new! weatherby vanguard varmint special - rifle … partial (lo) 2.pdfof their rifles, he could come...
TRANSCRIPT
January 2006 No. 223
$4.99 U.S./$5.99 CanadaPrinted in USA
0 74808 01240 4
0 1
$4.99US $5.99CAN NEW!Weatherby Vanguard
Varmint Special
NEW!Weatherby Vanguard
Varmint Special
Ruger’s Updated 10/22 Rifle!
TESTED:• Legacy Sports
.454 CasullLever Gun
• Shiloh SharpsModel 1874
• Empire RiflesExpress Grade9.3x62
TESTED:• Legacy Sports
.454 CasullLever Gun
• Shiloh SharpsModel 1874
• Empire RiflesExpress Grade9.3x62
HOW TO:Install aRecoilPad
HOW TO:Install aRecoilPad
Rifle 223
Sportiting FiFirearearms JoururnalalRIF
LEFLE
January-February 2006Volume 38, Number 1
ISSN 0162-3593Issue No. 223
www.riflemagazine.com4
Page 74. . .
Page 26. . .
6 Reader SurveySpotting Scope -Dave Scovill
12 Turn ThatScope DownOptics -John Barsness
14 BPCR Silhouettewith .22s?Down Range -Mike Venturino
18 Installing aRecoil PadLight Gunsmithing -
22 The MisunderstoodWinchesterModel 1894Mostly Long Guns -Brian Pearce
26 A Brace ofVanguardsHave it your wayfrom Weatherby.Stan Trzoniec
Page 14. . .
34 The Original .270Critics Choicefor 80 YearsJohn Barsness
44 Empire RiflesCustom GradeAccuracy andDependabilityChub Eastman
50 Ruger 10/22Fiber Optic Sights, a20-Inch Barrel andRuger ReliabilityJohn Haviland
58 ShilohModel 1874Namesake of theLegendary SharpsMike Venturino
68 Legacy SportsPuma .454 CasullPower and Accurcyin a Lever ActionBrian Pearce
74 Big Little Binocularfrom LeupoldProduct Tests -Al Miller
Page 34. . .
www.riflemagazine.comJanuary-February 2006
On the cover . . .The Weatherby Varmint Specialfeatures a 22-inch barrel andLeupold VX-II 4-14x scope. Riflephoto by Stan Trzoniec. Coyotephoto by L. Voorhis/Royal TineImages.
82 What’s Newin theMarketplaceInside ProductNews -Clair Rees
96 RationalizedPrioritiesStraight Talk -Ron Spomer
98 HandloaderMagazineDVDsDVD Reviews -
00 Master Index
02 DownsizingRifles &Woodsmoke -John Barsness
5www.riflemagazine.comBackground Photo: © 2005 Ron Spomer
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102
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Issue No. 223 January-February 2006
Sportiting FiFirearearms Joururnalal
Publisher/President – Mark Harris
Editor in Chief – Dave Scovill
Managing Editor – Roberta Montgomery
Art Director – Gerald Hudson
Production Director – Becky Pinkley
Contributing Editors
Associate Editor – Al Miller
Advertising
Advertising DirectorDonald Polacek
Advertising Representatives
Mark Webb: [email protected]
Tom Bowman: [email protected]
Circulation
Circulation Manager – Michele Morgan
Subscription Information: 1-800-899-7810
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Rifle® (ISSN 0162-3583) is published bimonthly byMark Harris Publishing Associates, Inc., dba WolfePublishing Company (Mark Harris, President), 2625Stearman Rd., Ste. A, Prescott, Arizona 86301. (Alsopublisher of Handloader® magazine.) Telephone (928)445-7810. Periodical Postage paid at Prescott, Arizona,and additional mailing offices. Subscription prices:U.S. possessions – single issue, $4.99; 6 issues, $19.97;12 issues, $36; 18 issues, $48. Foreign and Canada –single issue, $5.99; 6 issues $26; 12 issues, $48; 18issues, $69. Please allow 6-8 weeks for first issue.Advertising rates furnished on request. All rightsreserved.
