Calling all caliber connoisseurs! This is where you’ll find everything you ever wanted to know about the latest ammunition news, reviews and more. From test runs and range reports to reloading tips and answers to common ammo questions, we have you covered.
With Christmas just days away and that hard-to-shop-for gun lover on your mind, fret no more. We have 10 gifts to fill your shooter’s stocking without draining the Christmas savings account!
Les Baer handguns are legendary 1911s with more than a little hand fitting and a vial of the maker’s sweat included. They are built, rather than assembled, and offer topflight performance for discerning shooters. Are they perfect? Perhaps not, but they are very close. Read the full report to how the Concept VI handled at the range.
Transform your MSR 15. Loaded with the 90-grain Gold Medal Sierra MatchKing, the all-new .224 Valkyrie provides less wind drift and drop than all other loads in its class and stays supersonic past 1,300 yards. The cartridge is the new choice for both long-range target shooters and hunters.
Syntech uses a total synthetic jacket, termed the TSJ by Federal Cartridge Company. The lead-alloy core is covered with a red polymer coating. No lead, which is termed a heavy metal, is exposed. From the company that gave us Nyclad ammunition, this is just another step but a different and important one. This isn’t really a coating, but more of a durable sheath or shield.
I have always loved the .410. At a young age, I was introduced to it as an alternative to the .22 long rifle for rabbits and squirrels. Due to the shot pattern, it was easier to harvest the fast moving little critters. Later, I was introduced to bird hunting and quickly realized those old men were not shooting the .410 to gain an advantage. Instead, it was a show of skill on fast-moving Bobwhite’s. However, it was when I was first introduced to the .410 for self-defense that I gained a respect for the cartridge.
Over the past century, many gun makers have offered their own branded ammunition. Among the most successful have been Remington and Winchester. A few makers have offered ammunition made by outside vendors, including Smith and Wesson and Taurus. In these cases, things did not go as well. Browning, however, is another story.
Most feel the .38-44 set the stage for the .357 Magnum revolver—and it did—but the .38-44 is more than a footnote in history. This is a fine revolver that is useful on its own merits. Buffalo Bore is famous for first-class loads that maximize the caliber, and this is no exception.
Over the previous century, tests have been conducted using dry cadavers, pine boards, European glue, wax, water, wet newspaper, and most famously and recently ballistic gelatin. There are many factors to consider when choosing ammunition. The following traces the history of ammunition testing and factors you should be considering when choosing a new ammunition. Be informed. Make a smart choice.
If there is one way to get folks talking off the cuff, it is to broach the subject of deer rifles and calibers. Everyone has a favorite that their dad, granddad, or aunt used to tame the Wild West and deplete the Elk herds in downtown Burbank. The problem is what works for one doesn’t work for the other, at least it doesn’t work as well. How will you pick the right caliber?
After training hundreds of individuals and doing considerable research on handguns and cartridges, I have come to realize that many shooters do not realize the work a handgun cartridge must do.