FREE AMERICAN SPIRIT ARMS AR-15 .223 ENTER To wIN 2-16X SCOP E & MORE ! $4.95 OUTSIDE U.S. $7.95 SEPTEMBER 2010 NIGHTHAWK CUSTOM
Vol. 56, Number 9, 657th Issue 6 8 SOLID DEFENSE DUO Nighthawk Custom 12-gauge Tactical shotgun and T3 .45 ACP 1911 pistol. STOR
76 PHOTO: ROBERT BARRkMAN GUNS MaGaziNe GUN OF THe MONTH AMERICAN SPIRIT ARMS AR-15 36 40 48 52 56 60 LEVERGUN PERFECTION RICHAR
THE FINEST IN THE FIREARMS FIELD SINCE 1955 CROSSFIRE GUNS MAGAZINE JULY 2010 BOaRD OF DiReCTORS Thomas von Rosen, CEO; Thomas H
THe M&P15-22 S&W fields their own unique rimfire AR. mith & Wesson fans, you’re going to like the M&P15-22. Most S of us were ca
When traveling light is the order of the day, the new Taurus Compact Pistol answers the call. The 10.2 oz. TCP — 9 oz. in Titani
RIMFIRES Smith & Wesson’s M&P15-22 exhibits excellent lines and attention to detail. The stock is fully extended. The quad rail
ThaT’s savage accuracy. Whether it’s taking out a deadly threat or taking out a fly on your buddy’s target at 100 yards just bec
RIMFIRES incorporates a rear-sling swivel, there is no complementary forward-sling swivel. The Picatinny, quad-rail fore-end is
Ruger SR9c Pistol 9mm Luger ® ™ sr9c tHe comPAct ™ “The SR9c obstinately refused to malfunction.” Patrick Sweeney, Guns & Ammo w
THe TRUTH aBOUT GUN FOLK What we do for each other counts. n event I recently participated in proved the truth about “gun A folk
BODYGUARD 380 ® BODYGUARD 38 ® NEW BODYGUARD S ® LIGHTWEIGHT • COMPACT • CONCEALABLE INSIGHT is a registered ® trademark of INSI
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K MONTANA MUSINGS maximum. Otherwise they became too crowded to score easily.) The closest shot to center won
• JOHN BARSNESS • aLL-TiMe FaVORiTeS Handloading the .38 Special and .357 Magnum. ore shooters handload the .38 Special and .357
I N T R O D U C I N G a m m u n i t i o n the new standard by which all ammunition will be judged. IT IS FAST: 100 – 200 fps FAS
One of our .38 revolvers was acquired as a “gift” from my anti-gun mother-in-law, Cecilia. A few years after Eileen’s father pas
HANDLOADING I must confess not many newer powders have worked their way into my .38/.357 loading, partly because the classic pow
• MASSAD AYOOB • FLYiNG WiTH HaNDGUNS It isn’t a big problem, but there are some trickbags to avoid. t reader request (Yes, the
Hardshell, locking suitcases like these are recommended to contain the hardshell, separately locked pistol cases inside. from th
This mount improves accuracy, too. he Mini-14 was an immediate hit when Ruger announced it in T the mid 1970s. It was strong, re
marked rings made by Warne. With the scope groups were in the 2" range (incidentally all were 5-shot groups). Frankly, this is a
UNDeRSTaNDiNG CHaMBeRS Let’s clear our throats. he chamber specifications in any barrel should, one, be known. T Two, if there a
ay attention! Chances are an AR-15 bought off the rack, or a barrel bought pre-chambered, will have either a SAAMI or a NATO cha
RANGING SHOTS • CLINT SMITH • DO OVeR If you shoot a rifle enough, it will need to be rebuilt. am a bit odd as I use my guns, ha
The Robar flame rifle and the original skull before it got skulled up. They’ve since had so many rounds through them, a complete
™ • HOLT BODINSON • Cia’S CeNTURiON A made in the USA AK. he latest catalog from Century International Arms (CIA) lists 27 T mod
hands of foreign intelligence. Century’s Centurion 39 Sporter Rifle took two years of engineering time and hundreds of thousands
Centurion. The MTL-225 is a tough, mil-spec accessory grip/light offering both momentary-on and constant-on control of a very po
chambered for .223 Remington only and NATO-spec ammo should not be fired. One telltale sign your gun isn’t chambered correctly (
The Marlin 1895 SBl .45-70. n 1988 Marlin introduced the Guide Gun; a modified Model 1895 packed with features custom rifle buil
Richard shot this Alberta black bear with Marlin’s new 1895 SBL using the open, Ghost Ring sights, factory standard on the rifle
LEVERGUN PERFECTION o get the most versatility out of the XS Sight Systems’ Lever Rail you need a dependable set of quick-releas
with Remington’s 300-grain SemiJacketed Hollowpoint. Remington’s other .45-70 load, the 405-grain Softpoint averaged 2.01" for t
Defensive Duo 40 WWW.GUNSMAGAZINE.COM • SEPTEMBER 2010
NIGhThAwk CuSToM N u G T o h S L A IC T C A T E G 12-GAu . L o T IS P 1 1 9 1 P C A 5 .4 3 AND T ighthawk Custom began making cu
nighthawk Custom 12-gauge Tactical shotgun and T3 .45 aCP 1911 pistol. 42 WWW.GUNSMAGAZINE.COM • SEPTEMBER 2010