Change of address: Please give six weeks notice. Send both the old and new address, plus mailing labelif possible, to Circulation Dept., Rifle® Magazine,2625 Stearman Rd., Ste. A, Prescott, Arizona 86301. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Rifle®, 2625Stearman Rd., Ste. A, Prescott, Arizona 86301.
Wolfe PublishingCompany
2625 Stearman Rd.Suite A
Prescott, AZ 86301Tel: (928) 445-7810 Fax: (928) 778-5124Copyright © Mark Harris Publishing Associates, Inc.
John Barsness
Brian Pearce
Clair Rees
Gil Sengel
Ron Spomer
Stan Trzoniec
Mike Venturino
Ken Waters
Publisher of Rifle® is not responsible for mishaps of any nature which might occur from use of published loadingdata or from recommendations by any member of The Staff. No part of this publication may be reproduced withoutwritten permission from the publisher Publisher assumes all North American Rights upon acceptance and paymentfor all manuscripts. Although all possible care is exercised, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for lost ormutilated manuscripts.
Page 44. . .
Page 82. . .
anything from sneaking intoyour eyes from the side, whetherwind-blown trout flies, vagrant
bird shot or perhaps tiny bits ofbrass from a blown case.
If need be, Beloptix will buildthese glasses to your prescrip-tion. In my case this means alot of correction for near-sight-edness, plus a progressive read-ing correction. My Trophieshave worked flawlessly and areby far the best hunting-shoot-ing-fishing glasses I’ve everowned. They are not cheap, butthen good stuff never is.
For more information call toll-free: 1-877-235-6789; or visit on-line: www.beloptix.com.
O ver the past few monthsI’ve been field-testing a
pair of hunting-shooting-fishingglasses from a new companynamed Beloptix and am mostimpressed. These are wrap-around glasses, the company’sTrophy model frame with pho-tochromic lenses that changefrom dark to light dependingon conditions. I’ve tried suchlenses before, but none changein the wide range that the Be-loptix lenses do, or as quickly.
In addition, the Trophy framehas side shields, important bothto reduce glare and to prevent
12 Rifle 223www.riflemagazine.com
Thirty years ago a 3-9x
scope was considered plentyfor big game hunting or mostvarmint hunting, but todayhunters are putting even higherpowered scopes on their rifles.The reason most often quoted: “Ifyou can’t see it, you can’t hit it.”Many shooters also believe that12x to 20x allows them to placeshots more precisely.
The first statement is obvious,but the notion that super-highmagnification helps you hit a biggame animal’s heart and lungsmore precisely under field con-ditions is debatable. I have donethis far too often – and consis-tently – with low-power scopesto believe it. Being able to seeprecisely which hair to aim addsnothing to our ability to hold, orjudge the wind, and even themost accurate rifle will notnormally group into one hair at300 yards. A variable does, how-ever, allow us to discern oneanimal from another at longerranges, whether meat or trophyhunting.
However, one thing that drivesguides (and I am a former guide)nuts is their client having thescope set on its highest powerwhile a fine game animal isstanding there, ready to be shot.Even worse is fiddling with thescope setting while you should
be shooting. All guides advocateleaving the darn scope on its low-est setting while hunting, onlyturning it up if you actually needextra magnification. This allowsyou to shoot faster when the mo-ment of truth arrives.
But there’s also a reason to
J o h n B a r s n e s s
TURN THAT
SCOPE DOWN
TURN THAT
SCOPE DOWN
OP
TICS
OP
TICS
R
BELOPTIX GLASSES
Due to a strong crosswind, John missed this caribou at 400 yards withhis first shot. If he hadn’t been able to spot the miss through the 6xscope, the second shot would have also missed.
leave the scope on no morethan 6x, even on relatively longshots: At lower magnificationsyou can usually spot your ownmisses, due to the greater fieldof view. Even with some rela-tively hard-kicking rounds, atlonger ranges you’ll normally seewhere the bullet lands, becauseby the time the bullet arrives, therifle has settled down after re-coil. With lighter rounds its eveneasier.
If you indeed missed (and thishas been known to happen),you’ll be able to tell where tohold for the next shot – withoutthe extra time required for yourguide to describe the miss. Hemay not give you precise infor-mation anyway. I know this be-cause it’s happened to me. Toooften the guide (or your huntingpal) is standing to one side, oftenhigher than you are. This makesseeing exactly where a bullet hitproblematic.
