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TESTED:
Mossberg’s New Patriot
.243 Winchester
Display until 8/6/16 Printed in USA
COLUMNS On the cover . . . This bolt-action
Gunwerks LR-1000 6.5-284 Norma
with a 5.5-22x Nightforce scope is
12 Uberti
Model
Sporting Firearms Journal
1876
.50-95 ISSN 0162-3593
Volume 48 Number 4
Winchester Issue No. 287 July 2016
Mostly Publisher/President – Don Polacek
Long Guns - Publishing Consultant – Mark Harris
Brian Pearce
FEATURES Editor in Chief – Lee J. Hoots
16
Editor Emeritus – Dave Scovill
Cleaning
26 Gunwerks Managing Editor – Roberta Scovill
Black- Senior Art Director – Gerald Hudson
Powder LR-1000 Production Director – Becky Pinkley
Rif les A Long-Range .300
Winchester Magnum Contributing Editors
Down Range - Brian Pearce John Barsness Stan Trzoniec
Mike Venturino John Haviland Mike Venturino
32
Brian Pearce Ken Waters
The Shrinking
18
Gil Sengel Terry Wieland
Scope
Screws – Big-Game Rif le Advertising
The Evolution of
Part II Lightweight Sporters
Advertising Director - Tammy Rossi
tammy@wolfepub.com
Light John Barsness Advertising Representative - Tom Bowman
Gunsmithing - bowman.t@sbcglobal.net
Advertising Representative - James Dietsch
Gil Sengel Page 38 . . . jamesdietsch@cox.net
Advertising Information: 1-800-899-7810
22 Scope Eye
Relief
Circulation
Circulation Manager – Kendra Newell
A Rifleman’s circ@riflemag.com
Optics - Subscription Information: 1-800-899-7810
www.handloadermagazine.com
John Haviland
50 The
Polacek Publishing Corporation, dba Wolfe Publishing
Testing Sellmark’s Company (Don Polacek, President), 2180 Gulfstream,
Ste. A, Prescott, Arizona 86301. Telephone: (928) 445-
Nosler Night Vision Optics 7810. Periodical Postage paid at Prescott, Arizona,
and additional mailing offices. Subscription prices:
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44 Ross Model 1905 8-10 weeks for first issue. Advertising rates furnished
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Send both the old and new address, plus mailing label
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62 and
Jägers
Ste. A, Prescott, Arizona 86301.
lever up at the end of the maga- key at the rear of the forestock and reled action is removed from the
zine tube and unscrew it, about twist the barrel counterclockwise stock by pushing the release at
four to five full turns, while alter- a quarter turn. The Atkinson Ru- the forward end of the magazine
nately flipping the lever back and ger M77 .405 WCF uses the same floorplate with the tip of a bullet,
forth to clear the barrel. When the basic takedown system as the then turn the floorplate approxi-
magazine tube is free from the re- Winchester Model 95, while the mately 90 degrees and lift out the
ceiver, get a firm grip on the fore- Zeglin rifle with uninterrupted magazine box. Then pull the pin
stock with the butt of the rifle held threads uses a pin stop on the re- that secures the forend to a bar-
firmly between your legs and feet ceiver to position the barrel, and rel boss and lift the barreled ac-
and twist it counterclockwise a the barrel is secured in that posi- tion out of the stock. The fit and
quarter turn to free the barrel tion with a setscrew on the oppo- finish on the floorplate and the
from the receiver. The use of the site side of the receiver. cross pin are silky smooth and re-
term “firm” is because the fit on One of the most interesting quire a bit of study to appreciate
these rifles is usually very tight. takedown rifles is a Mannlicher- the mechanical genius of it all, in-
For rifles like the Model 95 with Schönauer Model 1910 .375 EX. cluding the meticulous inletting
a box magazine, push the release After removing the bolt, the bar- and bedding. R
UbeRTi Model 1876
.50-95 winchesTeR
MOSTLY LONG GUNS by Brian Pearce
A fter enjoying successes with
the models Henry (aka 1860),
1866 and 1873 lever-action rifles,
each being an improved version
over the previous model, Win-
chester offered the Model 1876
Centennial rifle. It was based on
the same toggle-link action design
of the Model 1873 but increased
in size to handle longer and more
powerful cartridges. The western
frontier was still plenty wild, and
The Uberti Model 1876 (bottom) is an enlarged
there was high demand for a reli- version of the Model 1873 (top) with a toggle-
able and powerful repeating rifle. link action. Both are close replicas of original
The 1876 quickly gained accep- Winchester rifles.
tance in the U.S. and its territories
with big-game hunters, scouts, etc., The original Centennial rifle re- 1876 answered that demand with
but also became popular in India ceived its name from having been the .40-60 pushing a 210-grain
(for the large cats), England, Africa introduced on this country’s 100- bullet 1,562 fps, the .45-60 with a
and Canada. Winchester developed year anniversary and was dis- 300-grain slug at 1,315, while the
new cartridges specifically for the played at Philadelphia’s Centennial potent .45-75 launched a 350-grain
1876, including the .40-60, .45-60, Exposition. They were accurate, bullet around 1,383 fps, which was
.45-75 and .50-95 WCFs. reliable rifles and offered big-bore respectable power for many appli-
punch and unusual quality. cations. Introduced in 1879, the
High Plains Repeating cartridge rifles were
still relatively new, and in spite
.50-95 WCF featured a bottleneck
Reboring & Barrels, L.L.C. case and launched a 300-grain bul-
of Winchester’s huge success, the let to a reported 1,557 fps, which
Offering Button and Model 1873 was sometimes criti- was followed with a 350-grain slug
Cut-Rifled Barrels. cized for not offering enough power at around 1,300 fps (depending on
• Most calibers and twist rates with its primary .44 WCF (aka source). Its large caliber helped
• Some AR-15 barrels available .44-40 Winchester) cartridge that it gain a favorable reputation on
Contact: Norman Johnson pushed a 200-grain bullet around bison, elk and grizzly bears.
nrjonsn@westriv.com 1,300 fps. Big-game hunters and By 1881 the Model 1876 faced
Phone: 701-448-9188 riflemen wanting a bit more range stiff competition from the Marlin
243 14th Avenue NW and muscle usually turned to var-
Turtle Lake, ND 58575 Model 1881, which could house the
ious single-shot rifles. The Model military-adopted .45-70 Govern-
ment cartridge, but its toughest
competition came from the Brown-
660 Grand Ave.
ing-designed Winchester Model
Hartford,WI 53027
1886 that was lighter, more com-
Tel: 262-244-7023
pact, stronger and could house
longer and even more potent car-
tridges. Although production con-
Master Distributor of tinued through 1897, sales began
LEE PRECISION to lag due largely to the popularity
of the Model 1886.
