms MKA1919 autoloader.

Auction 10978444 at GunAuction.com is unique in a couple of respects: first, listed for sale is a Springfield Armory Camp Perry M1A Match Rifle; and second 100% of the sale price will be donated to the NRA.

Gun Tests magazine just finished testing several 9mm carbines in the June 2012 issue. One of the test guns was a Norinco-modified UZI with a fixed stock. Here’s a look at the updated UZI SMGs in action, available as either semiautos or full auto.

Occasionally, a curio firearm makes it through years of inattention unscathed and gets listed on GunAuction.com in amazingly good condition. Such is the case with a WWII Walther German P-38 AC45 that the seller, “Oregon Guns,” lists in Auction #11044725.

The Model 1897 was a slide-action shotgun designed for the new smokeless powder when it was introduced more than a century ago. According to the Winchester Collector website, Winchester made more than 1 million 1897s, with production from 1897 to 1957. Replacing the Model 1893, the 1897 was offered in 12 gauge with a 30-inch barrel until 1899 in solid frame or takedown. The 16 gauge was introduced in 1900. Oregon-based “elkman” has a Winchester Model 97 16 gauge 2 3/4-inch-chamber pump-action shotgun listed for sale in Auction #10999652.

FPS Russia has a lot of fun with a fully-automatic Glock 17 and a 100-round drum magazine. There’s also some incendiary ammo that goes hot too soon.