The last time this happened Iwas lying prone, attempting toshoot a very large-antlered bullcaribou about 400 yards away,with my guide standing severalfeet to my left. I knew the trajec-tory of the .30-06 precisely, soplacing the crosshair verticallywas no problem. However, therewas also a good wind blowingfrom the left. I compensated, butthrough the 6x scope could seethe bullet splash in the wetmuskeg, just in front of the bull’schest. My guide said, “Low.”
If I hadn’t seen the splash, Iwould have had to believe him.Instead I merely held anotherfoot into the wind – and the bul-let landed in the bull’s heart.Lucky? Somewhat, but I wouldhave had to be luckier yet if I’dbelieved the guide.
John’s book Optics for the
Hunter can be ordered bymailing a check for $23.50 (theprice includes postage) toDeep Creek Press, PO Box579, Townsend MT 59644-0579;or order by credit card at:www.riflesandrecipes.com.
January-February 2006 13www.riflemagazine.com
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44 Rifle 223
As a successful corporate lawyer on Wall Streetwho was approaching middle age, George steppedback to take a look at what he really wanted to do.Being an ardent hunter, one with a passion for finerifles and with a couple of children he didn’t wantto bring up in the concrete jungle of New York City,George made a drastic lifestyle change and movedto the backwoods of New Hampshire.
With a dream and an entrepreneurial spirit Georgeset out to make the most reliable, accurate huntingrifle on the market. He wasn’t trying to reinvent thewheel, as some manufacturers do; he just wanted tocome up with a rifle that would give a lifetime of re-liable service, look good and give the hunter a greatpride in ownership. After looking at most all rifleson the market, past or present, talking to many of
Chub Eastman
If the name George Sandmanndoesn’t ring any bells with thegun crowd, it’s not too surpris-ing. It’s probably no different
than the names Paul Mauser, JohnBrowning, Roy Weatherby, DonAllen or Pete Grisel, who didn’t getmuch attention when they firststarted. Each in his own way hascontributed to the rifles we knowand use today.
www.riflemagazine.com
EmpiEmpiCustom Grade Accuracyand Dependability
Custom Grade Accuracyand Dependability
the custom rifle makers and to professional hunterswhose lives sometimes depend on the reliabilityof their rifles, he could come up with no betteraction on which to base his rifle than the 98 Mauserdesign. This action was developed before the turnof the twentieth century for the German military. Ithas stood the test of time because of its perform-ance and dependability.
With modern material and machinery the newModel 98 action is machined from a solid block ofsteel with tolerances unheard of in the past. Thesame is true with the bolt; nothing is glued on thatcould come apart at an inopportune time. It’s allone piece.
The large nonrotating extractor, which the Mauseris noted for, ensures that each round is under con-
advantage of the 98 is the fact it can be fieldstripped down to the smallest component withoutthe use of tools.
With numerous trips between New Hampshire andTexas, George and master gunsmith and barrelmaker Bill Wiseman spent long hours in developingwhat is now Empire Rifles. With both men the mainpriorities for this new rifle were quality and relia-bility. Bill’s barrels are noted for their accuracy,enough so that most all major ammunition manu-facturers use his test barrels in the development oftheir products.
The Empire rifle is not a production product thatis run down an assembly line. Each rifle is made tothe individual specifications of the purchaser. It’sabout as close to a custom rifle as you can get.Offered in over 50 different calibers from .257Roberts to the monster .500 Jeffery, Empire has arifle chambered for most any hunting application.
trol from the time it is stripped from the magazineand fed into the chamber. Upon extraction the 19-degree undercut bolt head and dovetailed forwardedge of the extractor work in unison to lock thecartridge against the bolt face to help ensure theextractor does not jump the cartridge rim duringextraction. Over 90 degrees of the cartridge’s rim isengaged by the extractor from the time it isstripped from the magazine until it clears the ejec-tion port. A cam at the back of the rear receiverring, which is engaged by the bolt handle, also aidsin pulling the case from the chamber. Another big
January-February 2006 45www.riflemagazine.com
re Rif lesre Rif les
The customer has the choiceof stainless steel or chrome-moly
and right or left hand.