Reloading Equipment Original Model 1876 rifles com-
mand a premium with most being
What’s the Titan Reloading bought up by collectors. High-con-
advantage? WE RELOAD! dition examples with good bores,
special-order options, etc., are
www.titanreloading.com especially difficult to obtain and
12 www.riflemagazine.com Rifle 287
Arms and features the standard
28-inch octagonal barrel, straight
lever and crescent steel buttplate.
This is a big rifle with an overall
length of 49 inches, and it weighs
around 101⁄2 pounds. The action
works smoothly, as did loading,
firing and ejection of cartridges
throughout testing. The receiver,
hammer and lever are case-col-
ored, while the barrel and maga-
zine tube are blued. The buttstock
and forearm are European wal-
Select handload data was developed Jamison .50-95 WCF factory loads were
for the .50-95 WCF. nut that is finished in a reddish, accurate in the Uberti Model 1876.
semigloss color. Wood-to-metal fit,
command premiums – and rarely machining, etc., are all rated as twist. The Uberti reproductions
do their owners shoot them. Be- good, especially considering the are fitted with a faster one-in-
ginning in 2007, the Italian firm A. comparatively modest price of this 48-inch, right-hand twist with six
Uberti began manufacturing qual- rifle (MSRP: $1,609). Although there grooves, which I feel is an improve-
ity reproductions with initial cali- are small differences between ment, especially when using 350-
bers being .40-60, .45-60 and .45-75 this reproduction and the original grain and heavier bullets, and it
WCFs. I have fired and developed Winchesters, they are minor. The still produces good accuracy with
load data for each and found them Uberti is a quality rifle constructed 300-grain “express” loads and bul-
accurate and reliable. The .50-95 of modern steels and is suitable lets. The bore is .500 inch while the
WCF was the last cartridge of- for loads containing black powder groove is .507/.508 inch. Cast bul-
fered and is now readily available (and substitutes) and appropriate lets used in handloads and factory
in multiple configurations. smokeless powder. ammunition are sized .510 inch and
The rifle used herein was im- Original Model 1876 .50-95 rifles .511 inch, respectively, all of which
ported by Cimarron Repeating feature a one-in-60-inch rifling gave excellent accuracy.
thumb nut is to run it up with the scope screw is that used to secure tapped scope base holes located in
fingers as far as possible, making the rear ring on many Redfield, Leu- line with the bore.
certain the ring is down on the pold and Burris bases. These are The bearing surface on this
base and the clamp plate is in its actually two opposing screws that screw is concave. It fits over a
proper position. Only then use the hold the ring down on the base matching convex area machined
driver to turn it another 1⁄8 revolu- and provide a means to zero the into the bottom of the ring. A bit
tion or less. That’s all. Much more scope for windage without using of muscle is needed to loosen one
can deform the 6x48-tpi threads of the scope’s internal adjustments. screw and tighten the opposing
the rod or thumb nut, then it won’t This is a very useful feature con- one, as well as tighten them both
stay tight. sidering many sporterized military securely when proper adjustment
Many folks are now wondering rifles do not have their drilled-and- is reached. A short, interchange-
why Weaver used that wide screw
slot on the scope ring thumb nuts.
It’s simple. A U.S. half-dollar coin
fits it perfectly and provides all
the gripping surface needed to
tighten or loosen the nut. My dad
and other riflemen I knew as a kid
carried the coins, having a notch
filed in the edge for this purpose.
Bill Weaver was a very savvy fellow.
Rings designed by Bill Ruger
for use on his rifles having integral
scope bases are also of the clamp-
type. They use a thumb nut with
a slot to secure them. Ruger’s rod
and thumb nut are more rugged
than the Weaver, being of 10x32-
tpi size. Here the threaded rod was
never long enough to protrude into
the slot in the thumb nut, so all
manner of too narrow screwdriver
blades are employed to tighten it.
Used Ruger rings without burred
thumb nuts are rare. Tighten the
nut just like the Weaver, being cer-
tain both gripping surfaces are
properly seated in the base. Im-
proper seating is the main reason
for problems with the Ruger sys-
tem.
The next most commonly abused
July-August 2016 www.riflemagazine.com 19
These are
commercial
drivers for Weaver
thumb nuts (top),
Redfield windage
screws (left)
and Brownells’
removable-tip
screwdriver
(right). Drivers
like the first two
are easily made.
Sometimes a shooter has to roll positions vary from standing shoot- worked fine for the close shots and
with the punches. The Safari Rifle ing offhand, rifles supported on big targets.
Challenge World Championships shooting stick(s), to kneeling or I turned the scope up to 5x
held in Libby, Montana, require sitting. to shoot balls hanging from
rifles of 9.3mm or larger caliber When I attended the contest, strings at 25 and 40 yards, but
and prohibit reduced-recoil loads. 420-grain bullets that generated eye relief shrank to 3 inches with
The 10-stage course of fire does a cruel 35 foot-pounds of recoil the scope turned up. The scope
not favor any specific style of rifle were shot from my Marlin 1895 stamped a red crescent on my
or sight. Distances vary between .45-70 Guide Gun. The Weaver eyebrow from the recoil of the
5 and 75 yards at targets from 1.5-5x 32mm scope on the Marlin first shot. Blood gushed after the
life-size Cape buffalo, elephant, provided 4.25 inches of eye relief second shot. The bullets had torn
leopard and crocodile to clay tar- when set on 1.5x. That spacing the balls from their strings, how-
gets, water jugs and rubber balls kept the scope safely away from ever, so I wore the cut like a badge
suspended on strings. Shooting my eye, and that magnification of courage. R
G
that offers remarkable precision at
unwerks in Burlington, Wy- extreme distances, or what Gun-
oming, began building spe- werks refers to as “1,000 yards out
of the box.” This shooting system
cialized hunting rifles in has answered the rapidly growing
2006 with the Long Range demand for long-range hunting
Hunter (LRH) being the first model. rifles and is setting a new stan-
dard. Over most of the past year,
Like most successful firearms man- I have fired several different Gun-
ufacturers, the company progressed werks LR-1000 rifles chambered
for four different cartridges on
and currently offers several different long-range courses, in the field and
models, including lightweight rifles con- from the bench and have toured
structed of carbon fiber and titanium, the factory to observe the details
of design and manufacture. The
tactical variations and even muzzle- rifles have categorically offered
loaders. From a hunter’s standpoint, outstanding performance.