WWW.GUNSMAGAZINE.COM 43
A B C d E peep sights, but I can shoot faster and straighter with a red dot. Stock and forearm are by Hogue. The test gun had a
The combination of the Vang system and the soft recoil pad makes recoil quite tolerable, even when shooting slugs from the bench
RIFLES THAT RESPOND WHEN YOUR TRAINING TAKES OVER. Rock river Arms PRO-SERIES ELITE / AR1731 NEW! Shown with optional Operator s
The best 5-shot, 25-yard groups with the Nighthawk Custom T3, hand held over a sandbag rest was .8" with Black hills .45 ACP 230
o B So le Te Sh o oTi n G a n Ti qu e, o r ju ST Pl a in o ld G u n S. ohn Barsness once wrote that I have made a career out of
“Gun Fit” These are Duke’s most recent “old pistol” projects. At left is Japanese Type 14 8mm Nambu with the proper RCBS dies. A
surprised to see Hornady is producing factory ammo for its odd little 7.92mm Kurz caliber. Once a shooter has the proper cases t
“Shopping?” This original winchester Model 1876 .45-60 was blown in two by a smokeless powder reload. If it was made in the blac
he large deer known in North America as “elk” has somehow gotten the reputation for being as difficult to topple as a brick bank
problem was bullets. The reason Elmer Keith “knew” a 250-grain, .33" bullet was necessary for elk was the mediocre bullets of th
ELK RIFLES The .300 weatherby will take elk both far and near when used with a deep-penetrating bullet like the 200-grain Nosler
today many hunters with an elk tag don’t stand any chance of taking a 6-point bull. The two mountain ranges on either side of th
ruGer’S .327 Federal MaGnuMS. ur latest Magnum sixgun cartridge is another example of not really realizing what is possible. The
At the time Federal said: “Federal Premium has partnered with Ruger to introduce a new personal defense revolver cartridge desig
MAXI MICE Gun: aCTion Type: Caliber: CapaCiTy: barrel lenGTh: overall lenGTh: weiGhT: finiSh: SiGhTS: GripS: priCe: maxi miCe ma
.327 feDeral hanDloaDeD ammo performanCe blaCkhawk 5-1/2" bulleT (branD, bulleT weiGhT, Type) powDer (branD) CharGe (GrainS weiG
A s part of the continuing program of resurrecting older and popular models of Smith & Wesson revolvers, the Model 58 .41 Magnum
RESURRECTION moDel 58 maker: SmiTh & weSSon 2100 rooSevelT ave. SprinGfielD, ma 01104 (800) 331-0852 www.SmiTh-weSSon.Com aCTion
See It all he GUNS Magazine Product T Index links you automatically to every company advertising or RIGHTS WATCH • DAVID CODREA
operator since October and arrived in Afghanistan a few weeks ago. During his first month here he has made more than 20 recoveri
Got guns? Now keep ’em! • JOHN CONNOR • Safety & SeCUrIty obody knows—not the ATF, the firearms industry, or even N Stinky Stan
fingerprint recognition—up to 10 your holstered piece right up combinations, and it has fingerprints can be programmed— into gra
www. 70 options. The 5-spoke vault handle on Winchester Safe’s Supreme Series drives up to 20 massive 2" steel bolts out of all
plus Cannon’s excellent GunSaver Dehumidifier without reliance on batteries. Cannon also provides a free lifetime repair or repl
Classified ads $2.00 per-word insertion. ($1.50 perword insertion for 3 or more) including name, address and phone number (20 wo
For more information on seeing your product featured in New Products, Contact: Andrew Oram (866) 903-1199. RAZOR SERIES FROM BLA
For more New Products visit us online at www.gunsmagazine.com SABERTOOTH KNIFE, BOOK COMBO FROM THE SABERTOOTH KNIFE The Saberto
PHOTO: ROBBIE BARRKMAN aMerICan SpIrIt arMS ar-15 CoUnterSnIper optICS SCope oy have we got a nice setup for one of you this mon
CQt-MaGnUM 747 Maker: topS knIveS p.o. Box 2544 IDaho fallS, ID 83403 (208) 542-0113, www.topSknIveS.CoM BlaDe MaterIal: N690Co
harD leSSonS At the University of Hard Knocks. he kid was about 7, I think. A rawboned skinny boy with a big scab on his nose an
are cold rations of misery and poverty. And I learned why governments call contract soldiers “mercenaries” and hate them. Simple
SEPTEMBER 2010 ADVERTISER PAGE ADVERTISER PAGE ADVERTISER’S INDEX The companies listed have featured advertisements in this issu
continued from page 82 The basement of the building held all the plumbing supplies. One day the old man at the counter was all e
And leave the dreams alone. everal centuries ago William Shakespeare examined the Ages S of Man with the result being we wind up
I am the DD M4 Carbine. I must defend you. I must always shoot straight. I must always function flawlessly. I must always be rea