Empire lists a variety of options, includingsynthetic stocks.
Rifle 223
The standard Field Grade is apure working rifle. Near inde-structible, it is fitted with a pillar-bedded Kevlar stock. Whencombined with the new ceramicmetal finish, it makes the rifle im-pervious to anything Mother Na-ture has to offer.
The Guide Grade differs onlywith an English XX grade walnutstock. Each has an ebony gripcap and is hand-checkered 22
lines per inch (LPI) with a hand-rubbed oil finish. This is a riflethat blends classic looks with thereliability of the 98 action.
Professional Grade gets a little
With the newly manufacturedDouble Square Bridge 98 actionas the heart of the rifle there arethree different models to choosefrom, including the Standard,Legacy and the new short-action,lightweight Liberty. The cus-tomer also has the choice ofstainless steel or chrome-molyand right or left hand. There arefour different grades for eachmodel, but each shares the samecomponents and features.
Each rifle is fitted with a matchgrade barrel, cut to whateverlength the customer specifies,and it’s guaranteed to shoot sub-MOA accuracy with hunting am-munition. The trigger is tunedand weight of pull is set to thecustomer’s specifications. Lengthof pull is also to the customer’sspecs, with a Pachmayr SG100Decelerator pad installed. A ce-ramic weatherproof finish (in-distinguishable from matte blue)is provided on all metal parts,along with a straddle floorplatewith release inside the bow. Alsoincluded are one inch or 30mmcustom scope rings.
The customer’s scope is mounted,sighted in and the accuracy prooftarget with load data is shippedwith the rifle. Needless to saythe accuracy, fit and finish arecovered by a limited lifetimewarranty.
46 www.riflemagazine.com
Empire Rif lesEmpire Rif les
The customer’sscope is mounted,sighted in and the
accuracy prooftarget with loaddata is shippedwith the rifle.
Receiver and floorplate exhibit precision workmanship.
or grade covers almost anythingyou can think of. A butter knifebolt handle, skeleton grip cap, in-tegral quarter-rib, fluted barrel,dropped box magazine and apalm swell on the stock are just afew of the options that can be in-corporated in an Empire rifle.
Two years ago I had the oppor-tunity to test, play with and huntwith the then-new Empire rifle.When asked what model and cal-iber, I said a plain jane workingrifle in .300 WSM. There weretwo reasons for requesting thismodel rifle. One, the .300 WSM isa great cartridge for most any-thing on the North American con-tinent except for big bears, butlike any short, fat cartridge, thereis a potential feeding problemwhen stripped from a stagger-box magazine. I wanted to seehow Empire solved this problem.
The second reason was aplanned trip to northern BritishColumbia where weather, trickymountain terrain and saddle timewould be the norm. Gettingolder, slower and not as nimbleas 20 years ago, I didn’t want tohave the additional worry aboutdinging or scratching someoneelse’s rifle.
When the rifle was received,there were a couple of welcome
surprises that had not been antic-ipated. With all the new shortmagnums, the rifle comes withtwo, four-round detachable boxmagazines. Bill has designed themagazine so the rounds arestacked in a staggered position toreduce the depth of the maga-zine, yet the feeding of the topround is positioned in line withthe chamber. This way the roundis fed straight into the chamberas the bolt is moved into battery.
fancier with aTurkish XXX wal-nut stock, cheekpiecewith shadow line, ebonygrip cap and three-panel, wrappoint pattern that’s hand-check-ered 24 LPI. The finish is hand-rubbed oil that accentuates thefine pattern of the wood.
The Express Grade is top of theline and is destined to become anheirloom. The Turkish XXX gradewalnut stock has a cross bolt,ebony forend tip and grip cap(steel grip cap optional). A barrelband and embedded sling swivelstud goes along with the 24 LPI,three-panel checkering pattern.Also included with the ExpressGrade is silver beaded or bandedfront sight and single blade rear.Quick detachable one inch or30mm rings are also included.
The list of additional optionsthat can be added to each model
47www.riflemagazine.com
The Empire Express Grade9.3x62 produced fine accuracy.