the LR-1000 (an updated version of the Gunwerks rifles are engineered
and manufactured in the U.S., with
LRH) is perhaps most interesting, as Mike and Aaron Davis being at the
it offers versatility for a variety of helm of this small but fast growing
field applications. It is sold separately company. Each rifle is built with
great attention to important de-
but can also be purchased as a com- tails. The factory is bulging at the
plete “shooting system” consisting of a seams with growth and ex-
ballistic rangefinder along with a fac- pansion; nonetheless, stream-
lined production produces
tory-installed, sighted and regulated rifles with speed and effi-
long-range scope. ciency. CNC tooling produces
Gunwerks
LR-1000
www.riflemagazine.com
A Long-Range .300 Winchester Magnum
precision-machined components, rotating internal extractor staked lug in place. The side-mounted
while skilled craftsmen precisely inside the bolt body. This results bolt stop is positive and tidy. The
fit and true every action, assem- in a strong, push-feed system that floorplate is hinged, with the re-
ble and apply the finish to the should not be overly sensitive to lease being located inside the trig-
final product. Next a scope (usu- dirt or harsh use. A large flange, ger guard. The box magazine has
ally a turret-equipped Nightforce machined in conjunction with the a three-round capacity with belted
or Leupold) is installed, while a bolt handle, protects the shooter magnum cartridges. The adjust-
match-grade barrel is carefully from gases that might travel down able trigger is a Jewel Elite that,
broken in. Each rifle is sighted in the right raceway in the unlikely on the most recent test rifle, broke
for a specified load and distance, event of a ruptured case. An en- cleanly at 36 ounces. With preci-
with scope and turrets being regu- closed bolt cap also helps divert sion machining and hand fitting,
lated (or customized) to match that gases. A two-position safety is lo- the action works smoothly.
rifle’s ballistics out to 1,000 yards. cated on the right side and oper- The synthetic stock is of Ameri-
During this process, accuracy is ates traditionally – “on” in the rear can Classic styling and is perhaps
verified. position and “fire” in the forward the best design I have used for all
The LR-1000 action is a 90-de- position. When in the “on” posi- shooting positions, including off-
gree turn bolt with forward twin tion, the bolt handle can be lifted hand, sitting, prone and awkward
locking lugs. The one-piece bolt to open the action and remove a positions that can be encountered
body features rotational flutes cartridge from the chamber. in the field. It features an attrac-
and integral bolt handle, a rugged The receiver is machined from tive cheekpiece and palm swell,
and reliable design. The bolt han- round bar stock and secured via while the semibeavertail forend is
dle is long for sufficient leverage two guard screws. Another screw wide (to assist with leveling) and
to easily work the action from any is located approximately 1.35 rounded. Its profile is far from
shooting position, and the knob is inches forward of the front guard bulky; it is comfortable and feels
large and knurled. The shank is screw and attaches to a threaded natural. The classic styling fea-
slotted to reduce weight. The bolt and angled steel block inside the tures a negative comb, perhaps
face is countersunk and features stock, known as a locking wedge, the most significant feature of this
two plunger ejectors and a long, that positively locks the recoil stock, as it positions the shooter
Gunwerks LR-1000
shooters. Regardless of the bar- .300 Winchester
rel installed, Gunwerks tests each Magnum
for proper scope alignment from to be certain it performs up to the Action: right- or left-hand turn bolt, twin lugs,
many positions, while helping to company’s accuracy standards. 90-degree rotation
control muzzle lift during recoil. The LR-1000 barrel is fluted, mea- Bolt: one-piece body and handle
It features a fully enclosed alu- sures .665 inch at the muzzle and Material: stainless steel or titanium
minum bedding block that spans can be fitted with a variety of op- Barrel length: 25 inches
from the rear receiver tang to for- tional muzzle brakes. Barrel as tested: fluted Bartlein single-point
ward of the recoil lug, while the re- It has been interesting to ob- cut-rifled, muzzle brake
mainder of the stock consists of a serve technological advancements Barrel twist: one turn in 10 inches
carbon fiber shell filled with fiber- in long-range shooting, which seem Stock material: carbon fiber shell, foam
glass epoxy foam. Optional colors to be continuing at an accelerated epoxy filled, aluminum chasis
and finishes are available. pace. In the 1970s, shooters used Stock features: flush cup swivels, rail bipod
The barrel on this particular test many of the same cartridges that mount, Decelerator pad,
rifle was manufactured by Bartlein are still popular with today’s long- negative comb
Barrels (www.bartleinbarrels.com), range shooters – such as the .280 Length of pull: 13.7 inches
which has earned a reputation for Remington and 7mm magnums, Weight: 7.35 to 7.55 pounds; with Nightforce
accuracy and long life. They are various .30-caliber magnums, in- 5.5-22x scope: 9.9 pounds
single-point cut rifled, which re- cluding the .300 Winchester Mag- Trigger: Jewel Elite, adjustable
sults in minimal barrel stress, and num, wildcat and production 6.5s, Magazine capacity: 3 rounds (magnum) +1
are cut with a twist rate measur- etc. – but scope and bullet tech- Available calibers: .22-250 Remington, 6.5
able to the finest toleances. Bar- nology placed limitations on effec- Creedmoor, 6.5-284 Norma, 6XC,
rels are prelapped prior to rifling, tive range in the field. For example, 7 LRM, 7mm SAUM, 7mm Reming-
then finish-lapped after rifling for most readily available, top-qual- ton Magnum, .28 Nosler, .280
Ackley, .30 Nosler, .300 RUM,
an incredibly smooth bore. Gun- ity hunting and target scopes (in
.300 Winchester Magnum, .375
werks also utilizes Rock Creek the U.S.) featured a one-inch tube. H&H, .375 Ruger
Barrels (www.rockcreekbarrels Generally speaking, adjustments
MSRP: $5,750; with Nightforce scope factory
.com), which also has a reputation were less than positive and not installed, zeroed: $8,450
for accuracy among long-range repeatable, and the elevation MOA
adjustments were limiting, so the
scope had to be shimmed (high) to Every rifle component is fit with precision.
