Shooting Times

well done!

AS AN OLDER GUY WHO JUST ACQUIRED HIS FIRST RED-DOT SIGHT, THE recent article on red dots by Layne Simpson was right on. Well done! Sam Wiede Via email Bob Hayley Auction I read the “Gunsmoke” column about Bob Hayley in my friend’s copy of Shooting Times. For those who are interested, there was a 16-hour auction of Hayley’s reloading stuff and antique cartridges in Vernon, Texas, and another auction at his home in Seymour. Most of the items went cheap; I bought a lot and resold it on eBay. I would’ve liked to have known him. Lonnie Hare Via email .458 Win. Mag. Gets the Job Done I read with interest Layne Simpson’s article on the .458 Winchester Magnum. I began searching for a handload for the .458 Win. Mag. in the late 1990s after acquiring a Steyr…

walther pdp

WALTHER’S NEW 9MM PDP (PERFORMANCE DUTY Pistol) is a striker-fired, optics-ready semiautomatic with a polymer frame, interchangeable backstraps, all-new texturing pattern on the grip, and a brand-new PDT safety trigger. It is an outgrowth from Walther’s successful PPQ and Q4/Q5 series of pistols. The PDP is offered with a 4.5-inch barrel or a 4.0-inch barrel. Magazine capacities are 18 rounds for the 4.5-inch gun and 15 rounds for the shorter, compact model. The polymer sights are a three-dot setup. The 4.5-inch-barreled PDP weighs 25.4 ounces. MSRP: $649 waltherusa.com Left-Handed Ruger 10/22 Competition Rifle Ruger has just introduced a left-handed configuration of its Custom Shop 10/22 Competition Rifle. Accordingly, the new version features left-side ejection, a left-handed charging handle, and a left-handed push-button cross-bolt manual safety. The detachable 10-round rotary magazine has been specially designed…

.257 roberts +p?

Q: I HAVE A PRE-’64 WINCHESTER MODEL 70 BUILT IN 1949, SERIAL NUMBER 123279. Is it safe to shoot .257 Roberts +P ammunition in the gun? It’s the only ammo I can find. J. Daily Via email A: That’s an excellent question. Were it my rifle and in decent condition mechanically, I would shoot modern +P ammo without hesitation. The Pre-’64 Model 70s were chambered for .30-06 that has a maximum average pressure (MAP) of 60,000 psi; the .257 Roberts +P has an MAP of 58,000 psi. The only caution I offer is if the rifle has seen a lot of rounds in its life. If that is the case, consider having a gunsmith confirm the headspace with a no-go gauge. I believe the lower initial limit of 51,000 psi for the non-+P was due to…

remington model 34

ONE OF THE LESSER-KNOWN BOLT-ACTION .22 rifles of the last century, Remington’s Model 34 was built for just a few short years, from 1932 through 1935. About 163,000 were made before the Model 34 was replaced by the Model 341. Several unique characteristics distinguish the Model 34. It’s a tube-fed bolt action, which is somewhat unusual, and the two-position, rocker-type safety located at the right rear of the action is backward, meaning you press it forward to engage the safety and pull it rearward to put it in the “Fire” position. However, most unique is the cartridge lifter. It’s worth noting that the lifter keeps the incoming cartridge level, lifts it elevator style, and presents it straight in line with the chamber. Thanks to the lifter’s straight-on, easy-chambering presentation, freshly chambered cartridges…

the evolution of forensic firearms identification

I’VE PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED FORENSIC BULLET and cartridge case comparison, but I want to include some history. First, “firearms identification,” not “ballistics,” is what crime labs do. Firearms identification today is highly evolved. Labs have digital microscopy capabilities and can share images of evidence items with faraway labs via the “send” button. It was not always high tech. True microscopes appeared about 1590 to 1625, but three centuries passed before effective and expedient firearms evidence comparison devices appeared. Rifled firearms were documented between 1493 and 1506, but any forensic usefulness of rifling impressions on bullets had to wait another four centuries to be appreciated. Early firearms evidence was painfully basic. The first civilian firearms were bored in many diameters for round balls and came with a bullet mold to cast the correct size ball. Diameters…

little differences make a difference

A RIFLE CARTRIDGE IS MADE UP OF ONLY FOUR components—two energetic and two benign. The energetic ones are the primer and the propellant. The case and the bullet are only benign until the firing pin strikes the primer. At that point, they both obturate almost instantaneously. The case seals the chamber to ensure the extremely hot primer and propellant gases exit the muzzle and don’t flow back through the action into the shooter’s face. The bullet jumps forward and is engraved into the spiral rifling, sealing the hot gases behind it as it accelerates down the bore. If all goes according to plan, the spinning bullet exits at the desired velocity on the way to the intended target, and the expended cartridge case and rifle are still intact. Hopefully, you’ve…