Iron sights are an additional option.
Professional Gradegets a little fancierwith a Turkish XXX
walnut stock.
or ammunition. A couple of dif-ferent factory loads and somehandloads with different bulletweights were right at .5 inch.Very few rifles will give this typeof performance right out ofthe box.
When you get your hands on arifle like this, you don’t let it getaway. Needless to say when theseason was over, a check wassent to New Hampshire, and therifle resides in a prominent spacein my gun rack.
Besides a heavy barreled .308Winchester target rifle, the Em-pire .300 WSM is the rifle usedwhen testing .30-caliber bullets.When shooting newly introducedbullets, accuracy is one of themost important criteria. Theseare the only two .30-caliber riflesI have that will reliably wring thebest out of bullets being tested.
On a recent trip to Africa, I hadthe opportunity to use a differentEmpire rifle, other than my bluecollar .300 WSM. The year 2005was the 100th anniversary of the9.3x62 Mauser, which was devel-oped by Paul Mauser specificallyto meet the needs of farmers andranchers in Africa for meat hunt-ing and predator control. Theyneeded an inexpensive rifle thatcould be used for normal shoot-ing yet powerful enough to stopthe big boys. All that was neededwas to rebarrel the plentiful 98model military rifles; no other al-terations were required.
On this trip it was decided allthe hunters would use 9.3s forthe plains game hunt in Namibia.The rifle borrowed from Empirewas a fancy Express Grade Stan-dard model that shot and per-formed as good as it looked.When the hunt was over andeveryone had returned home, Iprocrastinated for a few days be-fore it was returned. There wereno open slots in the gun rack and
This is a far more reliable feedingsystem than having to jump at anangle from the traditional fixedmagazine.
The other surprise happenedwhen targets were taken downfrom the 100-yard stand. It didn’tseem to matter what factory loador carefully brewed handloadwas used, everything was an inchor less with every five-shot group.Anything that went outside aninch was pilot error not the rifle
Rifle 22348 www.riflemagazine.com
Empire Rif lesEmpire Rif les
The rifle comes withtwo, four-rounddetachable box
magazines.
This pair of Empire rifles reflect customers’ unique requirements.
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TEL (867) 873-3212 FAX (867) 873-9008E-Mail: [email protected]
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3-Position Safeties for:Win. 70,54 - Spgfd. 1903, 1922, - Enf. 1917 Remington 700 - Swedish Mauser 94, 96
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Send $2.00 for information:908 Hayward Ave. - Bremerton, WA 98310Tel: (360) 479-4966 Fax: (360) 479-3902
product, it’s hard not to be suc-cessful. It’s a rifle built by rifle-men who take great pride in theirefforts. After hunting with oneof Empire’s rifles, it is easy tounderstand why it will be passedon to the next generation rather
than end up on a used gun racksomewhere.
For more information contactThe Empire Rifle Company, 36Jenney Road (PO Box 406),Meriden NH 03770; or online at:www.empirerifles.com.
something about house paymentsthat stopped another check frombeing sent to New Hampshire.
Empire Rifle Company is hereto stay. Anytime you can providethe customer with this type ofquality and performance in a
January-February 2006 49www.riflemagazine.com
Above, Chub’s brother Terry took this trophy gems-bok in Namibia with the Empire Express Grade9.3x62. Right, Chub bagged this Texas whitetail withan Empire .300 WSM.
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74 Rifle 223www.riflemagazine.com
One of Leupold’s latest of-
ferings, its Wind River6x32s, reminded me, once again,that attempting to judge the po-tential usefulness of a binocularby its magnification alone is justplain dumb. For one thing, thequality of modern, multicoatedlenses makes a world of differ-ence in any binocular’s perform-ance. Certainly, the pocket-sizedJapanese-made 6x’s are a far cryfrom the last glasses of that mag-nification I used, the 6x24s thearmy used to issue back in the1940s and 1950s. If memoryserves correctly, they werelight and fairly compact,okay when the light wasgood but at dawn ordusk or when thesky turned gray,they weren’t toouseful. The WindRiver Sixes, on theother hand, give alarge, bright and de-tailed view of the surround-ing world. Colors are vivid andthe field of view extremely wide.Unexpectedly, distant objects,those out there 500 yards andbeyond, were easy to see andclearly defined. Granted, thedays here have been painfullybright and the air clear, but evenso, that level of performancefrom 6x glasses caught me bysurprise.