sight in at extreme distances but
then could not be zeroed at more
normal ranges. At that time, gener-
ally the best solution for long-range
hunters was to sight-in at a given
distance and then develop a drop
chart with the exact load being
used (and range tested), usually
Rifle 287
taped to the scope objective bell or developed upper parallel (sta- acceptance of the 30mm scope
stock. When a shot was presented dia) bars that allowed shooters to tube in recent years, advance-
beyond the “zero” point of the “zoom” variable scopes in until the ments have been employed that
rifle, the drop chart was refer- two bars were bracketed on the have corrected many of the prob-
lems encountered with
one-inch tubes. In ad-
dition to better optical
quality, light transmis-
top of the shoulder and brisket of a sion, coatings, etc., 30mm tubes
deer (or other game of similar size) allow significantly greater MOA
enced, the shooter held accord- that was supposed to measure ap- adjustment. In other words, a rifle
ingly high and fired. proximately 18 inches. A range can be zeroed at 300 yards and
There were several problems indicator scale within the scope still offer plenty of elevation ad-
with this simplistic approach, but displayed the approximate dis- justment to “dial” the scope tur-
the single largest obstacle was tance. The Redfield “Accu-Range” ret for a dead zero aim at 1,000
range estimation. Although most system actually worked fairly well yards and beyond. Other impor-
shooters thought they could judge and was accurate enough that the tant features include zero stops,
distances accurately, the fact is al- U.S. Marine Corps began using it 1
⁄4 - and even 1⁄8 -MOA repeatable
most none actually could. Even if on sniper rifles during the 1960s adjustments, advanced reticles,
someone was fair at guessing, if in Vietnam. It was still an estima- mil-dots and other tools. Click ad-
they were only close or just a few tion and subject to error, however; justments, along with custom bal-
yards off with their estimation and neither did it allow for baro- listic-matched turrets, allow the
for a 600- or 800-yard shot, it still metric conditions, extreme long shooter to precisely adjust or dial
translated into a clean miss. Some range, uphill or downhill shoot- to bring zero to a specific distance
scope companies, such as Redfield, ing, wind, etc. in just moments. Naturally, the
In the decades since, many ad- shooter will need to compensate
ditional in-scope ranging methods for wind drift, bullet rotation drift
with varying degrees of accuracy and earth rotation during the bul-
have been marketed, but most were let’s time of flight, but scopes with
still “estimation systems” at best a first focal plane and various reti-
and had the same limitations as cles help make those adjustments
the Redfield. With the widespread easier.
An aluminum bedding block extends from the tang forward of the recoil lug.
S
more accurately, because they result in less recoil,
piral rifling appeared about so pulling the trigger doesn’t result in self-imposed
pain. Yes, the pain can also be reduced by soft recoil
five centuries ago, and since pads and proper stock fit, but lighter bullets reduce
then the overall trend has the recoil impulse itself, even before we fiddle with
the stock.
been toward smaller calibers Muzzle brakes also reduce recoil but increase the
and lighter rifles. Most shrinkage oc- noise level and, even with ear protection, can damage
curred after smokeless rifle powders our hearing, because not all noise enters our head
through our ears. A better solution is a suppressor
appeared in the 1880s, but the trend (usually called a silencer by the nonshooting public),
continued over the past few decades since it reduces both report and recoil. Unfortunately,
due to improved bullets and rifle en- suppressors aren’t legal for a lot of North American
gineering, especially synthetic stocks.
Lighter rifles, however, wouldn’t have been truly
practical without improvements in bullets, because
lighter bullets allowed smaller cartridges to do the
jobs once reserved for larger cartridges – and lighter
bullets mean less recoil. Two kinds of smaller bullets
became favored in the past two decades, “controlled
expansion” bullets designed to penetrate deeper and
“high ballistic coefficient” bullets to retain more ve-
locity downrange. A few bullets combine something of
both characteristics, such as the Barnes LRX, Nosler
AccuBond and Swift Scirocco II.