It would have been interestingto see how the 6x32’s perform-ance compared to that of someother brand’s 6x, but none wasavailable. However, a little 7x30porro model, of comparable qual-ity, was at my disposal. Althoughabout 15 years old, it has provedto be a very reliable and usefulperformer afield.
For the first test, the twoglasses were zeroed in on the
The same experiment was triedwith a different number plate at adistance of 157 yards. Throughthe 6x32, the first two of thethree numbers were legible, butall three letters were too blurredto identify. Peering through the7x30 gave exactly the same re-sults. It took a good 8x40 to letme read all the numbers and let-ters at that distance.
rear registration plate of a carparked 114 yards away (meas-ured with a Bushnell electronicrangefinder). The plate featuredred letters and numbers on a paleyellow background. Numberswere 2.5 inches tall and .25 inchwide. At 114 yards, both the let-ters and numbers were legiblethrough both binoculars.
Checking the local foothills,again with the aid of the Bushnellrangefinder, some joggers werespotted at 747 and 767 yards, re-spectively, through both glasses.Their images were comparedwith those of the 8x40. The 8x isfirst-class, optically, and althoughtheir images were a bit largerthan those seen through the6x32, it was just as easy to distin-guish a male runner from the fe-male one through the 6x as it wasthrough the 7x or 8x.
Whenever I head for thelocal rifle range, it’s my
habit to bring some field-glasses along. Targets areset up at 100 yards and 25
yards. The spotting scopeis focused on the 100-yard
targets; the binocular is em-ployed to check the 25-yard
targets. Since new loads don’talways go where the sights saythey should, the first couple ofrounds are fired at 25 yards – justto be sure. Last week, as luckwould have it, I brought all theusual gear to the range – exceptmy reading glasses. Conse-quently, when I had to adjust thesights, the adjustment dials onthe scope were a blur. Fortu-nately, the 6x32 was along thatday. Backing about five feet awayfrom the scope, the binocularwas focused on the windage dial,corrections made, then the 6xwas aimed at the elevation dialand a couple of clicks addedthere. That did it. At 25 yards, thebullets began striking dead cen-ter. Out at the 100-yard line, theywere a couple of inches high butcentered. That close-up focusingability of the 6x32 offered advan-tages I never would have consid-ered had my memory not failedme – again.
One afternoon, the TV weather
S t a f f
BIG LITTLE BINOCULAR
FROM LEUPOLD
BIG LITTLE BINOCULAR
FROM LEUPOLD
PR
OD
UCT TES
TS
PR
OD
UCT TES
TS
Leupold 6x32Specifications
Weight: 18.2 ouncesLength: 4.1 inchesWidth: 4.25 inches (set for my eyes)Field of view: 42.3 feet at 100 yardsExit pupil: 5.3mmClose-focus distance: 4.9 feet
Rifle 223
bookies predicted rain, and sureenough, clouds began boiling upover the local mountains and theskies grew darker and darker.Canceling my plans to head forthe mountains, I settled for mywife’s garden out in back ofthe house. There, a couple ofstrangely fascinating hours werespent peeking over honeybees’shoulders as they worked fever-ishly away – without having toworry about getting stung.
Later, switching my attention tothe surrounding trees, from a dis-tance of about 20 yards, I foundmyself with the 6x32 glued to myeyes, sharing the shadows with anumber of constantly bickeringsongbirds – again, without alert-ing them to my distant curiosity.Although vaguely conscious oftheir near-constant chirping inthe background, I never realizedthat songbirds were so aggres-sive or had such nasty disposi-tions. They shoved one another,pecked each other, squabbledover the best place on a branch –there seemed to be no end totheir dissatisfaction with one an-other. Never saw anything like it.Wonder if professional jealousyplays a role in these seeminglyendless disputes? Well, no mat-ter, the point is that the feathery6x32 introduced me to a wholesecret world right in my ownbackyard, a world I never evensuspected existed.
Were I a bow hunter searchingfor a new binocular, I’d certainlygive the little Leupolds a long,hard look. Light, compact enoughto hang almost unnoticed from abelt (can’t have anything on thechest obstructing the bowstring)and powerful enough to spot any-thing I’d need to see within therange I’d want or expect to see it,that 6x32 should certainly fitthe bill.
Same for the black-powder fan.Small enough to slip into a jacketpocket; boasting an exit pupilas large as most men can handleat dawn or dusk; first-class light-gathering ability; easy, one-handed
76 www.riflemagazine.com
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January-February 2006
isn’t the sole property of high-magnification binoculars. Lookthem all over while you’re shop-ping – and be sure to glance
through one of Leupold’s 6x32s.You may be as surprised, and im-pressed, as I have been. – AlMiller
focusing; wide, wide field of view– if it’s within stalking range, the6x32 is powerful enough andsharp enough to locate it inplenty of time to get set.
Waterfowlers might be inter-ested too. The Leupolds are com-pletely waterproof. Then too,considering the clothes and theother bulky gear the averageduck and goose hunter packsaround, any binocular he carriesshould be compact and light. TheWind River 6x32 certainly meetsthat criteria.
Of course, every optical instru-ment has a few characteristicsof its own, which a user has toidentify and accommodate. TheLeupolds were no exception.Learning to control the focusingknob took some time and effort.Fortunately, the rubber-armoredknob is 1.25 inches in diameterand .65 inch thick, large enoughto be controlled easily by eitheror both index fingers while hold-ing the binocular to the eyes. Or-dinarily, only a brief nudge of thefocus knob is all that’s needed tobring a target into sharp focus –when any adjustment is neededat all. Part of the reason is, ofcourse, that the lower the magni-fication, the greater the depth offield. It took me some time to re-learn that, but to be truthful,those glasses taught me quite afew things.
For one, 6x glasses are a lot lesstiring to use during prolongedscanning sessions than the morepopular 8x or 10x. For another,modern, multicoated lensesmake the current breed of binoc-ulars so superior to those pro-duced even as recently as 10years ago that there’s really nobasis for comparison. Lastly, lightand compact have it all over bigand heavy – even if the latter aremore powerful.
If you’re in the market for newfieldglasses, don’t let your searchbe limited by magnification. Inthe long run, quality offers moresatisfaction than power, andbright, clear, detailed imagery
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Last year I was hunting
prairie dogs with a party thatincluded Mickey Fowler. An out-door (read “gun”) writer, Mickeyis also a world-class marksmanwith several national champi-onships under his belt. When hecollared me to talk about a newscope system he had just devel-oped in partnership with JohnPride (another much-titled com-petitive shooter), I gave him myfull attention. I thought he hadan interesting concept, and hepromised to send me a samplewhen one became available.
A few months ago, three scopesarrived in the mail. Two were 3-9x 42mm variables, while thethird was a 6x 40mm fixed-powermodel. All sported innovativerange-compensating (not range-finding) “Rapid Reticles” specifi-cally designed for rimfire use.Each reticle featured dual-thick-ness crosshairs with a seriesof “hold-over” lines descendingfrom the center. These horizontalaiming guides were calibrated inmultiple increments ranging from0 to 200 yards (300 yards for the.22 magnum model).
“The .22 rimfire scopes give ac-curate readings for high-speed.22 Long Rifle ammo starting outat 1,200 to 1,300 feet per second,which includes Federal Light-ning, CCI Blazer, WinchesterPower-Point and Remington GoldBullet hollowpoints, to name afew,” Mickey said. “The scopealso works with other .22 LRloads, but some calculation willbe involved. The .22 magnumscope is designed for 1,800 fpsvelocities generated by Winches-ter 40-grain .22 WMR hollow-points and similar ammo.”
He noted the reticles were ini-tially calibrated for zero-altitude
shooting at 59 degrees Fahren-heit with a barometric pressureof 29.52. Scope height was 1.5inches above the bore. A seriesof horizontal ticks along eachranging crosshair was each de-signed to compensate for a 10-mph crosswind coming from 3:00or 9:00.