5.56 NATO, Nosler Varmageddon AR-15, 18-inch barrel, 1-8 inch twist:
53 Barnes Triple-Shock CFE 223 28.0 CCI BR-4 Nosler 2.213 3,313 .88
60 Nosler Partition TAC 24.0 2.234 3,001 .65
.22-250 Remington, Savage Axis, 22-inch barrel, 1-12 twist:
40 Cutting Edge Raptor CFE 223 42.0 Remington 91⁄2 Winchester 2.453 4,337 .75
64 Nosler Bonded H-414 37.0 2.349 3,427 .67
.223 WSSM, Winchester Model 70, 22-inch barrel, 1-9 twist:
40 Cutting Edge Raptor RL-15 45.5 Federal 210M Winchester 2.115 4,349 .68
75 Swift Scirocco II H-1000 48.0 2.244 3,290 .85
.243 Winchester, Husqvarna Model 1640, 22-inch barrel, 1-10 twist:
100 Nosler Partition H-4350 41.0 Federal 210M Winchester 2.797 2,905 .87
.243 Winchester, Ruger American Rifle, 22-inch barrel, 1-9 twist:
95 Nosler Ballistic Tip VV-N560 44.5 CCI 200 Hornady 2.741 2,948 1.03
105 Berger Hunting VLD 43.5 2.848 2,901 .81
.243 Winchester, Custom Mauser, 26-inch barrel, 1-10 twist:
90 Swift Scirocco II RL-17 41.0 Winchester Large Rifle Hornady 2.851 3,284 .68
.240 Weatherby Magnum, Mark V ULW, 24-inch barrel, 1-10 twist:
85 Barnes TSX H-4831sc 54.0 Federal 210M Weatherby 3.011 3,428 1.01
90 Nosler E-Tip H-1000 58.5 3.054 3,356 .76
100 Nosler Partition MRP 53.0 3.033 3,311 .81
.257 Roberts, New Ultra Light Arms, 24-inch barrel, 1-10 twist:
100 Barnes Tipped TSX Hunter 47.0 Federal 210 Winchester 2.957 3,153 .67
115 Berger Hunting VLD H-4350 43.0 2.942 2,956 .88
.257 Weatherby Magnum, New Ultra Light Arms, 24-inch barrel, 1-10 twist:
100 Nosler E-Tip H-1000 76.0 CCI 250 Weatherby 3.326 3,549 .89
120 Nosler Partition RL-25 71.0 Federal 215M 3.321 3,276 .67
6.5 Creedmoor, Ruger Hawkeye, 26-inch barrel, 1-8 twist:
100 Barnes Tipped TSX Big Game 46.0 Federal 210M Hornady 2.797 3,223 1.05
120 Nosler Ballistic Tip Varget 39.0 2.802 2,904 .71
140 Hornady A-MAX H-4350 41.5 2.805 2,638 .63
.26 Nosler, Nosler Patriot, 26-inch barrel, 1-8 twist:
140 Nosler AccuBond US 869 87.5 CCI 250 Nosler 3.306 3,291 .99
140 Nosler Partition 87.0 3.328 3,288 .74
7x57 Mauser, Kilimanjaro Walkabout, 21-inch barrel, 1-9 twist:
156 Norma Oryx H-4350 46.0 Federal 210 Winchester 3.022 2,773 .66
160 North Fork 46.0 3.031 2,733 .75
.308 Winchester, Merkel K-1, 24-inch barrel, 1-10 twist:
150 Nosler AccuBond Varget 46.5 Federal 210 Winchester 2.904 2,888 .93
.308 Winchester, Kilimanjaro Artemis, 21-inch barrel, 1-10 twist:
130 Barnes TSX IMR-4895 51.0 CCI 200 Winchester 2.743 3,118 .86
150 Nosler E-Tip Varget 46.0 2.805 2,825 .54
.30-06, New Ultra Light Arms, 24-inch barrel, 1-10 twist:
150 Swift Scirocco II IMR-4451 57.0 CCI 200 Winchester 3.313 3,027 .83
168 Berger Hunting VLD H-4350 57.0 3.229 2,886 1.01
* Several of these rifles have longer than usual magazines, and the Merkel K-1 single shot doesn’t even have a magazine, so overall cartridge lengths may exceed
SAAMI standards.
Be Alert – Publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors in published load data.
A few shooters take advantage der to keep hunting the same coun-
of the lighter weight of new rifles to try as I did in my 50s. But many
mount heavier scopes, a trend that younger hunters find a light rifle
started with long-range hunting. makes hiking steep mountains for
Some hunters eventually wanted a week or two more tolerable.
both more magnification but also In less vertical country, where
reliable and wider-range adjust- most longer-range hunting takes
ments, so they could crank more place, a somewhat heavier rifle
elevation into the scope for longer definitely helps steady aim, but
shots. Eventually they discovered even then today’s rifles are often
the typical variable scope wasn’t lighter than yesterday’s. A good
ideal for the purpose, because the example is my 26 Nosler Patriot
one-inch tube didn’t allow enough rifle with a 26-inch, midweight
elevation adjustment, and crank- barrel. A 30mm-tubed 4-12x 40mm
ing the scope up and down could Leupold VX-R in Talley Light-
be hard on the adjustments of weight rings brings the weight to
scopes meant to be sighted in 9 pounds on the nose, and even
and left alone. They switched to in “late middle age” this isn’t too
heavier “tactical” scopes, with much to pack around the Mis-
tougher adjustments designed to souri Breaks or Rocky Mountain
withstand plenty of turret-twirl- foothills, and the weight, cartridge
ing. These usually weigh at least and scope make hitting a 6-inch
half a pound more than a one-inch gong at 600-plus yards pretty easy.
scope of the same magnification (Some claim 600 yards is “the new
range, and losing weight from the 400.”) The recoil is noticeably less
rifle itself balances the weight than a 9-pound .300 magnum’s
gain. with typical 180-grain bullets at
Of course, mild sociopaths sug- 3,100 fps, wind drift is reduced
gest hunters are better off losing 10 considerably, and experience has
pounds from their body than 2 or 3 proven a premium 140-grain bullet
pounds from their rifles, but as we is plenty for not just deer but elk.
age losing weight anywhere helps. So what does the future hold?
I confronted this myself after turn- Will bullets and rifles keep shrink-
ing 60 in the fall of 2012, eventu- ing? It’s hard for many hunters to
ally paring over 25 pounds from imagine, given the state of the
both my body and hunting gear (It modern hunting rifle in 2016, but
turned out my daypack was full of it’s hard to ignore history, even
useless and redundant stuff.) in or- though many people try. R
in the
helping hunters, where it’s legal, to see
and shoot certain predators and feral
animals that stir in the dark. This past
Dark
winter I hunted feral hogs in Texas
with the folks from Sellmark Corpo-
ration, which sells thermal and digital
riflescopes and monoculars under its
Pulsar and Sightmark brands. Outside
of Cameron, Texas, Sellmark’s optics
certainly gave us a leg up shooting
Nito Mortera is adjusting the hogs in the dark, but it was no slam
Pulsar Apex thermal scope
on his .300 Blackout. dunk, as night vision presents its own
set of limitations.