Unlike other range-compensat-ing scopes I’ve used, Rapid Reti-cle crosshairs are clearly markedto indicate each different yard-age. The reticles were designedand calibrated during actual rangetesting, with the results verifiedby Sierra’s Infinity BallisticsComputer Program.
The variable-power Pride Fowler
scope reticles are mounted in thefirst optical plane. This meansthe readings hold true through-out the full range of magnifica-tion. It costs less to build scopeswith reticles positioned in thesecond plane, but settings wouldremain accurate only at a certainmagnification.
While these reticles appear clut-tered at first, it doesn’t take longto get used to all those numbersand the fine, horizontal cross-hairs. The graduations are smallenough to be unobtrusive butlarge enough to make distantshots with surprising precision.Effective use of these scopes re-quires ranging the target first
C l a i rR e e s
PRIDE FOWLER INDUSTRIES
RAPID RETICLE SCOPES
PRIDE FOWLER INDUSTRIES
RAPID RETICLE SCOPES
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with a laser rangefinder. Alterna-tively, you can watch for the dustof a bullet strike, then adjustyour aim to compensate – thisworks for both windage and ele-vation changes.
Each scope wears a one-inch6061 T6 aluminum one-piecetube with a matte-black finish.Lenses are multicoated and de-liver a clear, sharp sighting pic-ture. I like the fast-focus reareyepiece that makes adjustingthe scope to your eye quick andeasy. Windage and elevationadjustments are made with 1⁄4minute-of-angle (MOA) clicks.
Both standard and magnum 3-9x variables are 11 inches longand weigh 13 ounces. Each ispriced at $289. The fixed-power6x 40mm scope weighs the samebut measures 125⁄8 inches inlength. MSRP is $189. All threeare waterproof (I dunked them inthe tub an hour to test this) and
advertised as shockproof (I’venever learned how to gauge ariflescope’s “shockproof” capa-bilities without testing it to de-struction).
I’ve done a fair amount of plink-ing with both 3-9x variables, andthey passed with flying colors. Icould accurately place shots atany distance to the reticle’s outer
STEVENS 118 MOUNTAIN ROAD, SUFFIELD, CT 06078
The new Stevens Model 200 carries the spirit of fine workmanship andhonest value. From the first rifle, Stevens has staked their reputationon a standard of quality that never varies. Each rifle is designed tomeet the requirements of hunters and sportsmen who insist upon thebest value available. Featuring a dual pillar bedded, gray syntheticstock, with button rifled free-floating barrel, the Model 200 is the bestvalue in a bolt-action rifle. Offered in a variety of calibers, in short orlong action, it’s the perfect rifle at a reasonable price.
WWW.SAVAGEARMS.COM Stevens is a registered trademarkof Savage Sports Corporation.
Quality and ValueQuality and Value
I don’t know how many differ-ent rifle slings I’ve used, but it’sbeen a bunch. They’ve run thegamut from full-bellied leathercobra-style slings with loops forextra cartridges to plain, un-adorned black nylon straps.Let’s not forget the military-styleleather slings with brass ad-justing claws that were the uni-versal standard when I beganshooting many years ago. Thetarget rifles I competed with dur-ing college ROTC matches wereso equipped, and I still harbor acertain fondness for these useful,but obsolescent straps.
I don’t much care for the wide,
Rifle 22384 www.riflemagazine.com
limit, provided I ranged the tar-gets first. The beauty of these ret-icles is that, once you’ve sightedin the scope, you can leave thewindage and elevation knobsalone. I’m looking forward tohunting with these scopes whenprairie dog season rolls aroundagain.
For more information, contactPride Fowler Industries, Inc.,Dept. R, PO Box 4301, San DimasCA 91773; or you can visit onlineat: www.rapidreticle.com.
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contain any other relatedinformation that might haveappeared over the yearsin comments or opinions,where it might have ap-peared in advertisements orin source listings for brassor case forming proceduresfrom existing cartridges.
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Want a detailed listing of everymention of a cartridge or keyword search to determine if itever appeared in Handloader?Click on the binocular logo anddo a search for the “DonaldsonWasp,” for example. A detailedlisting of every mention in themagazines will be provided, in-cluding load data references that
98 Rifle 223www.riflemagazine.com
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