38 Rifle 287
The Pulsar Apex XD38A thermal scopes mounted ning the area with a Pulsar Quantum XD50S Thermal
on various rifles were sighted in beforehand by Sell- Monocular. After a time he said, “Here they come.”
mark’s Eric Mathes and Jeff Murray, but Sellmark’s I tapped the Photon’s power button, and the
Sightmark Photon digital scopes can be used during screen lit up; the rifle was aimed in the direction of
the day and night, so these were sighted in on a blaze the feeder. Only the reticle was visible, but then the
orange steel plate at 50 yards. At first, the view was brilliant white silhouettes of pigs ran into the view.
washed out by bright light to the point I could not see At least 20 pigs bunched underneath the feeder, and
the plate. Closing the objective lens cap so only the there was no shot. Finally one stepped away from the
light coming through a tiny hole in the middle of the bunch, and the white reticle settled on its shoulder.
cap reached the objective significantly reduced the The pig collapsed at the shot, and the others flushed
light, but the reticles were clear enough to shoot at like a flock of birds.
50 and 100 yards. The view, however, was not nearly That’s when I crossed over to the dark side of the
as clear and sharp as the view through a traditional autoloading rifle and its 20-round magazine. I aimed
scope, but the Photon’s versatility for day or night use somewhat, but mostly just pulled the trigger again and
is a bargain, with a retail price of the three Photon again. Empty cases flew out of the rifle like angered
models ranging from $599.99 to $839.99. hornets. Murray and I walked down and checked, but
The Photon showed its worth that evening when the only fatality was the first pig.
Murray and I sat in a box blind 100 yards from a corn We climbed back into the blind and Murray went
feeder at the edge of a creek bottom thicket. The back to scanning through the dark with his Quantum
feeder went off at sundown and spread corn across monocular. He had a spare, and I turned it on and
the ground. That should bring them in, I thought. I did the same. The view through the Quantum was
poked the AR rifle, a .300 AAC Blackout with a sup- spectacular. Its basic magnification is 2.8x, although
pressor, out the blind window in anticipation. a menu has a digital zoom feature that increases that
As the light faded, the scope was powered up with power two or four times. The thermal image can be
a push of a button. I slightly turned the scope’s focus turned to seven different colors. I scrolled through
ring to bring trees and the barrel on the feeder into fo- the colors, and the contrasting blue, orange, red and
cus. The scope’s graphic display resolution is 640x480 white colors indicating the heat signature from the
pixels, which Sellmark states provides “. . . optimal trees and cacti was striking, a type of psychedelic
brightness and vivid detailing up to 200 yards.” A light hippie art. The viewing mode can be changed from a
push on the power button turned off the screen to heat signature showing “white hot” with a black back-
save the AA batteries, and I waited. ground to “black hot” with a white background. The
A heavy cover of clouds had turned the night as lump of the dead pig lying in the grass showed up a
dark as the inside of a black cat. Murray was scan- glaring white.
Testing Sellmark’s
Night Vision Optics
The Pulsar Quantum XD50S Thermal Monocular is expensive, but it provided extremely This is the view of a hog in the dark through
sharp images of hogs in the night. a Pulsar Apex XD38A thermal scope.
Pulsar Quantum
XD50S Thermal Monocular
At distances beyond 100 yards, the The Photon has various red/ I thought about my poor perfor-
image resolution of night vision scopes green/white digital reticle options mance of excessive shooting and
begins to decline. available with a push of a button. lack of aim with the .300 Black-
Four are intended for crossbows out. To lessen that susceptibility,
where he was and to let him know shooting bolts at various speeds, I switched to a Remington Model
where I was, then aligned the Pho- two duplex reticles, a German-style 700 SPS Tactical AAC bolt-action
ton reticle on a pig. Jeff shot, and reticle with horizontal wires and .308 Winchester. The Pulsar Apex
we all shot. The pigs started run- bottom vertical post. The mil-dot XD75 on the rifle was Sellmark’s
ning – right toward us. Eric shot reticle with various sized and top of the line thermal scope. The
just as I was going to shoot again. spaced hash marks along the verti- XD75 3-6x 52mm has a digital
A pig let out an awful squeal right cal and horizontal wires certainly zoom that doubles magnification.
behind me. When we finally turned would have helped me establish Its “picture in a picture” feature
on our headlamps, Eric’s dead pig distance in the dark. Murray said displays the base magnification
was not much more than 20 yards later the Photon provides enough for a wide field of view and a mag-
away. I still do not know how far resolution to accurately shoot out nified picture of the reticle’s aim-
away the pigs were – probably a lot to 150 yards. ing point at the top of the screen.
closer than I thought. Before hunting the next evening, The one-shot sight in function
T
the .303 British (for which the Ross was chambered)
he Ross Model 1905 or, as it’s as an official American military cartridge? No one
seems prepared to do that.
usually known, the Ross Mk. The whole question of what is and what is not
II, occupies an odd place in American preoccupies gun collectors to an inordi-
nate degree, but because of the trans-Atlantic
the history of American mil- cross-pollination so common between 1850
itary rifles. In 1917 the U.S. govern- and 1914, it’s much like debating how
ment purchased 20,000 Model 1905s many angels can dance on the head
of a pin. Ideas crossed the big
from the Canadian government. To pond in both directions
the best of anyone’s knowledge, they and so did inventors.
were never used for anything more de-
manding than guard duty and the oc-
casional range visit. The question is:
Should the Ross be considered
an “official” rifle along with
the Krag, Springfield and
Garand – or not?
American Oddball –
Official or Unofficial
www.riflemagazine.com Rifle 287
America’s eagerness to adopt ei- Florida, where he lived until his
ther as its own seems dependent on death. No one seems to be clam-
how successful the invention was. oring for Ross to be added to the
For example, Hugo Borchardt pantheon of American gun design-
was German by birth, emigrated, ers, even though his designs
became a naturalized American, lived on for decades.
then returned to Germany. His semi- They were used
automatic design was reworked by
Georg Luger to become the Luger
pistol. The Luger was entered in and early Ross rifles had
the war-department competition the Lancaster name on the bar-
to choose a new military rel. Not surprisingly, these were
sidearm for the U.S. made to London standards – the
in various highest in the world.
theatres of war The cosmopolitan Ross looked
through the 1920s to the machining capabilities of
and 1930s. Their final mo- American companies to produce
ment of glory came in 1954, actions. His American agent, Jo-
when the Russians used Ross-ac- seph Bennett, made the arrange-
tioned rifles to win the gold medal ments, contracting work to various
in the running-deer competition at New England companies. One such
Caracas. Exactly how those rifles was Frank Mossberg of Attleboro,
got to Russia is a matter of conjec- Massachusetts. Other U.S. compa-
ture. Obviously, though, the Ross nies also produced parts – so much
Army. Although rifle had many positive attributes, so that it later became a political
it was not chosen, for target shooting at least. issue in Canada, where the govern-
the army bought 1,000 Ross was a Scottish aristocrat ment thought it was getting a com-
Lugers anyway, for issue who grew up shooting in the High- pletely “made in Canada” rifle. It
to cavalry. At various times, lands and developed an early inter- never was.
because of Borchardt’s immi- est in rifle design. He undoubtedly Unfortunately for both Ross and
gration status, American writers had talent and social connections the shooting world, he was an ar-
have claimed both him and his with prominent gunmakers. Ross’s rogant man with no patience for
gun designs, even including the interest was straight-pull bolt ac- detail. Like the Mauser, which is
Luger, as “American.” Another ex- tions, inspired by Mannlicher’s one basic design with a series of
ample, James Paris Lee, was born famous 1895 patent, and he at- improvements, Ross had one ma-
in Scotland, raised in Canada and tempted to improve on it. Charles jor idea that progressed through
emigrated to the U.S. His name ap- Lancaster, one of London’s fore- several models. Unfortunately, he
pears on both the British Lee-En- most riflemakers, agreed to work never perfected one before going
field rifle and the straight-pull Lee with Ross to produce his designs, on to the next. Successive models
rifle adopted by the U.S. Navy. Was
he American? Only by a stretch.
Sir Charles Ross, whose citizen-
ship trajectory paralleled Lee’s,
was born in Scotland, emigrated
to Canada and, after the failure
and expropriation of his Quebec-
based rifle company, took his $2-
million settlement and moved to
July-August 2016
The locking lugs of the Model 1905 (right) as compared to
the later, ill-fated Model 1910 (or Mark III). Although the
The sliding safety with its discreet knurled button is just one interrupted thread of the 1910 is reputedly stronger, the
of the elegant touches on the Ross Model 1905. 1905 is foolproof.
O
ver the years, more and more production distinctive square-bridge layout complete with inte-
rifle companies are now in the “custom rifle” gral scope bases machined into the action. The bolt
business. It seems a natural thing to do, given knob is checkered, and the bolt itself has the tradi-
the facilities at their disposal. They have the talent, tional twin locking lugs. To keep the rifle ready in all
the machinery and the ability to choose calibers, weather conditions, all external surfaces are coated
wood and other options that make customers happy. with CERAKOTE for corrosion protection. For field
Nosler has moved in that direction also. Starting use, a three-position safety is mounted behind the bolt
out with fine-tuned production rifles years back, the handle, and the trigger breaks crisply as it should on
company is now using its Model 48 rifle as a starting a rifle with a price point of almost $4,500.00
point for a “basic” line of high-end, traditional hunt- Finally, the rifle is equipped with your choice of
ing rifles. While there are many options, it is not until three Leupold scopes, two boxes of Nosler ammuni-
you get to the NCR (Nosler Custom Rifle) Limited Edi- tion and a Pelican hard case to transport it all in. Ac-
tion that your personalized rifle starts to take shape. curacy is guaranteed .5-inch or better groups at 100
[Cartridge options are currently limited to .280 Ackley yards with Nosler ammunition.
Improved and .338 Winchester Magnum. – Ed.] For more information, contact Nosler Custom Rifles
The sample photographed here is of the classic at www.nosler.com or 1-800-285-3701. R
profile in all respects. Stock lines are clean without
a line-disturbing comb or glossy finish. It features
forend and grip caps, 20-line-per-inch checkering
and a fancy-grade American black walnut stock with
plenty of figure. To give it that full-custom look, the
cheekpiece has a perfect shadow line and the grip a
subtle palm-swell. The match grade, stainless steel,
hand-lapped barrel is free floated and glass bedded.
When it comes to the action, the receiver has a
O
Shattuck Arms Company in Hatfield, Massachusetts,
scar Mossberg, a native of and stayed there until 1900, when he took another
position at Stevens Arms, staying there for 14 years
Norway, immigrated to the before moving on to the Marlin-Rockwell Corpora-
United States in 1886 from tion in 1914. Much to his disappointment, that com-
pany went out of business making machine guns after
Sweden. His first job was at World War I ended.
the bicycle plant of Iver Johnson, him- In 1919, unemployed Mossberg joined forces with
self a native of Norway. As it turned his two sons and formed O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc.
There were plenty of “firsts,” including a rifle at a very
out, the firearms division of the John- attractive price point, a rifle and scope packaged to-
son company was more to Mossberg’s gether (still done today) and the first commercial
liking, and with his invention of the rifle with all the accessories, like swivels, open sights
and a telescopic sight. (Of note, in 1919 Mossberg’s
“Hammer the Hammer” revolver, he first product was a four-shot pistol that, remarkably,
made Iver Johnson famous. remained in production until 1932.)
A New Walnut-Stocked
Bolt Rifle
52
The company grew and prospered while supplying ers. Mossberg also expanded manufacturing to in-
economical hunting arms to the public. Its line of .22 clude shotguns and leverguns, most of which are in
rimfires was legendary, and with the advent of the the catalog today.
Model 800 bolt-action rifle in 1967, Mossberg started With the new Patriot rifle, Mossberg engineers
to get noticed in retail outlets. The Model 800 fell right were looking for a newer design with traditional styl-
in line with others of its ilk, complete with a rollover ing. Granted, the rifle is available with laminated or
cheekpiece, glossy finish and white-line spacers with synthetic stocks, but it is a pleasant surprise to see it
fancy forend tips; it blended right in with the Weath- in the line with a good, ole’ American walnut stock.
erby, Winchester and Remington Model 700 rifles of The Patriot Walnut is also available in nearly a dozen
the time. cartridges.
Mossberg tried to boost sales with the RM7 rifle, The demand for classic-styled rifle stocks ebbs and
but it never seemed to win favor with American hunt- flows, though this stock seems to have received a lot
MOSSBERG JB-2
PATRIOT
53
MOSSBERG
PATRIOT
der. The stippling on the pistol grip
has been designed to actually look
like it is part of the rifle, thus fitting
this area perfectly.
The walnut stock on the review
sample (and others seen) was quite
nice, as it was free of knots with
a bit of fiddleback thrown in for
good measure. The exterior satin
finish is superb and smooth to
the touch. A nice touch would be
The bolt has spiral flutes to ward off Even with the larger eyepieces on today’s
to have a black tip on the forend
dirt and debris, and the bolt knob is scopes, the bolt handle clears this scope
to complete the classic look and checkered. with ease.
bring it up three notches over the
competition; the plastic pistol grip field carry, sling swivel studs are .620 inch with a recessed crown.
cap protects this part of the stock attached, and a removable poly- No sights are furnished, but a set
during prone shooting. mer magazine is furnished. Mag- of Weaver-type mounts are fur-
On the buttstock, a graceful azine capacity includes five for nished on the receiver.
cheekpiece is well finished under standard cartridges and four for The receiver is made of tubular
the straight comb. Mossberg does the .375 Ruger. The magazine slips steel. From here, the barrel is at-
furnish a thick (read soft) and wide in and out of the rifle without hesi- tached using the combination of a
recoil pad, sans a black spacer. For tation, is released via a small lever recoil lug and barrel nut. A cross
up front and, to aid in the overall bolt is milled into the stock for
Specifications smoothness of the bolt, by only the added strength. The receiver, bar-
Model: Mossberg Patriot smallest of margins does it touch rel and related parts all match in
Action: bolt action, magazine fed the follower. Feeding is fast and color. Twin screws hold the action
Stock: walnut (as tested) effortless. to the trigger guard assembly with
Cartridge tested: .243 Winchester Stock inletting was perfect in an additional screw for the rear of
Cartridges available: .22-250 Remington, every detail. While the recoil lug the polymer trigger guard. In the
.243 Winchester, .25-06 Remington, had a bit of bedding, it was the unlikely event of a ruptured case, a
7mm-08 Remington, .270 Winchester, polymer bedding block
.308 Winchester, 7mm Remington that grabbed my atten- Mossberg Patriot
Magnum, .300 Winchester Magnum, tion. Integral with the
.338 Winchester Magnum, .375 Ruger magazine well, it pro- .243 Winchester Accuracy
Barrel length: 22 inches (all cartridges) vides a neat way of put- advertised actual
load velocity velocity group
Overall length: 423⁄4 inches (all models) ting this rifle together for (grains) (fps) (fps) (inches)
Sights: none furnished, Weaver bases on the best accuracy. 58 Hornady V-MAX Varmint 3,925 3,734 1.000
receiver, scope combinations On the .243 Winchester 87 Hornady SST Custom Lite 2,800 2,614 0.875
available sample, the barrel is free- 100 Hornady InterLock 2,960 2,816 2.000
Weight: 61⁄2 to 71⁄2 pounds (model dependent) floated and measures 22 Notes: All loads shot from a bench at 100 yards from the Patriot’s
Finish: matte finish on metal, satin on inches. From the front 22-inch barrel. Group size is the average of three shots. Loads
walnut stock of the stock forward to chronographed over an Oehler Model 35P at 10 feet. Temperature
Price: $640.00 (as tested with Vortex scope) the muzzle, the hammer- was 50 degrees Fahrenheit with a slight wind.
Manufacturer: O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc. forged barrel is fluted,
www.mossberg.com
tapering to a diameter of
54 www.riflemagazine.com
MOSSBERG PATRIOT
Right, a polymer-
bedding block is part
of the magazine well;
the barrel rests on
the forward part
of this insert.
gas escape hole is provided on the a traditional plunger ejector with a The Patriot was ordered as
left side just above the stock line. blade type extractor. a “combo” package, which in-
Like the barrel, the bolt has The bolt knob is blue and check- cluded a Vortex 3-9x 40mm scope
flutes, spiral in design, eight in to- ered. Unlike the Mossberg MVP mounted at the factory in what
tal. This is a great deterrent against series of rifles, the handle does looks like older Tasco-styled
clingy dirt or debris that might be not have a rearward sweep to it. rings. Vortex Optics is an Amer-
encountered on a foul-weather Instead it has been forged so it ican company out of Middleton,
hunt. Twin locking lugs up front se- sticks straight down and out. The Wisconsin, and according to its
cure the bolt to the action. Worth bolt release is on the left side in website, the company imports just
noting is that the bolt head is a front of the shroud. The two-po- about anything needed in optics,
separate part and can be removed sition safety is to the right of the from scopes to binoculars to spot-
from the bolt body for service or bolt – forward is “fire” and to the ting scopes. As a professional pho-
maintenance via a bolt head assem- rear is “safe,” which locks the sear tographer, optics are my life, so I
bly pin about a half-inch rearward but allows the bolt to be opened or always take a critical look at new
of the bolt head itself. While some closed to insert or remove rounds. gear. This scope is clear and ren-
aficionados may criticize a bit of a Mossberg’s Lightning Bolt Action ders a sharp image. The zoom ring
wobble between the bolt shank and (LBA) adjustable trigger is stan- has the right amount of drag on
head, I consider this an opportu- dard and easy to adjust to mod- it, is large enough to turn with
nity for the lugs to become securely erate levels. For my testing, I did gloves on, and for that final adjust-
seated into the breech when load- tweak it down to a bit under 3 ment, the eyepiece turns for cru-
ing a cartridge. On the bolt face is pounds for range work. cial focus downrange. The scope
Giveaway valued
at over $9,600!
On
ly
5 Introducing the
. 9
This is a good way to tighten a Weaver
thumb nut – if you can find a half-dol- $3
9 GRX Recoil Lug for
the Ruger 10/22™!
lar today.